Ana Caro de Mallén facts for kids
Ana Caro de Mallén was a famous writer from the Spanish Golden Age. She wrote many poems and plays.
Contents
Life
Ana María Caro de Mallén y Torres was one of the few women writers in the 1600s. She was likely born between 1590 and 1600. She was adopted by Gabriel Caro de Mallén and Ana María de Torres. Many people thought she was born in Granada or Seville. She started writing poetry and joining poetry contests in Seville. Ana Caro's poems show what society was like back then. They also show her strong connection with the king and queen. Caro likely died from the plague sometime between 1645 and 1660.
Career
Caro de Mallén's writing career really began in 1628. That year, she published poems and writings about festivals and cultural events. By 1637, she had moved to Madrid. She then published Contexto de las reales fiestas madrilenas del Buen Retiro. Many male writers, like Juan de Matos Fragoso and Luis Vélez de Guevara, admired her work. Caro was also a close friend of the writer Maria de Zaya. Ana Caro earned money from her poems and plays. This made her one of the first women to become a professional writer.
Ana Caro wrote two religious plays, called autos sacramentales. She also wrote several entremeses, which are short plays performed between acts of longer plays. A loa sacramental and Coloquio entre dos are two of her short plays that we still have today. Only two of her full-length plays are known today: El conde Partinuplés and Valor, agravio y mujer.
Valor, agravio y mujer
This play is one of Ana Caro de Mallén's most famous works. It tells a story of honor and disguise.
Characters
- Leonor: A noblewoman who dresses as a man. She does this to get her honor back after Don Juan tricked her.
- Don Juan: A proud nobleman from Cordova. He makes false promises to noblewomen, like Estela. He also tricks Leonor into falling for him.
- Estela: A countess who can't decide between several men. In the end, she falls in love with someone unexpected.
- Don Fernando: Leonor’s brother and Don Juan’s best friend. He is also one of Estela's many admirers.
- Ludovico: The Prince of Pinoy. He is another one of Estela's many admirers.
Play Summary
Act 1
The play starts with Estela and Lisarda in trouble. Three robbers scare them. Don Juan and his servant Tomillo come to help them. Don Juan tells Don Fernando he is a "Burlador" from Cordova. This means he is a trickster. We also meet Leonor and her servant, Ribete. We learn about the problems between Leonor and Don Juan. Leonor decides to dress up as a man named "Leonardo." She wants to defend her own honor, even though society usually expected a man to do this for her. She meets her brother Don Fernando and gives him a letter from his sister Leonor.
Act 2
Leonor and Ribete create new identities to gather information and help each other. Estela does not feel romantic love for Don Juan or Ludovico. But she tells Leonardo that she likes him. Leonardo explains that he does not feel the same way. Leonardo and Estela agree to meet at night. However, Leonardo lets Ludovico go talk to Estela instead. Leonor pretends to be Estela and writes Don Juan a letter. She asks him to meet her at night. During their meeting, she tells him she knows about his tricks with other women. She also says she is no longer interested in him.
Act 3
Don Juan thinks Don Fernando told Estela about his past. But Don Fernando says he didn't. Leonardo tells Don Juan that he is there to get justice for Leonor. He says that after Don Juan is defeated, Leonor can marry Leonardo. This makes Don Juan jealous. It shows that he feels bad for what he did to Leonor. Leonardo challenges Don Juan to a duel. Then, Leonardo changes back into Leonor. She reveals the trick she played on Don Juan. At the end, several marriages are planned. Leonor marries Don Juan, which restores her honor. Don Fernando marries Estela. Ludovico marries Estela's cousin. And Ribete marries Flora.
The title of this play, Valor, agravio y mujer, describes the main character and the story. It describes her as a woman (mujer), who was wronged (agravio), and who showed courage (valor).
El conde Partinuplés
El conde Partinuplés was not well-liked for a long time. But in recent years, people have started to appreciate it more. Some think the play challenges old traditions where men had all the power. Others disagree. The play was likely performed in Madrid around 1637. It is based on a popular book about knights. It also has parts that remind us of plays by Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
Writing style
Ana Caro de Mallén was a poet, so her plays had a very poetic style. She was known for writing dialogue where characters would quickly switch speaking parts. These parts often used many metaphors. Many people found the quick, back-and-forth style of her plays very witty and clever. Most of her plays have many different kinds of characters. These range from funny servants who use simple humor to noble characters. Through her funny plays, Caro de Mallén commented on the social and political life in 17th century Spain. Some common ideas in her work include getting even, honor, secrets, and Love triangles.
See also
In Spanish: Ana Caro de Mallén para niños
