“All the world’s a stage”: comparative study of theatrical spaces in the spanish Baroque and in the elizabethan scene

Authors

  • Paula Baldwin Lind Universidad de Los Andes

Abstract

This article offers a comparison of some aspects of the Golden Age theatre and the Elizabethan era from the perspective of space. To do this, I first refer to the anthropological dimension of space that underlies every theatrical event and that allows us to go beyond the technical aspects of representation. I then briefly describe the cultural context that led to the splendour of both Spanish baroque theatre –specifically in the work of Lope de Vega– and of the English of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in particular, that of William Shakespeare. The comparative analysis covers elements such as the location of public theatres: the “corrales de comedias” of the Cross and the Prince in Madrid and the Globe theatre in London, as well as the study of the architecture of these spaces, their capacity, the dimensions of the stage and the location of the galleries, among others. The aim of researching the materiality of these spaces is to better understand the mechanisms of spatial configuration designed by both playwrights, who, through the poetic and performative word, using ticoscopic resources, manage to produce the theatrical illusion that makes the invisible visible by creating imaginary spaces on stage, in a collaborative process between actors and audience.

Keywords:

Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, Elizabethan theatre, Spanish Baroque theatre, theatrical spaces, theatrical illusion