The Devil and Humor in Lope's Comedias de santos

The devil figures prominently in Lope de Vega's comedias de santos, and often in situations which can be judged as humorous. This humor arises for different reasons. Since the devil assumes human form to tempt the saint, he sometimes is subjected to awkward and humiliating circumstances. The devil himself makes puns or cracks jokes about his predicament. The devil, sometimes resembling a pedantic hidalgo, is satirized for his airs of superiority. The devil also provokes laughter because, through his defeat and humiliation, the public of the seventeenth century felt temporarily relieved of fear. (TEC)