Polymetry on Calderon de la Barca's Theater: An Analysis of the Metric Form in the Conflict and Characters of His Plays

Polymetry, the art of using different metric forms in the same literary composition (Paraiso), is one of the main features of Spanish Golden Age theater and is linked to Calderon de la Barca's authorial intent in his plays. In this paper, we propose an analysis of La vida es sueno, El alcalde de Zalamea, and El magico prodigioso with the purpose of identifying the compelling reasons for polymetry's adoption as a defining stylistic feature of Spanish Golden Age theather. Thus, we seek to identify the different relations between the metric forms used and the dramatic conflict of the plays, considering that using one metric-strophic variety or another is not chosen at random, but rather an intentional gesture of the author seeking to establish intrinsic relationships between metric forms and dramatic action.