Marriage as unifying theme in the early modern Spanish religious drama.

In this thesis, I will examine the role of the nuptial reality in the religious drama of the Spanish Golden Age as a unifier of the sacred and profane elements of the human condition. In doing so, I will propose that the unifying role of marriage can be best appreciated when viewed through a non-competitive, or teleological, understanding of the relationship between divinity and humanity. I will establish the cultural context in which the role of marriage as a unifying theme must be approached and will then analyze certain theatrical works from three playwrights: José de Valdivielso’s autos sacramentales, Marcela de san Félix’s Coloquios del Alma, and Lope de Vega’s La bienaventurada Madre Santa Teresa de Jesús. Through my examination of these dramas, I will demonstrate that the mystical wedding serves as a teleological unifier of the sacred and profane spheres of Spanish Baroque society. I will conclude by reemphasizing the importance of this thesis and by suggesting other necessary avenues of study.