Playwriters in The Golden Age: Translators and Interpreters of The Amazonic Myth

Abstract

Inspired by travel narratives regarding the discovery of Hispanic America, the most famous Spanish authors of 17th century theater, like Félix Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina or Pedro Calderón de la Barca, play a role close to that of the performers or translators of those days insofar as they embrace the myth of the Amazon. It is legitimate to question the capacity and the possibilities of these dramatists to embrace a protean myth, displayed in a variety of ways in order to give it a new, truly Spanish meaning, always referring to a misogynistic ideology. Various stages mark the transference of the amazonic myth to new thea- trical interpretations, whilst taking into account the socio-historical and political context of the era as well as the public expectations with regards to these original versions of the Amazon.