‘Nothing Succeeds like Excess’ in Lope de Vega’s La discreta enamorada

This paper explores some of the reasons why Lope de Vega’s La discreta enamorada (LDE) has been problematic for critics, actors, and stage directors. It utilizes an actantial model, based partially on those of Souriau, Greimas, and Todorov, to explain LDE’s various actants and dramatic functions. It also studies sundry mises-en-scène of LDE at the USA Chamizal National Memorial, the Almagro Corral de Comedias, the New York Repertorio Español, and, as the zarzuela Doña Francisquita, the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse. LDE, although farcical, should be read and staged as a “middle” Lopean comedy: between Plautine jocularity and Terentian sobriety.