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msand3's review
5.0
Calderon’s remarkable drama is equal parts mystery play and Faustian folk tale. It seems unlikely that Calderon would have been familiar with Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, but who knows? I thought it bore a much more striking similarity to the first part of Goethe’s [b:Faust|14706|Faust, First Part|Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1435405022l/14706._SY75_.jpg|16721], although the scholarly sources I’ve consulted mostly agree that Goethe had no knowledge of Calderon’s drama. For these reasons it stands as something of an anomaly in terms of direct avenues of influence in European drama, yet the themes are so central. And unlike Marlow’s Elizabethan tragedy and Goethe’s Romantic closet drama, Calderon’s play is briskly paced and exciting. (This is not meant to be a shot at Marlowe or Goethe, but the Spanish really know how to stage dramas that remain exciting for modern audiences.) Cyprian’s redemption is more of a focus than in the case of Faust in both other works, and a little less deus ex machina than Goethe’s ending (although not by much). The Christian themes are also much stronger -- with the “Wonder-Working Magician” ultimately revealed as being God -- which is why I feel it shares much with medieval mystery plays.
In the end, this is yet another strong, memorable, thought-provoking, and exciting drama from Calderon, who is quickly rising to the top of my list of favorite playwrights.
In the end, this is yet another strong, memorable, thought-provoking, and exciting drama from Calderon, who is quickly rising to the top of my list of favorite playwrights.
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