Sayo, zurrón y cayado: vestimenta y atrezo en el teatro de Juan del Encina

Abstract

This paper studies the existence of a topical configuration of the rustic shepherd in the dramatic works by Juan del Encina. To do this, I analyze the shepherd’s costume most common in its dramatis persona by tracking the various implicit iconic stage directions preserved in the dramatic dialogues. Convinced of the duality of the dramatic text, I intend to extract the elements of the most recurring disguise in the shepherd of Encina to show the conventional codification created by the playwright for its rustic characters on stage. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to analyze the shepherd on stage, that is, to study the performative text, paying particular attention to their physical appearance, their typical costumes, and props, because these elements were very important for the Renaissance viewers. I also propose to show the diverse functions of the costume in his dramatic representations of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. The purpose is to cancel the already worn assertion of the first Castilian theater as lacking of theatricality.