Stars, Astrology, and Mystery in Microdramas of Early Modern English and Spanish Theatre

Abstract

This essay examines the significance of stars, astrology, and mystery in early modern microdramatic theatre of England and Spain. First in the Medieval period, there are references to the stars and signs in religious plays, and as this era evolves into the Renaissance, concurrently these astronomoical references and themes appear in secular dramatic pieces as well. As the Baroque epoch begins, references to astrology, stars, and other mysterious objects increase in frequency in plays, sometimes forming their own microdramas within a full-length drama, for example, in a comedia. In both England and Spain, there are many reasons why the stars, signs, and mystery are so prevalent in theatrical texts. Here, terminology of both the dramatic and astronomical disciplines will be defined; noteworthy examples from each literary period will be analyzed; and essentially, it will be shown that the vast, mysterious universe can be found in miniature in the microdramas of early modern theatre of England and Spain.