Parody of Spain's Monarchy

The monarchy is an institution that represents a set of values ​​associated with power and a historical and political tradition that not all people value the same way. The current democratic system, according to the Spanish Constitution of 1978, is defined as a constitutional monarchy. The principles and freedoms that allow includes, with respect, can make use of freedom of expression. Under the same, and in the context of the multitude and variety of content that can be found published and broadcast by the media occupies a small but significant space game parody.

Currently, we are all familiar with the parody of political and media figures, not surprisingly, can parody the monarchy, not so much as an institution, but as their representation by the members of the royal family.

In this article we will discuss what aspects and elements which, after thirty-five years of democracy, some TV shows have dared to parody. To do this, we compared two comedy shows two public television, Spanish Television and Television of Catalonia. In the state broadcaster, which parodied the first program to members of the royal family was to Martes 13, which parodied the princesses and their husbands. A few years later, he parodies the King in the special year-end 2010 by the comedian Jose Mota. In Catalonia Television began to parody the royal family in full in the program Polònia since 2006. Between the two programs were important differences in the treatment and use of parody, as we will show in this article.

The analysis of parody allows us to bring a set of formal elements that reveal the different points of view can be observed with the same cultural and social phenomenon such as the monarchy and the royal family. At a first level of analysis we see that the content of the programs draw on the humor is all news to spread and popularize the media. Among this great variety of content and performances tend to highlight certain characters, situations or incidents which by their nature attract attention. In all cases, thanks to intertextuality, it is easy to relate the themes and characters parodied with other content published before and recently in the media.

Besides working with intertextuality, the media tend to be large builders in the use and creation of stereotypes. Recognizing them as simplified views about people, gender, race, political views, social or cultural stereotypes affect fragments of reality that become common themes within the same culture and, according to Lotman (1989:9 ) "for the community retain the memory of those actions, ideas or emotions that correspond to a given situation."

When we look at the reality that the media construct, we realize that it is increasingly difficult to draw the line between fiction information. Although the use of humor is more typical of the content of fiction, we consider it one of the points of contact between both worlds. Therefore, we observe that the set of broadcast content are forming a sort of collective memory. In the case of the contents of the monarchy and the royal family, the media have given us images that easily associate ceremonies, royal weddings, official functions. These performances are related to a type of ritual, as noted earlier, part of the collective memory.
     Television contributes to the formation of an oral report, considered until recently as well as collectively. In the same way to proceed with the oral memory, visual memory is full of symbols. In relation to the issues we are discussing, we must bear in mind that the functions or ceremonies such as the traditional Christmas speech, royal weddings and some public events have a broad aspect of polysemic, what a perfect spot to implement , a posteriori, parodic performances.

In the scenarios they design TV programs dedicated to parody, using different symbols: sets, costumes, characterization and interpretation of characters that intensify a few clichés and stereotypes that are not new.


 The monarchy is the symbol of a particular kind of power. In contrast, parody symbolizes a subtle way of dealing with this power. For some people it means a symbol of the past, something that currently could be dispensed with, since he is associated with authoritarian rule, contrary to the principles and values ​​of democracy.

But the media rarely focus on the monarchy with this approach, but when, conversely, talk about some incidents like the burning of a photograph of the monarch, considered a crime of slander, held in September 2007 in Girona, and after a few days, replicated by some students at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

In a given context of opposition to the institution, the parody is a subtle and symbolic power overthrow of the monarchy and goes undermining its foundations. Applied to the field of media, the use of parody we reaffirmed the idea that there is no speech without a conflict of values.

The nature has a long historical tradition as the chains of the same family lineage through their descendants. Therefore, we can regard the monarchy as a sign, as a way of representing a culture through memory.

The monarchy is also a symbol of uniting the country. It is therefore significant that the first samples - and also the most profuse, coming from an autonomous community, even as topical or social and cultural stereotype, is seen as representing a set of values ​​and allegedly republican independence.

Lotman's theory, culture is understood as a semiotic continuum, semiosphere a macrotext turn made a series of texts in a perennial way dialogue. The contents conveyed by the media in general and the use of parody of political figures and celebrities in particular, are part of this great macrotext that evolves and adapts to each historical and cultural moment.



One of the most difficult to analyze is the intent of the themes and characters parodied, as the many meanings of humor involves multiple interpretations, without a single criterion of differentiation to establish classifications and types that we can all agree . Despite this difficulty, the treatment, described below, receiving the royal family in the programs of humor and parody of Spanish Television and Television de Catalunya.

In the news spread, in general, the media, the King is always linked to official acts, and as the highest representative of the state and the armed forces. Rarely been disseminated news or anecdotes about incidents like the famous exclamation, "Why do not you shut up?" When Chavez lashed out at the XVII Iberoamerican Summit in November 2007. Incidents such as this entail implicit elements of humor that can serve as a basis to be parodied. Similarly, although the traditional Christmas speech has a serious purpose and intention can also be used as the basis for a parody that uses the denotative-decorated items, staging, setting, serious tone and slightly slow to speak the King - to connote conflicting values ​​through parody.

Speaking of Christmas, then, can lead to a mild parody based on the humor inherent in the act and its implementation stage. This level of parody is that we observe in the Spanish TV program New Year's Eve 2010, by Jose Mota. In contrast, in the TV program Catalunya Polònia makes use of a type of burlesque parody, we could qualify as satire, but always dressed with a touch of humor that the viewer is intended to be condescending to the supposedly said or staged in the sketches.

Regarding the comment that Reina Sofia, in general, it appears the news are related to official acts, and are usually associated with topics such as culture and values, family and solidarity. Like the King, the Queen is not free of incidents that have used some means to stir any controversy. Among these, stands the publication of the biography written by Pilar Urbano in reproducing a number of comments that the Queen had allegedly made on various controversial issues like the failure to consider "marriage" between homosexuals the celebrated, or the very assertion against abortion and euthanasia, and for the provision of religious instruction in schools. These alleged statements, taken out of context, showed a picture of the Queen very opposite of what you want to transmit from the monarchy as an institution.

We found no parody of the Queen in the TVE program, however, the TCF program the sample in a subservient role to that of a macho-tinged. The King, like the male characters that appear in Polònia is usually always the star of the sketches, while the female characters generally occupy roles. The character of Queen Sophie limits most of his performances always salute the fact, and exaggerated, by hand.

However, this role of the Queen subject to the figure of the King as we also transmitted by most media. Very few interventions of the Queen in an active role, and this reinforce the dominant values. On this basis, the analysis of some sketches Polònia program highlights the overacting of the Queen in absurd situations and dialogues.

In this program, the parodied character mimics the real hair, their movements and gestures, in general, and the way they dress. In turn, imitating their speech and pronunciation, slightly exaggerated. As we can see, besides the low esteem with which the monarchy is treated, the role of the Queen is an example of which we can see a sample of typical gender stereotypes.

In what respects to Prince Felipe we find a similar journalistic treatment that is given to his father by most media. Prince is linked figure, representing the Spanish state, the holding of official events and also appears as a prominent figure in the grant award. Most news associated with the prince with the figure of "heir", as someone who has been trained and prepared to perform their functions. The Spanish media have insisted on this aspect. Her figure is also associated with a certain independence and freedom from more traditional values ​​of the monarchy. Stresses freedom in making decisions such as marriage to a person who is not a noble family, what it represents and reinforces the idea of ​​freedom in making decisions, which in turn is a symbol of an image of modernity, renovation and closer to reality and the people.

In TVE has hardly been parodied figure of the Prince. In contrast, Polònia TVC program strategy removed the royal house which project normally most media, in humorous situations to show that connote values ​​diametrically opposed to those mentioned above. He is presented as a very protected, who has no personality or independence to make their own decisions and often speak with irrelevant issues Letizia surface, leading to the climax of ridicule formalities of the royal family.

And finally, in regard to Letizia, the media show us their visibility linked to official acts that go, related, often with the press of the heart as it is with the princesses and their husbands and former husbands. These latter were the only ones who had been a parody by the Martes 13 in the mid 90s. Spanish Television Letizia has not parodied, but yet in her raging TCF. Letizia's appearances in Polònia are always subject to the role that the Princess of Asturias met within the royal family, but we can also see some elements that remind us of the previous stage as a journalist. The character is defined by certain features reduced to the role of daddy's girl, spoiled, capricious and ambitious. As the incident, commenting that in 2007 published a magazine cover with a bullet On Jueves it was immediately censored, and in 2010 a TV series broadcast in Spanish based on the entire royal family, who arrived in television critics comment on blogs and discussion forums that the representation of the characters was more akin to a parody of a series or biographical novel.

The description of the representation through the parody of the characters that make up the Spanish royal family, leads to a series of reflections. The social and cultural context of Spain in 2010 is very different from the first years of democracy. However, the monarchy remains an institution that is usually addressed, by the media, with a number of precautions that are closer to the respect that the fear to violate any provisions of the Constitution and the Spanish Penal Code set out in cases where disrespect to the Crown. Under the freedom of expression, some media use parody as one of the entertainment content is offered in your programming. The two programs analyzed, La Hora de Jose Mota and Polònia in TVE Televisió de Catalunya have been parodied in some of his sketches to the King and members of the Spanish royal family with very different treatments. Different situations parodied and interpretation of the characters takes the parody totally opposite connotations. For this reason, we believe that a good analysis of the contents should be parodied connotative level.

One of the main difficulties in the interpretation of the themes and characters parodied is its subjectivity, and a greater degree, the fact that humor can be read very differently depending on social and cultural background of each person. Currently, the media transmit very stereotypical views and homogeneous, which allows quickly and easily reach consumers. In this context, the contents parodies are easy to identify and locate, because they often rely on news that precede them. In these cases, parody offers a different and original interpretation of the same, which is not overlooked any intentions difficult to decode. Understood as texts, these cultural elements are interwoven in a semiotic continuum, according to Lotman, is shaping itself a series of texts in a perennial way dialogue, allowing separate analysis and interpretation at any time and context.