Abstract

While the presence of violence in the theater of Calderón has been observed by numerous scholars, this violence has not always been satisfactorily explained. Taking into account Seneca’s thought, as well as in that of St.Augustin, St.Thomas Aquinas, and St Bernard of Clairval, this essay analyzes the numerous manifestations of violence and cruelty in La devoción de la cruz, one of the first plays written by Calderón, and one that has been criticized by those who do not understand or sympathize with the culture of the Spanish Baroque. As a remedy for the violence and cruelty that can be observed in this play, Calderón proposes clemency, which was considered a vice by Seneca, while St. Augustin, St. Thomas, St. Bernard and the best-known authors of Spanish Golden Age held it as a Christian virtue which should have its place in the administration of justice.