Comedy's Social Compromise: Tirso's Marta la piadosa and the Refashioning of Role

Several critics have recently attempted to re-establish the comic nature of Tirso's Marta la piadosa, in the face of much of this century's tragedizing criticism. This article is an attempt to move the debate forward. The comic pedigree of the play is verified, and an analysis of the serious, social implications which are characteristic of fine comedy is presented. Marta herself is seen as just one example of a number of comic hero(in)es of the comedia who temporarily eschew the normal rules and roles of social life in order to relocate themselves to a position which happens to coincide more precisely with their own expectations of life. Marta la piadosa is thus seen to belong to the mainstream of comedy which sets up a debate between the conservative forces of social role-play and the lively, youthful expression of the self. (JWT)