How to translate this text in *English*? él representa un viejo avaro...

Question

How to translate this text in English?:

él representa un viejo avaro; esta característica suya principal, como sucede a menudo en la comedia, es engrandecida para convertirla cómica, en cuanto el personaje asume los trazos de pura y total locura. Los celos que tiene por su olla lo lleva a desconfiar de cada persona que encuentra y le dirige la palabra.

Answer 1

To get a rought idea, paste the text into SpanishDict.com's translator, which will give the following answer:

he represents an old miser is his main characteristic, as often happens in comedy, is enlarged to make it comic, as the character takes the strokes of pure and total madness. The jealousy he has for his pot leads to distrust every person he meets and speaks the word.

Well, that's not quite right, so I'll smooth it out a bit...

he represents an old miser; this, his main characteristic, as often happens in comedy, is enlarged to make it comical, as the character expresses pure and total madness. The jealousy he has for his pot leads him to distrust every person he meets or says a word to him.

Note: I am guessing about the phrase "asume los trazos"...I am not sure what it means but "takes the strokes" is meaningless in English and it seems to have to do with facial expressions but I am not sure.

• Possibly, "as the character assumes the look of pure and total madness". - Eddy Dec 27, 2009
• nicely done! - kattya Dec 27, 2009

Answer 2

I think the literal translation "takes the strokes" implies a building up of the character as one builds with a variety of brush strokes/layers of paint on a work of art Here the strokes build his exagerated image as a miser .