From the earliest reviews of 'Nightwood' by Graham Greene and T.S. Eliot, Barnes criticism has repeatedly acknowledged the novel's affinity with seventeenth century aesthetic forms. Not until Monika Kaup's 2005 article, in which she examines Barnes' writing in the context of a Latin-American baroque, and suggests 'Ladies Almanack' as a parody of baroque hagiography, was this connection given detailed consideration. This article will examine the forms and techniques of 'Nightwood' in the context of the German seventeenth century Trauerspiel, or play of mourning, placing Barnes' writing within a broader European baroque context. In an early section of discarded manuscript for the novel, Barnes introduces the idea of a 'baroque sentence', a form of expression characteristic of a particular era. Paying close attention to Walter Benjamin's study 'The Origin of German Tragic Drama', I will consider the character of Robin Vote as a signifier situated between symbol and allegory, Barnes' preoccupation with the fractured human body, and the enigmatic figure of Dr O'Connor. If 'Nightwood' is to be considered as a modern counterpart to the Trauerspiel in many of its details, I will conclude by asking how does this affect Barnes' identity as a modern writer?