HOUSE OF DESIRES
Directed by Melody Brooks
Dramaturgy by Heather Violanti
SEEING AND NOT SEEING: HOUSE OF DESIRES IN CONTEXT
By Heather Violanti
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (c.1651-1695) is considered one of the last great authors of the Siglo de oro, the “Golden Age” of literature that flourished in the Spanish- speaking world from the mid-sixteenth century to the last decades of the seventeenth. House of Desires ranks among Sor Juana’s masterpieces, reflecting both her feminist perspective and her desire to create great literature in the idiom of the “new” world, Mexico.
House of Desires, first performed on October 4, 1683 in Mexico City, was part of a festejo, a festival featuring a play, songs, and interactive performances. The House of Desires festejo is believed to be the only one to have survived in its entirety. It honors the then-current viceroy (governor) of New Spain, Don Tomás Antonio de la Cerda, and celebrates the arrival of a new archbishop, Francisco de Aguiar y Seijias, into Mexico City.
Ironically, the bishop preached against the evils of theatre.
Following the traditions of the form, the festejo begins with a loa, brief dramatic/poetic piece typically written in praise of a saint or official. Sor Juana, who had excelled at crafting loas since childhood, wrote a song poem in which Merit, Diligence, Fortune, and Chance compete to see who is the greatest of joys.
Another element of the festejo was the sainete, a short interlude performed between acts of the main play, whose themes echoed those of the play. Sor Juana used the sainetes for House of Desires to comment on life in New Spain. The first sainete, the Sainete del palacio (Sainete of
the Palace), was a veiled critique on the artificiality of court life--prior to becoming a nun, Sor Juana had spent formative years in the viceregal court of Mexico City. In the Sainete of the Palace, the allegorical figures of Love, Respect, Courtesy, and Kindness compete to win the disdain of the palace ladies--only to be told, in the end, that they do not deserve such a dubious honor.
The play’s other sainete, simply called Sainete segundo (Second Sainete), ranks among the most innovative moments in Spanish theatre. Reflecting the Golden Age obsession with metatheatricality—the audience’s awareness that they are watching a play--this sainete features two “audience members,” Arias and Muñiz, who criticize the play they are watching. In a sly wink to the prejudices of New Spanish audiences, who were trained to think anything written in Spain was superior, they complain that it is not funny enough and is not as good as Spanish plays. They dismiss the play as mestizo (of mixed race). In an ever slier wink to the prejudices against women playwrights, they attribute it to a male contemporary of Sor Juana,
Acevedo (since a female author would be unthinkable, however much they dislike the play). Then, “Acevedo” himself appears, is hissed at by the audience, and dies of shame because his play has failed.
The performance concluded with a sarao, a masquerade with music and dance. Sor Juana concluded House of Desires with the Sarao de cuatro naciones (Sarao of Four Nations), an exploration of the complex relationships between the “old” and “new” world, between colonizer and colony. In this piece, four “nations”--Spain, Africa, Italy, and New Spain--comment on the play itself as well as their own cultures.
House of Desires plays with the conventions of Spanish Golden Age comedy, which, like the comedies of Shakespeare, revolved around complicated love triangles, mistaken identities, and intrigue. Sor Juana both celebrates and parodies these conventions to craft a poetical exploration of the meaning of desire--and the place of women in society.
The play’s very title--Los empeños de una casa in Spanish--alludes to the title of a popular comedy by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Los empeños de un acaso (The Trials of Chance). By playing with words, Sor Juana immediately acknowledges--and subverts— the work of the male “masters” who have preceded her.
19th Century rendering of a 17th Century Spanish Theatre
Calderón was known for his “cloak and dagger” comedies, which featured elaborate love plots, elopements, disguises, witty word play, and thrilling sword fights. Sor Juana uses all these elements in House of Desires and makes them her own. Notably, it is women--Doña Ana and Leonor--who drive much of the intrigue. The play’s great comic moment—during which Carlos’ crafty servant, Castaño, disguises himself in Leonor’s clothes--honors the cloak and dagger tradition while adding a distinctly feminist perspective, making the audience aware of what it is like to experience the critical male gaze.
With its emphasis on mistaken identity, and its play on seeing and not seeing, House of Desires urges Sor Juana's audience to notice what they might otherwise overlook--the real emotions obscured by the strict Spanish “honor code” (which emphasized
the appearance of virtue above all else), and the talented women
like Sor Juana, made invisible by a time and place that offered few opportunities for them to succeed. Indeed, many scholars have pointed out that the central character of Leonor, a beautiful woman with a brilliant mind, bears many similarities to Sor Juana herself.
Translator Catherine Boyle concludes “Writing from her convent, invisible at the performance of the play, Sor Juana writes herself into it; she forces us to see her.”
House of Desires, first performed on October 4, 1683 in Mexico City, was part of a festejo, a festival featuring a play, songs, and interactive performances. The House of Desires festejo is believed to be the only one to have survived in its entirety. It honors the then-current viceroy (governor) of New Spain, Don Tomás Antonio de la Cerda, and celebrates the arrival of a new archbishop, Francisco de Aguiar y Seijias, into Mexico City.
Ironically, the bishop preached against the evils of theatre.
Following the traditions of the form, the festejo begins with a loa, brief dramatic/poetic piece typically written in praise of a saint or official. Sor Juana, who had excelled at crafting loas since childhood, wrote a song poem in which Merit, Diligence, Fortune, and Chance compete to see who is the greatest of joys.
Another element of the festejo was the sainete, a short interlude performed between acts of the main play, whose themes echoed those of the play. Sor Juana used the sainetes for House of Desires to comment on life in New Spain. The first sainete, the Sainete del palacio (Sainete of
the Palace), was a veiled critique on the artificiality of court life--prior to becoming a nun, Sor Juana had spent formative years in the viceregal court of Mexico City. In the Sainete of the Palace, the allegorical figures of Love, Respect, Courtesy, and Kindness compete to win the disdain of the palace ladies--only to be told, in the end, that they do not deserve such a dubious honor.
The play’s other sainete, simply called Sainete segundo (Second Sainete), ranks among the most innovative moments in Spanish theatre. Reflecting the Golden Age obsession with metatheatricality—the audience’s awareness that they are watching a play--this sainete features two “audience members,” Arias and Muñiz, who criticize the play they are watching. In a sly wink to the prejudices of New Spanish audiences, who were trained to think anything written in Spain was superior, they complain that it is not funny enough and is not as good as Spanish plays. They dismiss the play as mestizo (of mixed race). In an ever slier wink to the prejudices against women playwrights, they attribute it to a male contemporary of Sor Juana,
Acevedo (since a female author would be unthinkable, however much they dislike the play). Then, “Acevedo” himself appears, is hissed at by the audience, and dies of shame because his play has failed.
The performance concluded with a sarao, a masquerade with music and dance. Sor Juana concluded House of Desires with the Sarao de cuatro naciones (Sarao of Four Nations), an exploration of the complex relationships between the “old” and “new” world, between colonizer and colony. In this piece, four “nations”--Spain, Africa, Italy, and New Spain--comment on the play itself as well as their own cultures.
House of Desires plays with the conventions of Spanish Golden Age comedy, which, like the comedies of Shakespeare, revolved around complicated love triangles, mistaken identities, and intrigue. Sor Juana both celebrates and parodies these conventions to craft a poetical exploration of the meaning of desire--and the place of women in society.
The play’s very title--Los empeños de una casa in Spanish--alludes to the title of a popular comedy by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Los empeños de un acaso (The Trials of Chance). By playing with words, Sor Juana immediately acknowledges--and subverts— the work of the male “masters” who have preceded her.
19th Century rendering of a 17th Century Spanish Theatre
Calderón was known for his “cloak and dagger” comedies, which featured elaborate love plots, elopements, disguises, witty word play, and thrilling sword fights. Sor Juana uses all these elements in House of Desires and makes them her own. Notably, it is women--Doña Ana and Leonor--who drive much of the intrigue. The play’s great comic moment—during which Carlos’ crafty servant, Castaño, disguises himself in Leonor’s clothes--honors the cloak and dagger tradition while adding a distinctly feminist perspective, making the audience aware of what it is like to experience the critical male gaze.
With its emphasis on mistaken identity, and its play on seeing and not seeing, House of Desires urges Sor Juana's audience to notice what they might otherwise overlook--the real emotions obscured by the strict Spanish “honor code” (which emphasized
the appearance of virtue above all else), and the talented women
like Sor Juana, made invisible by a time and place that offered few opportunities for them to succeed. Indeed, many scholars have pointed out that the central character of Leonor, a beautiful woman with a brilliant mind, bears many similarities to Sor Juana herself.
Translator Catherine Boyle concludes “Writing from her convent, invisible at the performance of the play, Sor Juana writes herself into it; she forces us to see her.”