Dramatic Use of letras cantadas in El amor mas desgraciado, Cefalo y Pocris

podido nunca tolerar la intervención de ésta en su vida de trabajador. Les pidió amor y placer, y ambas cosas le fueron concedidas en abundancia . . . pero jamás solicitó de ellas opinión ni consejo, acaso por albergar la convicci ón de que el hombre y la mujer, fuera de la recíproca inclinación que la Naturaleza establece, son, . . . dos mónadas que no se penetran." 31Ludwig Pfandl, Historia de la literatura nacional española en la Edad de Oro, trans. J. R. Balaguer (Barcelona, 1933), p.449. 32The five plays in which a woman dominates the action are: El ejemplo de casadas y prueba de la paciencia (Laurencia); El anzuelo de Fenisa (Fenisa); El llegar en ocasión (Laura); La discreta enamorada (Fenisa); El ruiseñor de Sevilla ( Lucinda ) . 33The Oxford Universal Dictionary on Historical Principles, ed. C. T. Onions (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1955), p.523, offers the following definitions of "discreet" and "discrete": "Discreet (ME. discret, discrete, A.F., Ad L. discretus, in the Late L. sense. A doublet of sicrete. ) 1. showing discernment in the guidance of one's own speech and action; judicious, circumspect, cautious; often esp. silent when speech is inconvenient. Discrete (ME. ad L. discretus, 'separate, distinct,' pa. pple. of discerniré, a doublet of discreet). 1. separate, detached from others, distinct." For further discussion of the discreto as a man apart, see Monroe Z. Hafter, Gracián and Perfection (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1966), pp.148-49. 34FOr a concise explanation of the evolution of Ulis second meaning of discreto ("discriminating ," "intelligent") see Yakov MaIkiel 's review of Margaret Bates' "Discreción in the works of Cervantes," which appeared in Word, 2(1946), 99. 35 Fenisa may well be said to possess that quality of cuerda intrepidez, the audacia discreta advocated by Gracián in Chapter II of El Discreto: "No hablo aquí de aquella natural superioridad que señalamos por singular realce al Héroe, sino de una cuerda intrepidez , contraria al deslucido encogimiento, fundada , o en la comprensión de las materias, o en la autoridad de los años, en la calificación de las dignidades, que en fe de cualquiera délias puede uno hacer y decir con señorío" (p.81). ^»tí«7^V DRAMATIC USE OF LETRAS CANTADAS IN EL AMOR MAS DESGRACIADO, CEFALO Y POCRIS Thomas A. O'Connor, State University of New York, College at Cortland Probably the most misunderstood subgenre of the Spanish comedia is the mythological drama, castigated by some for its lack of inventiveness,1 and generally overlooked by Hispanists because of its so-called dated and antiquarian interest. The failure to consider these plays critically within the framework of their own particular nature has prevented a more thorough analysis and examination of techniques and themes that the plays contain. Perhaps the first step toward an understanding of this remote world of gods and goddesses is to realize that the outcome of a particular play is not of prime importance to either the dramatist or his audience. Mythological themes, by their very nature, necessitated virtuosity in handling and perfection in execution. Therefore , although the themes that the plays embody reflect the Catholic moral system prevalent in Spain, even these themes play a secondary role to the poetic and dramatic virtuosity so apparent in the mythological drama. The Cephalus and Procris legend has had a long and varied existence in the Spanish comedia, starting with Lope's lyrical La bella Aurora, and followed by Calderóne opera Celos, aun del aire matan and his burlesque Cefalo y Pocris . When Agustín de Salazar y Torres turned his attention to the myth, he needed a little extra something to overcome the sheer repetition of the theme, 35 the reprehension of jealousy as a violent and deadily passion. El amor más desgraciado , Cefalo y Pocris is his contribution to the Spanish comedia; yet this play is so deceptively simple and beguilingly beautiful that the reader may overlook the very elements which give the play its charm. The use of letras cantadas contribute the necessary virtuosity demanded by the myth, and Salazar's masterful use of letras in very dramatic situations adds nuance...