LA FUNCIÓN METATEATRAL EN HOMBRE POBRE TODO ES TRAZAS

Meta-theatre is one of the literary mechanisms that 17^th century playwrights frequently used in their plays as a form of self-referential parody and entertainment. Meta-theatre could be used for brief commentaries on theatrical praxis or as the basis of the play’s plot. In Hombre pobre todo es trazas, Calderón employs both of these functions: using the first, he reflects on the nature of his extensive career while making fun of the myriad of tropes that frequently appeared in both his comedies and tragedies; and utilizing the second, creates a play within the play, wherein the protagonist uses disguises and lies to fool the remaining cast of the characters, but whose schemes are made clear to the audience.