Theory and Practice in Lope and Moratín: The New Comedy, 'La Comedia Nueva

In this article, for the first time, two Spanish influent dramatic theories are critically related: Lope de Vega and Leandro Fernández de Moratín. Two centuries separate their creations, but both tried to renew the scene with their poetic, both sought a new comedy to break with immediately preceding theatre traditions. The dramatic works of either author, in fact, are very different in extension: Lope wrote more than four hundred titles, while Moratín only five. They are respectively the most prolific and international Spanish dramatic poet and one of the most moderate among the recognized Spanish authors, but they have in common a peculiar aspiration: they want their works to reflect the reality of the world. Paraphrasing Lope, comoedia speculum humanae vitae could be used as the headword of both. Taking Arte nuevo de hacer comedias (1609) and La comedia nueva o el café (1792) as a starting point, the article analyzes both authors’ theatre, contextualized in their respective historical moments.