Lope de Vega was a Spanish Golden Age poet and playwright. One of the most prolific writers in history, he was said to have written 2,200 plays (an average of nearly one per week for his entire adult life), though fewer than 400 survive today. In addition, he produced volumes of short and epic poems as well as prose works. For this fecundity, Cervantes nicknamed him the "Monster of Nature". His example crystallized the style of Spanish comedias for generations.

Over 50 English translations of Lope's plays have been published, all but three of them after 1900. As multiple translations of several plays have been made, this covers only about two dozen of Lope's Spanish originals. By far the most frequently translated play is Fuente Ovejuna (The Sheep Well), followed by The Dog in the Manger, The Knight of Olmedo, The Silly Lady, Peribáñez and the Comendador of Ocaña, and Capulets and Montagues.

Translations Key

Spanish Title — The original comedia or auto that serves as the basis of the English text. English Title — The title of the English text, as it appears in the particular translation. Because one Spanish title may suggest alternate English titles (e.g. Fuente Ovejuna, The Sheep Well, All Citizens are Soldiers), sorting by this column is not a reliable way to group all translations of a particular original together; to do so, sort on Spanish Title. Year — The year of the translation's first publication. Some translations may have been written or produced earlier than this date, and some were republished subsequently, but this is not noted here. Publication — The publication in which the translation first appeared. When the publication consisted only of the single named play this information is not repeated, except in cases where the publication title is used as an external link to the work, or when it is matched with an ISBN. Notes — May indicate the style of translation or significant republications; all works are 3-act comedias unless noted.

Table

Spanish Title English Title Year Translator Publication Notes Castalvines y Monteses Romeo and Juliet. A Comedy 1770 Anonymous "A perversion of Lope's play" El padre engañado The Father Outwitted 1805 Holcroft, Thomas? The Theatrical Recorder, Vol. II, No. 7. prose; 1-act interlude; reprinted in 1811 as Castalvines y Monteses Castalvines y Monteses 1869 Cosens, F. W. blank verse The Punishment of the Flirtatious Wife 19?? Chambers, Jane prose El Perro del hortelano The Dog in the Manger 1903 Chambers, W. H. H. In Alfred Bates: The Drama prose El mayor Alcalde el Rey The King the Greatest Alcalde 1918 Underhill, John Garrett Poet Lore (1918) prose & verse; reprinted in and Lo Cierto por lo dudoso A Certainty for a Doubt 1936 Underhill, John Garrett prose & verse El Perro del hortelano The Gardener's Dog 1936 Underhill, John Garrett prose & verse Fuente Ovejuna Fuente Ovejuna (The Sheep Well) 1936 Underhill, John Garrett prose & verse Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña Peribanez 1937 Price, Eva Rebecca El nuevo mundo descubierto por Cristóbal Colón The discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus 1950 Fligelman, Frieda prose Fuente Ovejuna Fuente Ovejuna 1959 Campbell, Roy Eric Bentley, ed (1959): blank verse; reprinted in Eric Bentley, ed (1985): Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña Peribáñez 1961 Booty, Jill prose Fuente Ovejuna Fuente Ovejuna 1961 Booty, Jill prose El Perro del hortelano The Dog in the Manger 1961 Booty, Jill prose El caballero de Olmedo The Knight from Olmedo 1961 Booty, Jill prose El castigo sin venganza Justice Without Revenge 1961 Booty, Jill prose La dama boba The Stupid Lady 1962 Jones, Willis Knapp Fuente Ovejuna Fuente Ovejuna 1962 Flores, Angel & Kittel, Muriel prose & verse; reprinted in Great Spanish Plays in English Translation (1991) Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña Peribáñez and the Comendador of Ocaña 1964 Starkie, Walter prose & verse La Fianza Satisfecha A Bond Honored 1966 Osborne, John A Bond Honoured: A Play (from Lope De Vega) reprinted in Lope de Vega: Plays Two Auto sacramental de la circuncisión y sangría de Cristo nuestro bien For our sake 1969 Barnes, R[ichard] G. In Three Spanish sacramental plays: For our sake 1-act religious play Fuente Ovejuna Fuente Ovejuna 1969 Colford, William E. Fuente Ovejuna All Citizens are Soldiers 1969 Fainlight, Ruth & Sillitoe, Alan El caballero de Olmedo The Knight of Olmedo 1972 King, Willard F. La dama boba The Lady Simpleton 1976 Oppenheimer, Max El mayordomo de la duquesa de Amalfi The Duchess of Amalfi's Steward 1985 Rodriguez-Badendyck, Cynthia Lo fingido verdadero Acting is Believing 1986 McGaha, Michael El anzuelo de Fenisa Fenisa's Hook, or, Fenisa the Hooker 1988 Gitlitz, David M. Fuente Ovejuna Fuente Ovejuna 1989 Mitchell, Adrian In Two Plays El castigo sin venganza Lost in a Mirror (It Serves Them Right) 1989 Mitchell, Adrian In Two Plays Fuente Ovejuna Fuente Ovejuna 1989 Dixon, Victor Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña Peribáñez and the Comendador of Ocaña 1990 Lloyd, James El Perro del hortelano The Dog in the Manger 1990 Dixon, Victor Lo fingido verdadero The Great Pretenders 1992 Johnston, David Two Plays El caballero de Olmedo The Gentleman from Olmedo 1992 Johnston, David Two Plays Los locos de Valencia Madness in Valencia 1998 Johnston, David La dama boba Lady Nitwit 1998 Oliver, William I. Castalvines y Monteses Castelvins and Monteses 1998 Rodriguez-Badendyck, Cynthia Los trabajos de Jacob The Trials of Jacob; or, Sometimes Dreams Come True 1998 McGaha, Michael prose & verse Castelvins y Monteses Castelvins and Monteses 1998 Rodriguez-Badendyck, Cynthia Carleton Renaissance Plays in Translation, 30 Fuente Ovejuna Fuente Ovejuna 1999 Edwards, Gwynne Lope de Vega: Three Major Plays blank octosyllables El caballero de Olmedo The Knight from Olmedo 1999 Edwards, Gwynne Lope de Vega: Three Major Plays blank octosyllables El castigo sin venganza Punishment Without Revenge 1999 Edwards, Gwynne Lope de Vega: Three Major Plays blank octosyllables El mejor mozo de España The Best Boy in Spain 1999 Gitlitz, David M. La dama boba Wit's End 2000 Friedman, Edward H. Wit's End; an adaptation of Lope de Vega's La dama boba El Niño Inocente de la Guardia The Innocent Child 2001 Jacobs, Michael Lope de Vega: Plays One Las paces de los reyes y judía de Toledo(?) The Jewess of Toledo 2001 Jacobs, Michael Lope de Vega: Plays One The Labyrinth of Desire 2001 Jacobs, Michael Lope de Vega: Plays Two El nuevo mundo descubierto por Cristóbal Colón The New World Discovered by Christopher Columbus 2001 Shannon, Robert M. Fuente Ovejuna Fuenteovejuna 2002 Applebaum, Stanley linear prose translation, with Spanish text El Perro del hortelano The Dog in the Manger 2004 Johnston, David El mayordomo de la duquesa de Amalfi The Duchess of Amalfi's Steward 2005 Edwards, Gwynne Three Spanish Golden Age Plays blank octosyllables Castalvines y Monteses The Capulets and Montagues 2005 Edwards, Gwynne Three Spanish Golden Age Plays blank octosyllables Mujeres y criados Women and Servants 2016 Barbara Fuchs Juan de la Cuesta-Hispanic Monographs verse Fuente Ovejuna Fuenteovejuna 2018 Racz, Gregary J. The Golden Age of Spanish Drama verse El Perro del hortelano The Dog in the Manger 2018 Racz, Gregary J. The Golden Age of Spanish Drama verse La viuda valenciana The Widow of Valencia 2018 UCLA: The Comedia In Translation And Performance UCLA: The Comedia In Translation And Performance verse La noche toledana A Wild Night in Toledo 2018 UCLA: The Comedia In Translation And Performance UCLA: The Comedia In Translation And Performance verse Lo fingido verdadero The Actor and the Emperor or, Make-believe Come True 2020 Matthews, Dakin UCLA: The Comedia In Translation And Performance verse El animal de Hungría The Beast of Hungary 2025 UCLA: The Comedia In Translation And Performance UCLA: The Comedia In Translation And Performance verse

Related translations The Star of Seville, previously attributed to Lope but no longer judged to be by him, is not included in this list. English translations include those by Philip M. Hayden (1916) in , Sir Henry Thomas (1935) , Elizabeth C. Hullihen (1955) , and Steven Strange (1998) . Fanny Kemble's five-act 1837 is based on an earlier précis by Lord Holland.

La Dorotea, a genre-bending closet drama or novel in prose dialogue with interspersed poems, is also not included. It was translated by Alan S. Trueblood and Edwin Honig (1985) .

Notes

References

External links Online bibliography A Bibliography Of Spanish Comedias In English Translation Additional translated texts available online AHCT Spanish Comedias in English Translation Lope de Vega at Project Gutenberg