Lope De Rueda Books

A Spanish playwright who abandoned his trade as a goldsmith to dedicate himself to the theater, founding his own highly successful company. His prolific output includes comedies, pastoral dialogues, and short dramatic interludes known as 'pasos'. His works are written in the style of Italian comedy, marking the triumph of Italian dramatic adaptation in Spanish theater at a time when Italian influence was already firmly established in Castilian lyric poetry. His signature contribution lies in the 'pasos,' precursors to the entremés, interpolated into prose comedies to entertain audiences with simple plots and swift resolutions. The humor of these pieces stemmed from their witty situations and characters, expressed in lively, colloquial language, often featuring archetypal figures like the Black servant, the gypsy, or the simpleton.