The Phantom Lady
Encyclopedia
The Phantom Lady is a play written by the Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca
. It was written and performed in 1629. It was published for the first time in the Primera parte de comedias de don Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1636).
The Phantom Lady is a cloak and sword play (de capa y espada) which follows the plot of the Invisible Mistress. This plot derives from the myth of Cupid
and Psyche, but inverts the role of the protagonists. In the plot and in the Spanish play, it is the man’s curiosity which leads him to meet and fall in love with the invisible woman; that is, with a woman who is either hidden, veiled or encountered in the dark. The Invisible Mistress plot is already found in Italian novelle by Masuccio and Matteo Bandello
. Even though Calderón uses elements from Lope de Vega’s play The Widow from Valencia
, his main model is an interpolated story in El soldado Píndaro by Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses
(1626). As is common in cloak and sword plays, it is the woman, in this case Doña Ángela, who propels the action. Her objective is to conquer Don Manuel while avoiding the attention of her two brothers, who watch over her. In order to communicate with Don Manuel, the lady uses an ingenious device, which creates and ambiance of supernatural mystery, thus referring to the title of the play.
This play had been interpreted from many points of view. One of them emphasized the tragic elements in the work. Those who propose this type of approach point to the tragic references in the first scene; to the darkness that surrounds the spaces in this work; to the fact that Doña Ángela constantly complains that her brothers have incarcerated her; and to the rivalry between the two brothers. Some scholars have studied the magical and the so-called superstitious elements of the play; others have turned to the economic and political subtexts, claiming that gold turned into coal points to the economic policies of the Count-Duke of Olivares. Finally, many have studied the feminist or proto-feminist aspects of the work.
Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño usually referred as Pedro Calderón de la Barca , was a dramatist, poet and writer of the Spanish Golden Age. During certain periods of his life he was also a soldier and a Roman Catholic priest...
. It was written and performed in 1629. It was published for the first time in the Primera parte de comedias de don Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1636).
The Phantom Lady is a cloak and sword play (de capa y espada) which follows the plot of the Invisible Mistress. This plot derives from the myth of Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
and Psyche, but inverts the role of the protagonists. In the plot and in the Spanish play, it is the man’s curiosity which leads him to meet and fall in love with the invisible woman; that is, with a woman who is either hidden, veiled or encountered in the dark. The Invisible Mistress plot is already found in Italian novelle by Masuccio and Matteo Bandello
Matteo Bandello
-Biography:Matteo Bandello was born at Castelnuovo Scrivia, near Tortona , c. 1480 or 1485. He received a good education, and entered the church, but does not seem to have been very interested in theology. For many years he lived at Mantua, and superintended the education of the celebrated Lucrezia...
. Even though Calderón uses elements from Lope de Vega’s play The Widow from Valencia
The Widow from Valencia
The Widow from Valencia is a play written by the Spanish playwright Lope de Vega. It was written circa 1600 as a result of Lope's visit to the city with his new patron, the future Count of Lemos. They were there for the marriage of the King Philip III with Margaret of Austria...
, his main model is an interpolated story in El soldado Píndaro by Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses
Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses
Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses was a Spanish novelist.-Biography:He was born at Madrid about 1585. Nothing positive is known of him before the publication of his celebrated romance, the Poema trágico del español Gerardo, y desengaño del amor lascivo...
(1626). As is common in cloak and sword plays, it is the woman, in this case Doña Ángela, who propels the action. Her objective is to conquer Don Manuel while avoiding the attention of her two brothers, who watch over her. In order to communicate with Don Manuel, the lady uses an ingenious device, which creates and ambiance of supernatural mystery, thus referring to the title of the play.
This play had been interpreted from many points of view. One of them emphasized the tragic elements in the work. Those who propose this type of approach point to the tragic references in the first scene; to the darkness that surrounds the spaces in this work; to the fact that Doña Ángela constantly complains that her brothers have incarcerated her; and to the rivalry between the two brothers. Some scholars have studied the magical and the so-called superstitious elements of the play; others have turned to the economic and political subtexts, claiming that gold turned into coal points to the economic policies of the Count-Duke of Olivares. Finally, many have studied the feminist or proto-feminist aspects of the work.