The Archetype of Tyrant in Enriquez Gomez's Comedy El primero rey del mundo / The first Word's King

This paper explores the treatment of Nembrot/Nimrod in El primero rey del mundo / The first World's King, a play by Antonio Enriquez Gomez commonly known as La soberbia de Nembrot / Nimrod's arrogance. I will explain in detail how, from Antiquity to the seventeenth century, the anthropological traits of the great hunter and Babylonian king changed so far that his character was turned into a symbol of arrogance, disobedience and tyranny. More specifically, this study is interested in the representation of Nembrot/Nimrod in the Spanish theatre of the Golden Age, and aims to compare the role as conceived by Enriquez Gomez with those by other playwrights, in particular Calderon: I will deal with various aspects of the character, from his cruelty to his self-exaltation, which transform him into a tyrant, seeking for love and power.