Schadenfreude and the Don Juan Archetype in the Theatrical Works of Seventeenth-Century Spain
Date
2015-08-26
Authors
Makalima, Teboho
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Abstract
This thesis explores the various manners in which schadenfreude – taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others – functions in the theatrical works of Golden-Age Spain, specifically in three donjuanesque plays of the seventeenth century. The first chapter of the thesis analyses schadenfreude as exercised in Tirso de Molina’s "El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra," a play in which Don Juan’s pleasurable deceptions incur the enjoyment of his demise. In the second chapter, a variation on the theme of Don Juan finds playwright Alonso de Córdoba y Maldonado applying schadenfreude as a literary technique in his play "La venganza en el sepulcro." Finally, a female representative of the Don Juan archetype is examined in the third chapter, which features María de Zayas y Sotomayor’s only known comedy "La traición en la amistad."
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Keywords
Golden-Age Spanish theatre, Theater, Don Juan, Schadenfreude, Seventeenth-century, Donjuanismo, Don Juanism, Schadenfroh