Drama book publisher: GIL VICENTE - THE FATHER OF PORTUGUESE THEATER

Relative creative freedom granted by the Portuguese monarchy

Gil Vicente, Portuguese playwright and poet, is considered the greatest representative of Renaissance Literature in Portugal before Camões. He was also known as the “Father of Portuguese Theatre” and the most important figure of Humanism that was introduced in Portugal from 1385. Due to lack of documents, many facts of his life are surrounded by doubts, such as the place and year of his birth (Guimarães, in 1465). The playwright and poet had considerable intellectual training. He studied Latin, Spanish, French and Italian, but apparently never attended a university, although he is said to have studied at the Spanish University of Salamanca.

He wrote his dramatic texts between 1502 and 1536 and his successful career took place during the reigns of D. Manuel I (1469-1521) and his son D. João III (1502-1557). In 1502, his play Auto da Visitação (Auto of Visitation) was performed for Queen Dona Maria, in the presence of King Dom Manuel during the celebration of the birth of the prince who would become the future D. João III. In addition to authoring the play, based on the worship of the magi, he also acted as an actor.

In the monologue, written in Castilian, a simple compatriot expresses his joy at the birth of his heir, wishing him well. The show excited the Court and was the gateway to a career that spanned more than 30 years.

Despite the Portuguese monarchy being closely linked to religiosity, the author benefited from a relative creative freedom. The Inquisition, or Holy Inquisition, also created in the Middle Ages (13th century), was directed by the Roman Catholic Church and composed of a group of institutions within the legal system of the Roman Catholic Church whose objective was to combat heresy, blasphemy, witchcraft and customs considered deviant and a threat to Church doctrines.

Pope Gregory IX instituted the Court of the Holy Office in 1233, in order to investigate the heresies of the Cathars, also called Albigensians. The pontiff handed over the functioning of the Court to the Dominican Order, created by Saint Dominic. As the Court of the Holy Office was established in Portugal in 1536, some of Gil Vicente's plays were only censored in 1551, fifteen years after his death.

Characteristics of Gil Vicente's Work

Humanism took place in a historical period characterized by the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Therefore, medieval elements coexisted with Renaissance ideas and the coexistence of religious and classical values influenced the artists of the time.

Although he lived in the middle of the Renaissance, Gil Vicente did not allow himself to be impregnated by humanistic conceptions. Through his plays, he portrayed the popular and Christian values of medieval life. Its theater is characterized by being primitive and popular, although it appeared in the environment of the court, to serve as entertainment in the evenings offered to the king.

A profound observer of reality, the author wrote dramatic texts to be staged on stage, which was a novelty in Portuguese theater. It also introduced the use of scenery in presentations. The language displayed a certain colloquialism to be faithful to the characters and to portray the different modes of speech and social differences. For this, he mixed the popular, the archaic, the modern and the elite.

His work is rich in the universality of the themes and the poetic lyricism that he knew how to place in art, in the midst of the Renaissance atmosphere. His satirical remark left no one out, pope, king, clergy, witches, panders, marriageable girls, Jews and moneylenders.

Vincentian Theater and the theatrical tradition in Portugal

Gil Vicente founded a theatrical tradition in Portugal, which is why he is considered the creator of Portuguese Theatre. Everything indicates that the author did not restrict himself to writing his plays, but also acted in them and directed the actors. He was, therefore, responsible for all stages of the theatrical production. The remarkable religious theme in his work pleased not only the public, but also mainly King Manuel I, who was very religious, and his sister Dona Leonor.

Furthermore, the Vincentian Theater presented characteristics consistent with the Portuguese court of the time and contained a strong moral criticism of certain customs or attitudes that the playwright verified in his time. It was a moralizing theater, despite presenting some elements that bothered the Church after his death. As most of his plays had a satirical content, one of the playwright's most famous phrases was: Laughter punishes customs.

The three phases of Gil Vicente's career

Gil Vicente wrote more than forty plays, some in Spanish and many in Portuguese. In them, he mercilessly criticized the entire society of his time. The value of Vincentian Theater lies in its satire, often aggressive, but balanced by Christian thought. Auto is a genre that emerged in the Middle Ages. They are short texts with a comic theme and usually formed by a single act. According to the subject addressed, his work can be classified into three phases:

First phase - 1502-1508 - with Spanish influence by Juan del Encina, the author presents pieces that have a religious content:

1502 - Auto da Visitação (Auto of Visitation)

1502 - Auto Pastoril Castelhano (Auto of Castilian Pastoral)

1503 - Auto dos Reis Magos (Auto of Magi)

1504 - Auto de São Martinho (Auto of Saint Martin)

1505 - Quem tem Farelos? (Who has Crumbs?)

1508 - Auto da Alma (Auto of Soul)

Second phase - 1508-1516 - the social satire presents a broad vision of the society of the time, a fierce language in a more personal character. The masterpieces are from this period:

1509 - Auto da India (Auto of India)

1510 - Auto da Fé (Auto of Faith)

1511 - Auto das Fadas (Auto of Fairs)

1511 or 1513 - Auto da Sibyl Cassandra (Auto of the Sibyl Cassandra)

1512 - O Velho da Horta (The Old Man in the Vegetable Garden)

1513 - Exortação da Guerra (War Exhortation)

1514 - Comédia do Viúvo (Widower's Comedy)

1516 - Auto da Barca do Inferno (Auto of Ferry from Hell)

1516 - Auto da Fama (Auto of Fame)

Third phase -1516-1536 - Gil Vicente reaches his intellectual maturity. Alongside the criticism of customs, moralizing attitudes of a medieval character appear. The best theatrical works of Portuguese Literature are from this period:

1518 - Auto da Barca do Purgatório (Auto of ferry from Purgatory)

1519 - Auto da Barca da Glória (Auto of Ferry from Glory)

1521 - Comédia de Rubena (Comedy of Rubena)

1521 - Cortes de Júpiter (Courts of Jupiter)

1521 - Gypsy Farce (Gypsy Women Farce)

1522 - Tragicomédia de Dom Duardos (Tragicomedy of Dom Duardos)

1522 - Pranto de Maria Parda (Maria Parda's Cry)

1523 - Auto Pastoril Português (Auto of Portuguese Pastoral)

1523 - Farsa de Inês Pereira (Farce of Inês Pereira)

1524 - Frágua de Amor (Forge of Love)

1525 - Farsa do Juiz da Beira (Farce of the judge of Beira)

1526 - Farsa do Templo de Apolo (Farce of the Temple of Apollo)

1527 - Auto da Feira (Auto of Fair)

1527 - Auto da História de Deus (Auto of God's story)

1527 - Comédia Sobre a Divisa da Cidade de Coimbra (Comedy About the City of Coimbra)

1527 - Auto da nau dos amores (Auto of ship of loves)

1527 - Tragicomédia pastoril da serra da Estrela (Pastoral tragicomedy of Serra da Estrela)

1527 - Farsa dos Almocreves (Farce of the Muleteers)

1529 - Auto do Triunfo do Inverno (Auto of the Winter Triumph)

1529 - Farsa do Clérigo da Beira (Farce of the Cleric of Beira)

1532 - Auto da Lusitania (Auto of Lusitania)

1533 - Auto de Amadis de Gaula (Auto of Amadis de Gaula)

1533 - Romagem de Agravados (Aggravated Roaming)

1534 - Auto de Mofina Mendes (Auto of Mofina Mendes)

1534 - Auto da Cananeia (Auto of Cananeia)

1536 - Floresta de Enganos (Forest of Mistakes)

Auto of ferry from hell

The Auto of ferry from hell or Auto of Morality is a dramaturgy work that was written in 1517 by the Portuguese humanist writer Gil Vicente. This play is one of the most emblematic of the playwright. It was staged in 1531 and is part of the Barcas Trilogy, alongside the Auto of Ferry From Purgatory and the Auto of Ferry from Glory.

Summary and analysis of the play

The two boatmen, Angel and o Devil, receive the souls of passengers who pass to the other world. The scene takes place in a port. One of the boats goes to heaven and the other to hell. Most characters go to hell because, during their lives, they did not follow God's path, they were cheats, greedy, self-interested and great sinners. For following the precepts of God and living simply, Joane, the fool, and the four knights, go to the boat of heaven.

The play satirizes the Final Judgment of Catholicism, as well as Portuguese society in the 16th century. The allegory of the final judgment is a resource used by the playwright through his characters (devil and angel). In addition, each character has a symbology associated with falsehood, ambition, corruption, avarice, lie, hypocrisy, etc.

Characters and their sins

Devil: Captain of the ferry from hell.

Angel: Captain of Heaven's ferry.

Gentleman: tyrant and representative of the nobility. He had a life devoted to luxury and he is going to hell.

Pander: greedy man, loan shark and usurer. Because he was a great miser in life, he goes to hell.

Joane, the fool: Innocent character, who had a simple life, goes to heaven.

Shoemaker: A hardworking man who stole and cheated his customers. Go to hell too.

Friar: despite being a representative of the Church, he had a mistress, Florence, and did not follow the principles of Catholicism. Go to hell.

Brígida Vaz: she does gossip and intrigue. Convicted of witchcraft and prostitution, she goes to hell.

Jew: character who was rejected by the Devil and the Angel for not being a Christian. Go to hell.

Corregidor and Prosecutor: representatives of the law, they were accused of being manipulative and using the laws and justice for the good and personal interests. Both go to hell.

Knights: A group of four men who fought to spread Christianity during their lifetime. They are absolved of the sins they have committed and go to heaven.

The life of Gil Vicente

Gil Vicente was probably born in the year 1465, in Guimarães, Portugal. There are many uncertainties about his biography, due to the lack of documentation. However, it is known that he had two marriages. The first wife was perhaps called Branca Bezerra. She bore him two children and died in 1514. Three years later, the author married Melícia Rodrigues, with whom he had three children.

At the same time, there was another Gil Vicente, a goldsmith. Some scholars claim that, in fact, the two were the same person. In 1509, he became the private goldsmith of Dona Leonor de Avis (1458-1525) and obtained the protection of the “old queen”. For this reason, King Manuel I, Dona Leonor's brother, made Gil Vicente responsible for the celebrations of his new wife's arrival in Lisbon, when the monarch married for the third time. In 1511, he was named vassal of the king and, in 1513, Master of the balance of the Mint.

During the government of D. João III, the writer received some cash benefits from the king. He had the protection of the Portuguese Crown, support for its theatrical performances and appreciation for them. Gil Vicente, then, became a recognized name. In the following years, he organized several events, festivities and celebrations for royalty, always taking the opportunity to present his texts. With great approval from the public and the Portuguese Court, he acquired the respect of his contemporaries and left works that have survived time and criticism. He therefore had a successful life as a playwright. He died around 1536 in an unknown location.