cloak and sword drama

cloak and sword drama

also called  cloak and dagger theatre , Spanish  comedia de capa y espada 

      17th-century Spanish plays of upper middle class manners and intrigue. The name derives from the cloak and sword that were part of the typical street dress of students, soldiers, and cavaliers, the favourite heroes. The type was anticipated by the plays of Bartolomé de Torres Naharro, but its popularity was established by the inventive dramas of Lope de Vega and Tirso de Molina. The extremely complicated plots deal with the frustration of an idealized love by the conventional Spanish pundonor (“point of honour”). The affairs of the lady and her gallant are mirrored or parodied in the actions of the servants; the hero's valet (the gracioso) also supplies a common-sense commentary on the manners of his masters. After many misunderstandings, duels, renunciations, and false alarms about honour, the plays usually end happily with several marriages. In the 19th and 20th centuries the term “cloak-and-dagger” referred to espionage, both real and fictional.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • cloak-and-sword — | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ adjective Etymology: translation of Spanish (comedia de) capa y espada cloak and sword comedy : dealing in fictional or semifictional romance and adventure of the nobility in a period when swordplay and colorful elaborate dress… …   Useful english dictionary

  • cloak-and-sword — /klohk euhn sawrd /, adj. (of a drama or work of fiction) dealing with characters who wear cloaks and swords; concerned with the customs and romance of the nobility in bygone times. [1800 10] * * * …   Universalium

  • cloak and sword — adj. (of a drama or fiction book) referring to characters who wear cloaks and swords; involving the habits and romance of the nobility in days that are past …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Cloak and dagger — For other uses, see Cloak and dagger (disambiguation). 16th century manual of arms illustration of the Dagger and Cloak. Cloak and dagger is a term sometimes used to refer to situations involving intrigue, secrecy, espionage, or mystery. The… …   Wikipedia

  • cloak-and-sworder — | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ noun ( s) : a cloak and sword novel or drama …   Useful english dictionary

  • Sharpe's Sword (novel) — infobox Book | name = Sharpe s Sword image caption = Early UK paperback edition author = Bernard Cornwell country = United Kingdom language = English cover artist = series = Richard Sharpe stories genre = Historical novels publisher = Harper… …   Wikipedia

  • Spanish literature — Introduction       the body of literary works produced in Spain. Such works fall into three major language divisions: Castilian, Catalan, and Galician. This article provides a brief historical account of each of these three literatures and… …   Universalium

  • Vega, Lope de — in full Lope Félix de Vega Carpio born Nov. 25, 1562, Madrid, Spain died Aug. 27, 1635, Madrid Spanish playwright, the outstanding dramatist of the Spanish Golden Age. After serving with the Spanish Armada, he lived in Madrid, serving as… …   Universalium

  • theatre, Western — ▪ art Introduction       history of the Western theatre from its origins in pre Classical antiquity to the present.       For a discussion of drama as a literary form, see dramatic literature and the articles on individual national literatures.… …   Universalium

  • comedia — ▪ Spanish literature       a Spanish regular verse drama or comedy. Specific forms include the comedia de capa y espada (cloak and sword drama), a cloak and sword comedy of love and intrigue, and the comedia de figuron, a form in which the… …   Universalium

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