The starter of Cervantes’s El juez de los Divorcios, and other pobres y pobras malcasados

Abstract

In this work I survey some of the literary referents, mainly from XVIth Century, that may have served as models for Miguel de Cervantes’ short piece The Divorce Court Judge. Among the first important drama precedents are Cristóbal de Castillejo’s Farsa de la Costanza and some pieces by Lope de Rueda, where we find the comical representation of conjugal struggles. However, prose has also a very important role in the development of many of the motives seen in the cervantine work, such as the satire of marriage, and principally the description of the grumpy ill-married woman; this is what we find for example in the Arcipreste de Talavera and the works of Antonio de Guevara and Pedro de Luján. In Cervantes’ time, these themes are reformulated in plays like the Entremés de los huevos, Barrionuevo’s Triunfo de los coches or Guillén de Castro’s Los malcasados de Valencia; and, after the publication of Cervantes’ piece, in Salas Barbadillo´s El descasamentero and in the anonymous Hospital de los malcasados. With this study we can better identify many of the literary elements that Cervantes imitates from former traditions, and it becomes clear the essentially comical nature of the play.