Gracioso

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | 700+ words | Copyright

Gracioso, comic servant or peasant in Spanish plays of the Golden Age. Though he may ultimately derive from Latin comedy, his immediate ancestor appears to be the bobo or rustic clown of Lope de Rueda's interludes, or pasos. He first appears in the plays of Gil Vicente and his contemporaries, particularly Torres Naharro. In works by Lope de Vega, who did not as he claims introduce the gracioso to the Spanish stage, he is nevertheless an important element, parodying the actions of his master in lively and popular language. By Calderón he is used to present yet another facet of the moral or doctrinal lesson implicit in the play, whether comedia or auto sacramental. The gracioso reached his apotheosis in the plays of Agustin de Moreto, where he and his female counterpart set on foot and maintain the complicated intrigues.

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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Gracioso." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Gracioso." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Gracioso.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Gracioso." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Gracioso.html

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