Pagine1562–1635 · Madrid, Spain · also known as Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio
Lope de Vega was so prolific that Cervantes called him a “monster of nature.” He claimed to have written some 1,500 plays (several hundred survive) and created the three-act Spanish comedia that dominated the Golden Age stage. Fuenteovejuna, in which a whole village rises against a tyrannical commander, and the comedy The Dog in the Manger are still performed.
Begin with Fuenteovejuna.
Part of our Spanish Classics reading list — print it, email it to yourself or share it.
Miguel de Cervantes · Pedro Calderón de la Barca · Benito Pérez Galdós · Emilia Pardo Bazán · Vicente Blasco Ibáñez · Miguel de Unamuno · Federico García Lorca · Camilo José Cela
Lope de Vega was so prolific that Cervantes called him a “monster of nature.” He claimed to have written some 1,500 plays (several hundred survive) and created the three-act Spanish comedia that dominated the Golden Age stage. Fuenteovejuna, in which a whole village rises against a tyrannical commander, and the comedy The Dog in the Manger are still performed.
Fuenteovejuna is usually considered Lope de Vega’s best-known work, followed by The Dog in the Manger.
Most readers start with Fuenteovejuna.
Both refer to the same writer.
Many of Lope de Vega’s works are in the public domain; we link to free editions below.