Spanish seducer Lope de Vega: biography and works

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

The famous Spanish playwright Lope de Vega, whose biography is full of many adventures, lived a long life and achieved success in the literary field. He loved many women (and they, in turn, were devoted to him), did what he loved, and did not lose heart, no matter how difficult life presented him.

Childhood and youth of the writer

Lope de Vega was born in Madrid on November 25, 1562 into a we althy family. The boy's father came from a simple peasant family, but thanks to his abilities he was able to become a we althy man. Therefore, he managed to give his son a quality education, and even bought him a patent for a title of nobility.

Already in childhood, the boy began to show a penchant for the humanities. According to the author himself, he began to write and translate the texts of other writers very early, from the age of eleven. The father sent his son to study at a Jesuit school, after which he entered the university.

The future venerable Spanish writer studied at the university from 1577 to 1581, but as a result heand failed to finish it.

Exile

At the age of 21, that is, in 1583, Lope de Vega was a member of the campaign to the Azores. When he returned, he continued to work as a secretary to we althy aristocrats, although by this time he was already a playwright known throughout Spain.

1588 was a significant year in the biography of the writer, because it was in this year that he was imprisoned, after which he was expelled from Madrid for 10 years. The reason for his imprisonment was an insult to a high-ranking nobleman. The writer was forced to leave for Valencia, where he took with him his faithful companion Isabel de Urbina, who later became his wife. In the same year, the coryphaeus of medieval Spanish drama went on a campaign of the Invincible Armada, and then settled down with his lady of the heart.

While in Valencia, Lope de Vega learned a lot from local playwrights. In his works, he was able to combine all the techniques that he had previously mastered with the features of Valencian dramaturgy. As a result, he even created a treatise in verse, in which he outlined his views on the progressive dramatic system.

Private life

Lope de Vega, whose biography is replete with many significant events, was a very passionate person and gave his heart to many women.

Elena Osorio

The writer had a long and serious relationship with this woman. But they also came to an end, because the lady led an immoral lifestyle, changing one lover after another, and once in herIn verse, the enraged de Vega ridiculed his chosen one and her family, using not the most pleasant epithets. The author was expelled from Madrid for "slander".

Isabel de Urbina

Probably the most important woman in the life of the famous playwright was his lovely companion Isabel de Urbina, who, as noted above, voluntarily left her hometown and went into exile for her beloved. But not everything turned out so simply, because she was not the legal wife of the writer, and Isabel's parents were ardent opponents of relationships before marriage. That is why they started a lawsuit against de Vega, which was closed as soon as the girl became his legal wife. Isabel occupied an important place not only in the life of the writer, but also in his work. Lope de Vega wrote about his love for her in his dramas, where Isabel performed under the name of Belisa. But this couple was not destined to live a long and happy life. In 1590, Isabel died, one of the most serious losses for de Vega. Unfortunately, there were no children from this marriage either, as both children died in infancy.

Second marriage

The term of exile was coming to an end, and Lope de Vega, whose dramaturgy only benefited from exile, returned to his native Madrid. But his jubilation was short-lived, for soon he was again in the courtroom as a defendant in the case of cohabitation with a widow, which was the height of indecency at the time.

After the trial, the relationship was terminated, but the writer decided not toremain a bachelor for a long time, and married a second time in 1604. But this marriage did not turn out to be happy either: de Vega's wife and his son died.

Martha Nevares

The last lover of the playwright was Martha Nevares, who devoted herself entirely to the writer, and even divorced her husband for him. These relationships were very long, but, unfortunately, this time it all ended very sadly. Martha and Lope de Vega lived together for a decade and a half, but after a long illness, the writer's muse died, leaving him alone.

Church

Relatively little information has been preserved regarding the religious views of the writer, but several facts remain unchanged.

In 1609, the author managed to obtain the title of "close to the Inquisition", which protected him from any accusations from the church. By the way, this became possible not without the help of de Vega's patron and mentor, the Duke de Secca, for whom he worked as a secretary.

In 1614 the writer became a priest, and thirteen years later - a doctor of theology. He received such a high title for a reason, but for writing a dramatic work dedicated to the current Pope.

Old age

Lope de Vega, whose works were awarded the highest praise, continued to write until his old age. According to various sources, his creative heritage includes from 1500 to 2000 plays, of which no more than 600 have survived to this day. The author wrote the last comedy a year before his death, andthe last poem - in a few days. For the past few years, the writer has tried to atone for his sins and therefore led an ascetic life and spent a lot of time in prayer. He left the world on August 27, 1635. A lot of colleagues in the creative workshop and admirers of talent gathered for the funeral of the playwright-monk.

Creativity

The writer became famous mainly due to his dramatic works, but, despite this, his poems, elegies and odes, in which the author has invested all his talent and love for art, are worthy of attention. De Vega sought to depict all the important features of modern life, but he did it in his own, casual manner.

Thus, for example, when describing historical events, he did not seek to detail specific facts, but perpetuated the glory of his homeland and its people. A vivid example of this is the comedy "Famous Women of Asturias", in which the writer even used the appropriate dialect in order to convey the feat of the people as naturally as possible.

The theme of the Spanish-Christian monarchy was a favorite for Lope de Vega. The works in which he depicts the inhabitants of Castile are full of both simple everyday scenes and the fight against Muslims. The most striking examples, revealing the historical features of this area, are "The King thrown into the abyss" and "Innocent Blood". Both dramas are about kings who were punished for their unrighteous deeds.

Theme

In his work, the author touchesa wide variety of topics. Lope de Vega's books are full of adventure, color and various dramatic situations. So, in the drama "The Star of Seville", the characters are forced to go through many trials, and the author only makes their life more tragic, forcing them to reach the pinnacle of happiness and immediately fall into the abyss of pain and suffering.

Surprisingly, the playwright did not ignore Russian history either. In one of the works of Lope de Vega, quotes from which were used by many critics, it is about False Dmitry. The play "Grand Duke of Moscow" tells about the life and fate of the prince. Less known to a wide range of readers, but still worthy of attention, are spiritual and philosophical dramas.

The most famous work of the writer can be called the play "Dog in the manger". As for the title of the work, it is believed that the expression “dog in the manger” itself can be interpreted as a synonym for a person who himself does not enjoy any benefit, but does not allow others to do so. The comedy tells about the relationship between an aristocrat named Diana and her secretary Teodoro. Given her position, Diana cannot allow her relationship with the secretary, but also does not allow him to become happy with another woman. All these intrigues, in which many secondary characters are also involved, result in a comic story about class prejudices.

Lope de Vega significantly influenced not only Spanish drama, but also the development of all world literature. He managed to combine many motives in his work, create inimitable images and show contemporary life withoutembellishment That is why his works are still popular and in demand.