Playing Christ: The Mystical Body in Lope de Vega’s Lo fingido verdadero

Abstract: This article analyzes a previously unidentified theme in Lope de Vega’s Lo fingido verdadero that unifies the drama’s seemingly disparate subplots, characters, and settings: the notion of a Mystical Body. Drawing on Christianity’s understanding of the relationship between Christ and his church as one of a head to its body, this study will demonstrate that the three main elements of the doctrine of the Mystical Body—Eucharistic incorporation, liturgical action in persona Christi , and the union of divinity and humanity—are paralleled by the three elements traditionally recognized as fundamental aspects of Lo fingido verdadero : the Eucharist, theatrum mundi/metateatralidad, and burlas/veras . In highlighting these parallels, this essay initiates a conversation on how the theologians, playwrights, and audiences of baroque Spain utilized concepts such as the Mystical Body to express their understanding of the relationship between the sacred and the profane, the liturgical and the theatrical.