Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla y Augustín Moreto

An elucidation in Spanish of the dramatic intentions and accomplishments of the two best imitators of the inspired craftsmanship of Pedro Calderón de la Barca, this is the first monograph to be published on Rojas Zorilla and Moreto for at least two decades. Following an introductory section, in which she discusses and compares the differing attitudes and methods of the two dramatists, the author concentrates on their respective achievements in the genres which they practiced with enthusiasm and ability. Among the comedies and serious secular plays selected for analysis are not only their most celebrated works, but also numerous plays previously overlooked or undervalued. These lesser-known works are revealed to be worthy of scholarly attention and are also discovered to illuminate hitherto rarely perceived or appreciated aspects of their creators' dramatic art. Moreto is shown to have, besides his famous aptitude for comedy, considerable abilities for treating serious or tragic themes, conflicts and characters. In addition to his celebrated preference and capacity for dramatizing sensationalist subjects and for creating abnormal, even pathological protagonists, Rojas Zorilla is observed to have other less obvious talents – for exploiting without fuss the best resources and techniques of drama and the stage; and for creating with imaginative restraint characters that are convincingly normal and humanly limited in the directions of their thoughts, the ranges of their emotions and the extremes of their conduct.