Autos sacramentales
Autos sacramentales are one-act allegorical plays that originated in Spain during the sixteenth century, primarily performed in connection with the Roman Catholic feast of Corpus Christi. These plays personified virtues, vices, and abstract concepts, reflecting the spiritual themes central to the celebration of the Eucharist, which commemorates the presence of Jesus Christ in the form of bread and wine. The tradition of autos sacramentales flourished during Spain's Golden Age of theater, with playwrights like Pedro Calderón de la Barca and Lope de Vega creating intricate and elaborate performances that were staged on specially equipped wagons in town streets.
Originally part of grand religious festivals, these plays aimed to convey moral lessons and deepen the audience's understanding of their faith. However, the increasing extravagance and potential disrespect towards the sacrament led to a ban on the performances in 1765 by King Charles III. Despite this prohibition, autos sacramentales remain a unique and culturally significant form of dramatic literature, distinct to Spain, which showcases the intersection of faith and artistry during a pivotal era in its history.
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Autos sacramentales
Autos sacramentales are one-act plays that originated in Spain in the sixteenth century. They were specifically written to be performed in connection with a religious holiday, most commonly the Roman Catholic feast of Corpus Christi. The plays were usually allegorical, and the characters were not human but instead personified virtues, vices, and other concepts. Performed in the streets from the back of specially built wagons, autos sacramentales were part of a larger festival celebrating the religious feast day. They grew in popularity and extravagance through the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, until they were banned in 1765 because they were thought to disrespect the Catholic sacrament of the Eucharist.
Brief history
Autos sacramentales take their name from auto, the Spanish word for an act or ordinance, and sacramental, meaning "pertaining to a sacrament." To Christians, a sacrament is a ritual that provides an outward sign of grace imparted from God to the person. For Catholics, receiving the sacrament of communion, or Holy Eucharist, represents the presence of Jesus Christ in the appearance of bread and wine.
Corpus Christi, or “the Body of Christ,” is the Catholic feast day celebrating the institution of this sacrament on the night before Christ was crucified. The actual celebration day occurs in April or May, depending on when Easter was celebrated. The first feast of Corpus Christi was celebrated on August 29, 1261. It became a very important feast day in Catholic countries such as Spain, which held elaborate festivals featuring religious processions with priests carrying Eucharist hosts through streets, which were carpeted with greenery.
As early as the thirteenth century, plays were included as part of these celebrations. However, these were mostly re-enactments of the birth of Christ or other events in his life. Around the early sixteenth century, some playwrights began creating works specifically for the feast day. The first was "El Auto de San Martin" by Gil Vicente, and many others followed. These were very popular and became more involved and elaborate throughout the Golden Age of Spanish theater in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, until they were banned by King Charles III (r. 1759–1788), who said they were disrespectful to the sacrament they purported to honor.
Overview
The one-act autos sacramentales were allegorical, or contained a hidden meaning, and were always religious in nature. Although they were similar to the morality plays common in England around the same time, their focus on the Eucharist and a dramatic portrayal of its significance was unique to the Spanish plays. The Spanish works were also supported financially by the communities in which they were performed and sanctioned by the Catholic Church, which increased their significance to their viewers.
Performed on the back of long wagons set up throughout a town specifically for the plays, autos sacramentales became increasingly elaborate in staging and costuming as time went on. This was particularly true of the works of Pedro Calderón de la Barca, known as Calderón. He was considered one of the premier playwrights of the time and was famous for his use of allegory. His plays featured characters such as Faith, Hope, Sin, and Death and were intended to help the Christians viewing the plays better understand their faith. Other famous sacramentales playwrights included Lope de Vega, who wrote more than four hundred plays, and José de Valdivielso.
Bibliography
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“Feast of Corpus Christi.” New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/04390b.htm. Accessed 19 Nov. 2022.
Fiore, Robert L. Drama and Ethos: Natural-Law Ethics in Spanish Golden Age Theater. The University Press of Kentucky, 2014, muse.jhu.edu/pub/185/monograph/chapter/1523406. Accessed 19 Nov. 2022.
“Pedro Calderon de la Barca. New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/03156a.htm. Accessed 19 Nov. 2022.
“Spanish Theatre During the Renaissance.” Northern Virginia Community College, novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/spd130et/TheatreAppreciation/spanish.htm. Accessed 19 Nov. 2022.
Wardropper, Bruce W. “The Search for a Dramatic Formula for the Auto Sacramental.” Publications of Modern Language Association (PMLA), 1950, www.jstor.org/stable/459729. Accessed 19 Nov. 2022.
Ziomek, Henryk. “A History of Spanish Golden Age Drama.” University of Kentucky Press, 1984, core.ac.uk/download/pdf/232566206.pdf. Accessed 19 Nov. 2022.