When Sacred and Secular Intersect: Calderón's El pintor de su deshonra, comedia and auto

Calderón's auto sacramental of the same title as his comedia, El pintor de su deshonra, has been largely overlooked, despite the intense critical scrutiny to which the honor plays have been subjected. This paper argues that the fact that the auto has extremely close ties —by title, plot, themes and character development— to the comedia is a compelling reason to look at the two plays as part of a logical progression. Thus, what the auto, written a year or two after the comedia, has to say about human existence in general and honor in particular is critical in understanding Calderón's position concerning these themes. (PPM)