Queen Christina of Sweden and Calderón's Afectos de odio y amor

Calderón's interest in Queen Christina is evidenced in two dramatic works: an auto sacramental and a comedia. My thesis in the present paper is that it was not the historical saga of the Swedish queen or even her religious pilgrimage that attracted Calderón to the dramatic potentialities in the Christina character, but rather his interest in the popular comedia type of the mujer varonil. The historical queen and historical circumstances are slightly modified and adapted to conform to comedia conventions and to enhance dramatic interest. In this connection, the comedia raises interesting questions about numerous areas of conflict and tension, including the whole love/honor/duelling complex. (RL)