Among the works of theater of the Spanish Golden Age which feature a mujer varonil, Luis Vélez de Guevara's play, La serrana de la Vera (1613), is particularly provocative. The intensity and ambiguity of the dual nature of its female protagonist, Gila, has been the subject of much recent scholarly investigation. The staging of the play lends itself to a Levinian reading, a new approach to this particular text and theater of the Golden Age in general. Emmanuel Levinas moves beyond metaphysics, phenomenology and intentionality to posit ethics as first philosophy. Levinas explains that the face of the Other is a revelation before which my own presence is an epiphany and summons me into an ethical relationship before I am aware of my own being. A correct ethical relationship is maintained only when the Other is allowed her absolute alterity, otherwise the Other is subsumed into the matrix of the Self and the result is suffering. A Levinian reading of La serrana de la Vera moves beyond exploring systems of class and gender and discovers that the suffering in the play can be traced to face-to-face encounters in which individuals are unable or unwilling to truly see the face of the Other.

This thesis proposes an anachronistic, imagined production of Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla´s Golden Age play, Lo que quería ver el marqués de Villena. Using the story of a mujer varonil, I intend to address a problematic aspect of Brigham Young University´s (BYU) culture—specifically the pressure that women at the university face to choose between a family life and continuing their education. The imagined production utilizes seventeenth-century-style costumes and set contrasted with a General English dialogue to provide the theoretical audience a better emotional, physical and intellectual understanding of the mujer varonil protagonist whose story reflects an issue that many women at BYU face. This thesis begins with an introduction explaining a problematic aspect of BYU´s culture and the reason that this production of Lo que quería ver el marqués de Villena could assist students and faculty at the university in addressing said issue. Following the introduction, each chapter will provide both an analysis of the theatrical element and a description of the theatrical element in the proposed production.

The present research consists of a comparative study of Brigham Young University's Golden Age Comedia (GAC) and Golden Age Theater Production (GATP) courses. The two courses cover much of the same academic material, but one of the differences between the two approaches to the teaching of Golden Age literature is that the GATP course incorporates a theater production and outreach component. Although this outreach program has been seen as intuitively and anecdotally effective, there has been no prior attempt to document student motivation for choosing this course over the traditionally taught course (GAC), nor to discover any of the outcomes experienced by university students who participate in it. Similarly, there have been no studies conducted to compare the educational outcomes of the two approaches. Therefore, the present empirical study was conducted with the goal of determining student motivation and expectations for course selection, academic outcomes of each approach, and whether any additional intellectual or personal growth was experienced by students in the GATP course. This study revealed that there indeed are differences in the motives and expectations behind students' decision to enroll in the GAC course rather than the GATP course, and vice versa, and that each course yields different outcomes for those students. Students receiving instruction through the GATP Outreach program appear to be able to attain a similar mastery of the course material as those in the GAC course. Furthermore, through the inclusion of the outreach program, students are able to acquire additional skills and enriched attitudes that have the potential to prepare them for future studies and life experiences. For universities interested in implementing a similar production and outreach program, this study provides evidence that such a course can indeed provide an alternative path to the teaching of Golden Age literature at the university level and that it proves to be an attractive alternative to certain students that is worth their time and effort.

Guillén de Castro's play La fuerza de la costumbre (1625) depicts the process of re-teaching gender to Hipólita and Félix, a sister and brother who have grown up performing the gender opposite to their physical sex. This dissertation provides the first edition of the play since 1927, and the first ever critical edition, which contains notes, critical apparatus and essays, and compiles information from all extant sources, including the manuscripts (not used in the 1927 edition). The 1625 print edition serves as the base text, with variants from the four manuscript witnesses compiled in an index. The critical apparatus includes a biography of the author, textual history, editorial methodology, metrical analysis, bibliography and notes on the text. / Romance Languages and Literatures

Le mythe de la Toison d'or est le récit d'une aventure maritime jusqu'au bout du monde pour y rapporter un emblème de royauté. Chassé par un oncle usurpateur, Jason triomphe des épreuves qui lui sont imposées grâce à l'amour de la magicienne Médée. Tamis des orpailleurs, trésor caché, parchemin sacré, constellation ou Saint-Graal, le bélier volant qui sauva Hellé et Phryxos de la noyade a été l’objet de nombreuses interprétations.En 1430, le duc de Bourgogne, Philippe le Bon, fonde l'ordre de la Toison d'or pour fédérer les princes de la chrétienté. À l'issue de la cérémonie d'intronisation, un collier est remis au nouveau chevalier. Pourtant, l'évêque de Chalon se récrie face au choix de ce héros parjure, et l'on décide de lui adjoindre Gédéon, dont les brebis s'étaient couvertes de rosée mariale, en signe de la victoire prochaine sur les mécréants.Par le jeu des alliances matrimoniales, le titre de Souverain de l'ordre échoit à Charles Quint qui ajoute à ses armoiries le « Plus Oultre ». Lors de la bataille de Lépante, en 1571, la Galera Real Argo proclame, à coups de décorations, fresques, statues et devises, le projet de la monarchie catholique de terrasser le dragon qui s'est emparé des territoires chrétiens, assimilés au mouton doré du mythe.Quand la saga des Argonautes arrive sur les planches du théâtre auriséculaire, elle jouit d'un immense avantage. Le héros est connu dans son aspect le plus lumineux et le traitement bourguignon alimente la résistance face aux hérétiques de toutes sortes.Si le mythe se prête aux innovations les plus spectaculaires et relaie les valeurs de la monarchie, il entretient une singulière relation avec la politique menée par ses princes, tandis que les guerres laissent attendre l'âge d'or tant espéré, que la dette se creuse, que la cour mène un train de vie dispendieux et que la corruption gagne progressivement toute la société.Avec l'Art Nouveau de faire des comédies, Lope de Vega ouvre une brèche qui permet de voir derrière les ors et les fastes de la cour la lente désagrégation de la monarchie. / The story of Jason is a most ancient myth and survives in various forms. A more widespread interpretation relates the myth of the fleece to a method of washing gold from streams. More often, the Golden Fleece represents royal power, the spring-hero or a book on alchemy. According to Apollonius of Rhodes, a flying golden ram rescued Phrixus and Helle as their stepmother wantedto kill them. Phrixus safely reached Colchis where he sacrificed the ram and gave its skin to Aetes. Meanwhile, Pelias had usurped the throne of Eson and as his son reclaimed it, sent him to fetch the Golden Fleece. Jason assembled a remarkable group of heroes on board the Argo. At Colchis, the witch Medea helped Jason to complete the mortal tasks. Upon returning, she plotted the death of Jason's uncle, so both took refuge with their children in Corinth. There, the hero betrayed her as he fell in love with Creusa. The witch got rid of this rival, burnt the palace and slaughtered their chidren.In 1430, the Duke of Burgundy founded the Order of the Golden Fleece. As a shield, a sheepskin was suspended from a jeweled collar of firesteel linked by flints. But the choice of Jason caused controversy, so Bishop of Chalon linked it to the fleece of Gideon. As part of the Burgundian inheritance, the Order was a welcomed instrument to the ambitious Habsburgs to strengthen the bonds and Charles V added as a motto « Plus Oultre ».Performances of the Spanish Golden Age Theater were used to develop the ideology of the Catholic Monarchy. When Lope de Vega published el “Arte nuevo”, he introduced the tradition of the « Mirror for Prince » giving opportunity to express one's point of view, despite the censure.