If the is one expression of art where servitude has reached great popularity, it is in theatre. The <<servus falax>> of Roman comedies, the <<sanni>> of the Italian <<commedia dell'arte>>, the blutler of the French comic-opera, and the <<criado>> of the Spanish operetta have become more famous than their masters.
The happy einding of Plauto's and Terencio's stories of romantic intrigue always depend on the astuteness of their servant charecters.
The love between Calixto and Melibea are only an excuse for Fernando de Rojas to elevate the role of this procuress <<Celestina>> to that of the protagonist.
Four centuries later, Nobel Prize Winner Jacinto Benavente would do the same with his own creation Crispín, in the <<Los Intereses Creados>>. Among other servants, more famous than their masters were Lope de Vega's <<La Dorotea>>, and Tenorio de Zorrilla's Doña Brígida. And we must not forget Cervantes' Sancho Panza, even though he is more of a novelesque character than a theatrical one.
Without further disgressions about the social function of the servant, it is plain to see the significance domestic service has had throughout history.
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