cueva de Salamanca. Then, El viejo celoso shares a common theme with La cueva de Salamanca of deception. In both works the wife is unhappy with her marriage and commits adultery right under the nose of her husband. In addition, La cueva de Salamanca also shares similarities to an entremés written by Pedro Calderón de la Barca called El dragoncillo. The two entreméses share key plot points: an adulterous wife caught by her husband while she is entertaining male house guests. However, El dragoncillo has a very different, and less happy, ending than La cueva de Salamanca (Contadini). Autobiographical elements Based on information found in Jean Canavaggio, it is likely that Cervantes may have had to use his wit and people skills to get what he wanted or needed in life. Though from humble origins, Cervantes was employed by the Vatican for a short period of time before he joined the army. While serving his roles as the chamberlain of Consignor Acquaviva (who was about to become a Cardinal) he was responsible for domestic tasks much like a servant. However, at times Cervantes would have had time to socialize with the inner circle of Acquaviva which would have given him the opportunity to fine tune his people skills while being amongst members of the upper class (Canavaggio). Function of the entremés The entremés served to fill the time between acts of a much larger play and usually focused on light hearted things that would make the audience laugh. Cervantes wasn't one to listen to conventions when it didn't serve his artistic purposes, as seen by the murder filled ending of El retablo de maravillas. In La cueva de Salamanca there isn't a shortage of jokes to make the audience laugh, but there is also some pretty heavy references in the play- such as references about the devil. Essentially, the student's character is a reflection of the conventions of the entremés. The comments of the student, though funny, make comments on serious subjects. As the essential character of the work, the student is responsible for moving the play along. Bibliography Arrizabalaga, Mónica. “La cueva de Salamanca que parodió Cervantes: En uno de sus entremeses se inspiró en las legendarias clases del diablo en la cripta de San Cebrián.” ABC Cultura. Diario ABC, S.L, 19 March 2015. Web. 25 February 2016. http://www.abc.es/cultura/20150319/abci-cueva-salamanca-parodio-cervantes-201503171412.html Canavaggio, Jean. “Encounter with History (1569-1580).” Cervantes. Trans. J.R. Jones.