Abstract

The present article considers aspects of the dramatic genre, illustrating the arguments adduced with reference to La devoción de la cruz. It focuses on aspects of theatrical writing which the dramatist codifi es in the play text, that is, Calderón’s stagecraft in fashioning the plot with performance in mind. The article consists of two parts: the first discusses some theatrical techniques that help to distinguish between tragedy and comedy, such as the development of the action, the mood prevailing on-stage and Calderón’s handling of characterisation; the second presents a theatrical reading of the play’s ending and its opening. In its approach, the present contribution differs from existing ones which usually examine the play text from a literary point of view.