Abstract

The cave, frequently a scene of action in tales of romance, was also a stock scene in seventeenth-century court scenography, and much used by Calderón in his palace plays. The romance topos of the cave involves the idea of an entrance to the underworld. Used dramatically, it functions as a frame for emblems, prophecies or dreams, and sometimes a mirror implemented by a magician who wishes to project these supernatural happenings. This essay maintains that, while the stage cave of Calderón's mythological or romance plays does not actually lead to the traditional underworld, it still has an implied association with tomb, crypt, or supernatural place. Whatever happens within the cave, and whatever its scenographic variations and inventions, the scene is still, even if unconsciously, imbued with traditional mortuary associations. (MH)

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