«El desdichado era poeta»: The Caricature of the Bad Playwright in Miguel de Cervantes'«El coloquio de los perros»

Abstract

This article examines the satirical image of the playwright in Cervantine caricatures, because their author is the most conspicuous representative of the theatrical opposition to Lope de Vega, or of the frustrated competition against him, but also because of Cervantes’ constant references to amateur playwrights, in different tones and with some authobiografical and authocritical projections that oscilate between satire, compassionate condescension, and a kind of collegial empathy. In order to examine them, we explain the sources and meaning of these caricatures, that often appear nuanced, or that have a discreet and kind tone. Among them we underscore the caricature Cervantes included in the exemplary novel «El coloquio de los perros», because it dates approximately from the years of Don Quijote and because it shares with the latter some elements that appear in passages where characters debate about the nature of theater in the period.