Invocaciones al Preste Juan en el teatro de Lope de Vega

Abstract

The present work aims to trace the presence of Prester John in the theater of Lope de Vega, in order to analyze the various functions that the allusion to this legendary character acquires in the language and in various passages of his comedies and hors d'oeuvres. Since its pseudohistorical and literary appearance in the middle of the 12th century, Prester John was a character of enormous importance in the game of alliances that tried to counteract the power of the Muslims after the Crusades. It was the Portuguese who at the beginning of the 16th century made it clear that the monarch of Ethiopia, who had been identified with Prester John, was a king beset by many difficulties. This discovery put an end to the European dream of this legendary character as a possible ally against the Muslims and he ended up becoming, thanks in part to the use that Lope made of him, one of the most characteristic burlesque characters of the Golden Age theater.

Keywords

• Prester John
• Vega Carpio Lope de
• Baroque Theater
• 17th Century