Abstract

In Calderón’s plays, metatheatrical elements are especially concentrated in the last verses, where the characters break the theatrical illusion and address the audience to refer to aspects of the work itself and its representation, in search of applause. This article analyzes the endings of 73 calderonian plays and classifi es captatio benevolentiae formulas that appear in them, related to the Baroque taste for metaliterary artifi ce. The study of the chronological evolution of the selection of such references, so codified, is not only essential to understanding the modus scribendi of Calderón, but can also be considered a new tool for the dating of certain works.