List of Lope de Vega's plays in English translation

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Lope, Spanish Golden Age playwright and "Monster of Nature"; and Holcroft, his earliest English translator.

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. [1] 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". [1] His example crystallized the style of Spanish comedias for generations.

Contents

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 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

Table

Spanish TitleEnglish TitleYearTranslatorPublicationNotes
Castalvines y MontesesRomeo and Juliet. A Comedy1770Anonymous OCLC   836729121 "A perversion of Lope's play" [2]
El padre engañadoThe Father Outwitted1805 Holcroft, Thomas?The Theatrical Recorder, Vol. II, No. 7.prose; 1-act interlude; reprinted in 1811 as The Father Outwitted at Google Books
Castalvines y MontesesCastalvines y Monteses1869Cosens, F. W. Castalvines y Monteses at the Internet Archive blank verse
The Punishment of the Flirtatious Wife19??Chambers, Jane OCLC   20927441 prose
El Perro del hortelanoThe Dog in the Manger1903Chambers, W. H. H.In Alfred Bates: The Drama Volume VI: Spanish and Portuguese Drama at Google Books prose
El mayor Alcalde el ReyThe King the Greatest Alcalde1918 Underhill, John Garrett Poet Lore (1918)prose & verse; reprinted in World Drama, ed. Barrett H. Clark (1933) at the Internet Archive and Four Plays by Lope de Vega at the Internet Archive
Lo Cierto por lo dudosoA Certainty for a Doubt1936 Underhill, John Garrett Four Plays by Lope de Vega at the Internet Archive prose & verse
El Perro del hortelanoThe Gardener's Dog1936 Underhill, John Garrett Four Plays by Lope de Vega at the Internet Archive prose & verse
Fuente OvejunaFuente Ovejuna (The Sheep Well)1936 Underhill, John Garrett Four Plays by Lope de Vega at the Internet Archive prose & verse
Peribáñez y el Comendador de OcañaPeribanez1937Price, Eva Rebecca OCLC   551323573
El nuevo mundo descubierto por Cristóbal ColónThe discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus1950Fligelman, Frieda OCLC   1131227626 prose
Fuente OvejunaFuente Ovejuna1959 Campbell, Roy Eric Bentley, ed (1959): The Classic Theatre III: Six Spanish Plays at the Internet Archive blank verse; reprinted in Eric Bentley, ed (1985): Life Is A Dream and Other Spanish Classics at the Internet Archive
Peribáñez y el Comendador de OcañaPeribáñez1961Booty, Jill Lope de Vega: Five Plays at the Internet Archive prose
Fuente OvejunaFuente Ovejuna1961Booty, Jill Lope de Vega: Five Plays at the Internet Archive prose
El Perro del hortelanoThe Dog in the Manger1961Booty, Jill Lope de Vega: Five Plays at the Internet Archive prose
El caballero de OlmedoThe Knight from Olmedo1961Booty, Jill Lope de Vega: Five Plays at the Internet Archive prose
El castigo sin venganzaJustice Without Revenge1961Booty, Jill Lope de Vega: Five Plays at the Internet Archive prose
La dama bobaThe Stupid Lady1962Jones, Willis Knapp OCLC   6906774
Fuente OvejunaFuente Ovejuna1962Flores, Angel & Kittel, Muriel Masterpieces of the Spanish Golden Age at the Internet Archive prose & verse; reprinted in Great Spanish Plays in English Translation (1991) ISBN   0-486-26898-5
Peribáñez y el Comendador de OcañaPeribáñez and the Comendador of Ocaña1964 Starkie, Walter Eight Spanish Plays of the Golden Age at the Internet Archive prose & verse
La Fianza SatisfechaA Bond Honored1966 Osborne, John A Bond Honoured: A Play (from Lope De Vega)reprinted in Lope de Vega: Plays Two ISBN   978-1840021806
Auto sacramental de la circuncisión y sangría de Cristo nuestro bienFor our sake1969Barnes, R[ichard] G.In Three Spanish sacramental plays: For our sake OCLC   655189012 1-act religious play
Fuente OvejunaFuente Ovejuna1969Colford, William E. OCLC   640113345
Fuente OvejunaAll Citizens are Soldiers1969 Fainlight, Ruth & Sillitoe, Alan ISBN   9780802312303
El caballero de OlmedoThe Knight of Olmedo1972King, Willard F. ISBN   0803205007
La dama bobaThe Lady Simpleton1976Oppenheimer, Max ISBN   0872910784
El mayordomo de la duquesa de AmalfiThe Duchess of Amalfi's Steward1985Rodriguez-Badendyck, Cynthia The Duchess of Amalfi's Steward at the Internet Archive ISBN   0919473539
Lo fingido verdaderoActing is Believing1986McGaha, Michael Acting is Believing : A Tragicomedy in Three Acts at the Internet Archive ISBN   0939980142
El anzuelo de FenisaFenisa's Hook, or, Fenisa the Hooker1988Gitlitz, David M. ISBN   0939980193
Fuente OvejunaFuente Ovejuna1989 Mitchell, Adrian In Two Plays ISBN   0948230231
El castigo sin venganzaLost in a Mirror (It Serves Them Right)1989 Mitchell, Adrian In Two Plays ISBN   0948230231
Fuente OvejunaFuente Ovejuna1989Dixon, Victor Fuente Ovejuna at the Internet Archive ISBN   978-0856683282
Peribáñez y el Comendador de OcañaPeribáñez and the Comendador of Ocaña1990Lloyd, James ISBN   978-0856684395
El Perro del hortelanoThe Dog in the Manger1990Dixon, Victor ISBN   0919473741
Lo fingido verdaderoThe Great Pretenders1992Johnston, DavidTwo Plays ISBN   0948230568
El caballero de OlmedoThe Gentleman from Olmedo1992Johnston, DavidTwo Plays ISBN   0948230568
Los locos de ValenciaMadness in Valencia1998Johnston, David ISBN   0948230665
La dama bobaLady Nitwit1998Oliver, William I. Lady Nitwit at the Internet Archive ISBN   0927534746
Castalvines y MontesesCastelvins and Monteses1998Rodriguez-Badendyck, Cynthia ISBN   9781895537390
Los trabajos de JacobThe Trials of Jacob; or, Sometimes Dreams Come True1998McGaha, Michael The Story of Joseph in Spanish Golden Age Drama at the Internet Archive ISBN   978-0838753804 prose & verse
Castelvins y MontesesCastelvins and Monteses1998Rodriguez-Badendyck, CynthiaCarleton Renaissance Plays in Translation, 30 ISBN   978-1895537390
Fuente OvejunaFuente Ovejuna1999Edwards, GwynneLope de Vega: Three Major Plays ISBN   978-0-19-954017-4 blank octosyllables
El caballero de OlmedoThe Knight from Olmedo1999Edwards, GwynneLope de Vega: Three Major Plays ISBN   978-0-19-954017-4 blank octosyllables
El castigo sin venganzaPunishment Without Revenge1999Edwards, GwynneLope de Vega: Three Major Plays ISBN   978-0-19-954017-4 blank octosyllables
El mejor mozo de EspañaThe Best Boy in Spain1999Gitlitz, David M. The Best Boy in Spain at the Internet Archive ISBN   9780927534857
La dama bobaWit's End2000Friedman, Edward H.Wit's End; an adaptation of Lope de Vega's La dama boba ISBN   0820445320
El Niño Inocente de la GuardiaThe Innocent Child2001Jacobs, MichaelLope de Vega: Plays One ISBN   978-1840021448
Las paces de los reyes y judía de Toledo(?)The Jewess of Toledo2001Jacobs, MichaelLope de Vega: Plays One ISBN   978-1840021448
The Labyrinth of Desire2001Jacobs, MichaelLope de Vega: Plays Two ISBN   978-1840021806
El nuevo mundo descubierto por Cristóbal ColónThe New World Discovered by Christopher Columbus2001Shannon, Robert M. ISBN   978-0820448848
Fuente OvejunaFuenteovejuna2002Applebaum, Stanley Fuenteovejuna at the Internet Archive ISBN   978-0486420929 linear prose translation, with Spanish text
El Perro del hortelanoThe Dog in the Manger2004Johnston, David ISBN   978-1-84002-435-7
El mayordomo de la duquesa de AmalfiThe Duchess of Amalfi's Steward2005Edwards, GwynneThree Spanish Golden Age Plays ISBN   0-413-77475-9 blank octosyllables
Castalvines y MontesesThe Capulets and Montagues2005Edwards, GwynneThree Spanish Golden Age Plays ISBN   0-413-77475-9 blank octosyllables
Fuente OvejunaFuenteovejuna2018Racz, Gregary J.The Golden Age of Spanish Drama ISBN   978-0393923629 verse
El Perro del hortelanoThe Dog in the Manger2018Racz, Gregary J.The Golden Age of Spanish Drama ISBN   978-0393923629 verse
Lo fingido verdaderoThe Actor and the Emperor or, Make-believe Come True2020 Matthews, Dakin UCLA: The Comedia In Translation And Performance ISBN   978-1588713438 verse

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 The Chief European Dramatists at the Internet Archive , Sir Henry Thomas (1935) OCLC   776602053, Elizabeth C. Hullihen (1955) OCLC   1154527390, and Steven Strange (1998) ISBN   9780962877629. Fanny Kemble's five-act 1837 adaptation at the Internet Archive is based on an earlier précis by Lord Holland. [2]

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) ISBN   0-674-50590-5.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Edwards 1999, p. x.
  2. 1 2 Matthews 1914, p. 19.

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References

Online bibliography
Additional translated texts available online