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- La celosa de sí misma
- Staging information
La celosa de sí misma (1622-1623), Tirso de Molina
- Scene
This is a three-act comedia.
- Staging
Magdalena often appears as the ‘Countess’ in a full-length veil that completely covers her face, and gloves that cover her hands, such that no part of her is exposed. She is described as wearing ‘mourning clothes’, so presumably she is dressed in black. She can, however, remove her gloves to reveal her hands, and reveal her eyes one at a time to show them to Melchor. She carries a purse that is stolen in the first act, and a second purse appears in the final act as a false impostor. Purse-strings are also produced that would have gone with this first purse. In it is found a stone wrapped in a piece of paper, with a ribbon around it, a silver thimble, a spool, three black rings and four glass rings. Magdalena has to be able to change costume so that she can appear as ‘herself’ as well as in a veil as the Countess. A letter from the Countess is produced by a squire and read aloud. Angela also appears as the veiled lady, in clothes similar enough to those of Magdalena dressed as the Countess so that she can believably pass as the same lady. Melchor stands on his servant’s back in the final scene in order to get closer to Magdalena (as the veiled lady) who is on an upper balcony looking down on the street, so the set calls for an upper level. There should be an imagined interior to this upper level, as Magdalena throws her voice back there to make it sound like the ‘real’ Magdalena is talking to the Countess from within the inner room. The purses are produced again in the final scene.
- Cast number
-
Minimum Maximum 5 males 8 males 3 females 4 females 8 (total) 12 (total) - Characters
- DOÑA MAGDALENA
- DON MELCHOR
- DOÑA ÁNGELA, Magdalena’s neighbour
- DON ALONSO, Magdalena’s father
- DON JERÓNIMO
- DON SEBASTIÁN, Magdalena’s neighbour
- DON LUIS
- VENTURA, Comic servant
- QUIÑONES, Servant to Magdalena
- SANTILLANA, Squire
- SERVANTS
Entry written by Kathleen Jeffs. Last updated on 21 January 2012.
