The poet and dramatist Lope de Vega (1562-1635) was born in Madrid and was one of the most important representatives of Spain's Golden Age of Baroque literature, writing his first play at the age of just thirteen. He initially studied with the Jesuits and then at university in the city of Alcalá de Henares, but failed to graduate. He then sought employment and began writing for the stage. However, the woman with whom he was having a love affair, the daughter of a well-known theatre director, exploited his talent and used his works to benefit her father’s company. A few years later, when she married a man of high social standing, de Vega reacted by libelling her, for which he was sent to prison and then exiled. The betrayal he felt prompted him to write extensively about romance, love and hate. Scholars generally agree that his first play was The true lover, while his most important is Fuenteovejuna. Lope de Vega wrote more than 1800 works in all, of which just 426 have survived, and made an incalculable contribution to the literature and theatre of his age.

 

A short list of his plays:
The gardener's dog, Fuenteovejuna, Madness in Valencia, The star of Seville.

 

Without love, the world
could not survive.(Fuenteovejuna)