Tirso de Molina was, with Lope de Vega and Calderon, one of the great dramatists of 17th century Spain, which produced a theatre as vital rich and as varied as its Elizabethan counterpart. The Trickster of Seville is thoroughly representative of the drama of Spain's Golden Age: a drama of fast-moving action which set its face against classical precepts, broke the unities of time and place, cheerfully mixed the serious and the comic, combined main and sub-plots, and cultivated Spanish subjects and Spanish characters. In this respect Tirso's Don Juan is of course, the most famous character in the drama of the Golden Age, as well as the first of a long line which extends through Mozart and Moliere to the 20th century.

(Applause Books). Translations of four great Spanish dramas: Calderon de la Barca Life Is a Dream ; Miguel de Cervantes Siege of Numantia ; Lope de Vega Fuente Ovejuna ; Tirso de Molina The Trickster of Seville .

Originally published in 1924, this study of the Don Juan legend is a powerful interpretation of one of the most popular themes in Western culture. Also valuable for the insights it offers into Rank's thought immediately before his break with Freud, the book has not been available in English until now. Rank's study draws on psychoanalysis, literature, history, and anthropology to suggest some psychological mechanisms that operate both within the principal characters of the legend and within the audience or reader. Originally published in 1975. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The first comprehensive study of Tirso de Molina and his work in English Tirso de Molina (c.1583-c.1648) may not have written El Burlador de Sevilla, but the works of this prolific author, one of the three pillars of Golden Age Spanish theatre, are notable for their erudition, complex characters, and wit. Informed by a multidisciplinary critical perspective, this volume sets Tirso's plays and prose in their social, historical, literary, and cultural contexts. Contributors from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain offer a state of the art in current scholarship, considering such topics as gender, identity, spatiality, material culture, and creative performativity, among others. The first volume in English to provide a richly detailed overview of Tirso's life and work, Tirso de Molina: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from the Twenty-First Century grounds the reader in canonical theories while suggesting new approaches, attuned to contemporary interests, to his legacy.

In Don Juan and the Point of Honor, James Mandrell undertakes a systematic examination of the many questions surrounding the legendary character. What emerges is a view of Don Juan as a positive social force in patriarchal society and culture. Mandrell shows that Don Juan should not be treated as an innocent or outmoded cultural artifact.

"Life is a Dream," a work by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, is centered on issues of freedom and predestination. The play unfolds around Segismundo, Prince of Poland, imprisoned since birth by his father, King Basilio, due to a prophecy predicting the ruin of the kingdom under his rule. When Basilio decides to test fate by releasing Segismundo, the plot explores the consequences of this decision. The narrative addresses Segismundo's internal struggle with his destiny and the nature of reality, questioning whether life is a dream from which one can awaken. Other characters, such as Rosaura and Astolfo, weave subplots that interconnect personal desires and social duties, reflecting on justice, honor, and love. Set in a context that blends elements of drama, philosophy, and politics, the play investigates the complexity of the human condition, the ethics of leadership, and the power of repentance and personal transformation. With a structure that includes intrigue, plot twists, and reflections on being and seeming, "Life is a Dream" invites the audience to ponder freedom and determinism.