The Feminist Fisherwoman in El Burlador de Seville
Tisbea, the second of Don Juan's conquests in El Burlador de Seville, differs from the first and third, Isobel and Ana, in that she is a commoner, not a noblewoman; she differs from the fourth, Aminta, in that Tisbea is a fisherwoman and Aminta a shepherdess. From Sannazaro forward, Renaissance pastoral makes forays from the sheepfold to the seaside, and here in El Burlador, Tirso is exploiting these conventions for thematic effect. When we recognize Tisbea and Aminta as two opposing variations of pastoral, and when we study the absence of resolution that Tirso provides for only Tisbea of the four principal women in the play, we find Tisbea a model of female independence in a play otherwise controlled by images of patriarchal control and possession. Tirso uses the piscatory pastoral tradition as his subtext in shaping this proto-feminist sub-plot.
Click here to return to TOP of Conference Program
Use the browser's BACK button to return to the session you were viewing.
© 2004 ROCKY MOUNTAIN MODERN LANGUAGE
ASSOCIATION