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- El caballero de Olmedo
- Staging information
El caballero de Olmedo (c.1620), Lope de Vega Carpio
- Scene
The play is in three acts. Whether or not the play adheres to a tragic structure has been debated by critics; see the introductions by Lappin (Lope de Vega 2006) and Rico (Lope de Vega 2004) to their editions, and Edwards’ introduction to his translation (Lope de Vega 1999). Essentially the play is a tragedy, but its comic overtones in the first two acts and the ambiguity of the tragic flaw in the hero which leads to his downfall have suggested that the play be known as a ‘tragicomedy’, which is indeed how Lope de Vega categorised the work.
The fake conversion and fake Latin tutors to fool the father figure are themes seen in other Golden Age plays, including Tirso de Molina’s Marta la piadosa which is also featured on the Out of the Wings site.
- Staging
Laura Vidler has studied the staging of this play in depth (2004 and 2005). The scene shifts from inner rooms of Don Pedro’s house where he lives with his daughters, Inés and Leonor, to outer locations on the road between Medina and Olmedo. There are also scenes in the King’s palace. A gate to which a green ribbon can be tied is mentioned in the second act, and Alonso visits the street below Inés’s window to converse with her on several occasions. There is a bullfight in the third act, but this probably takes place offstage. Alonso is ultimately shot by Mendo who wields a harquebus. Swords are drawn in the play, and hats and cloaks would have originally indicated night scenes. Rodrigo’s cloak features in two scenes.
- Cast number
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Minimum Maximum 7 males 12 males 4 females 7 females 11 (total) 19 (total) - Cast information
- David Johnston’s adaptation has one actress playing both Ana and Laín, one actor playing Fernando and the Shade (Shadow), one actor playing Don Pedro and the Peasant, and one actor playing the Constable and Mendo.
- Characters
- DON ALONSO, Nobleman and renowned bullfighter
- DON RODRIGO, Nobleman
- DON FERNANDO, Nobleman, friend to Rodrigo
- DON PEDRO, Father to Inés and Leonor
- DON JUAN II, King
- CONSTABLE
- DOÑA INÉS, Noblewoman
- DOÑA LEONOR, Sister to Inés
- ANA
- FABIA, Bawd (go-between)
- TELLO, Comic servant
- MENDO
- LAÍN
- PEASANT
- SHADOW (masked figure who claims to be Don Alonso)
- SERVANTS
- ATTENDANTS
Entry written by Kathleen Jeffs. Last updated on 14 March 2011.
