Abstract

This paper aims to analyze how the scenic word built the devil’s image and the diabolic, in four Spanish Baroque plays: El esclavo del demonio («The Devil’s Slave», 1612), by Antonio Mira de Amescua (1577- 1636); El condenado por desconfiado («Damned for Despair», 1635), by Tirso de Molina (1579-1648); El mágico prodigioso («The Wonder-Working Magician», 1637) y El veneno y la triaca («The Poison and the Antidote», 1677) by Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681). In these plays, the devil is a dynamic character who moves between the sacred and the profane dimension in the theatric scene as well as in the human soul.

Abstract

This paper explores the representation of the Holy Office in allegorical works in which beyond the mere mention of his name is seen the character and / or the preparation and execution of the auto of faith, which constitutes the most ostensible proof of its power. After tracing a rapid panorama, the analysis focuses on The Inquisition, by Mira de Amescua, a little known work that has remained unpublished until very recently.