The characters in these old comedies are mostly fixed types with fixed masks and costumes, and often fixed names, that occur, with additions, omissions, and variations, in all the plays. Some of them--notably the braggart soldier, the crafty servant, the lovers, the deceived parents, and the intermediary--are traced through the Renaissance to the comedies of Plautus and Terence and to the New Comedy of Athens, nearly all of which is lost. Others have a later origin. Benavente has achieved remarkable success in preserving the conventional traits of his figures, and at the same time in investing them with modern qualities. The more important masks in _Los intereses creados_ are listed below, with very brief notes designed to point out the usual characteristics of each, and, where necessary, certain modifications introduced by Benavente. It must not be forgotten that each character is carefully delineated both from the old and from the modern point of view. THE CHARACTERS IN _LOS INTERESES CREADOS_ SIRENA--the elderly woman who lives by her wits and acts as a go-between in love affairs. SILVIA--the typical heroine. SEÑORA DE POLICHINELA (Punch's wife)--frequently at odds with her husband; rather a colorless figure in _Los intereses creados_. COLOMBINA (Columbine, fixed name)--a fairy-like dancer, represented as wooed by Harlequin. LEANDRO--the typical hero. CRISPÍN--the crafty servant. EL DOCTOR--the pompous, showy, corrupt man of the law. POLICHINELA (Punch, fixed name)--one of the most prominent puppet characters, whose general qualities are hard to define; sometimes described as essentially ridiculous; very often represented as deformed and as a knave. ARLEQUÍN (Harlequin, fixed name)--a graceful and acrobatic character, sometimes supposed to be invisible and a spirit of the air; Benavente makes him a poet. EL CAPITÁN--the braggart soldier, considerably toned down in _Los intereses creados_. PANTALÓN (Pantaloon, fixed name)--a silly old man (frequently a merchant) considered a butt of ridicule and fair game for all. EL HOSTELERO (the Innkeeper)--generally an object of ridicule in all literature; not particularly connected with the _commedia dell'arte_. EL SECRETARIO--a fit companion for the Doctor; not particularly connected with the _commedia dell'arte_. [39.1] =primer término.= See the following diagram for this and other stage directions. (The directions =derecha= and =izquierda= are given from the standpoint of the actors, not from that of the audience; they are feminine to agree with =mano=, understood.) C F ________________________ / \ / \ B / \ E / \ A / \ D A--D: =proscenio= = front. (The part of the stage between its outer edge and the curtain.) A--B: =primera derecha= = front, right.