From the Two Versions of Calderón’s El divino Orfeo to Dionysius the Areopagite: Rewriting and Intertextuality

The author of this article begins with a comparative summary of the two versions of the sacramental play El divino Orfeo, following the theoretical principles of intertextuality and rewriting, to analyse a phrase that is repeated in many works. This phrase refers to the words attributed by Dionysius the Areopagite in the earthquake after the death of Christ. Although this segment is very short and it does not take more that two or three verses, it is accompanied by music and noises of earthquake, giving the passage certain relevance before the end of the work where the allegory is solved. Calderón does not only use this expression in different works, but he is able to inspire himself with this short passage to organise a complete sacramental play such as A Dios por razón de Estado, whose protagonist is precisely Dionysius from the Areopagus