Tirso de Molina: most important WORKS

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On March 24, 1579, Tirso de Molina was born, one of the most prolific authors of the Spanish Baroque. He is one of the most studied writers in the history of literature, especially because of the publication of a play that has marked the Spanish literary tradition: The Trickster of Seville. But, in addition to this great work, the author also has very interesting titles in his bibliography that are worth knowing. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about Tirso de Molina and his most important works so that you get to know this author better and, incidentally, you can also better discover his contribution to Spanish literature.

Index

1. Brief biography of Tirso de Molina
2. Introduction to the works of Tirso de Molina
3. El Burlador de Sevilla, the best known work of Tirso de Molina
4. The shameful one in the palace
5. Marta, The Pious
6. Don Gil of the green leggings
7. The condemned as distrustful

Before starting to talk about the most important works of Tirso de Molina it is important that we briefly know some important notes about the author. Within his literary career, Tirso stood out as a playwright since he was a prolific playwright with such notable works as the comedy of Don Gil of the green leggings or the one already mentioned The Trickster of Seville.

It is precisely Tirso who has been attributed the creation of the myth of Don Juan in this play that appeared for the first time in 1617; however, in the scholarly community there is a debate about whether Tirso was really the author of this work. The vast majority of researchers affirm this, but there is still part of the scholars who believe that the work was written by someone else.

He was a disciple from Lope de Vega, author who renewed Spanish theater thanks to his New art of making comedies. Tirso met Lope when he was studying in Alcalá de Henares and, since then, his theater was a fervent defense of the method promoted by Lope. Tirso took the habit in 1601 and was ordained a priest in 1606.

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Before beginning to present the list of the most important works by Tirso de Molina, we will make a brief paragraph that will allow us to know the style and literary production from the author of Spanish Baroque theater. There are 70 pieces that have been preserved from Tirso, however, according to the author himself in his prologue to the "Third part" he wrote about 400; therefore, we are before one of the most prolific authors of the Golden age.

His plays are characterized by having plots full of tangles, in the purest Lope de Vega style. However, the complexity of his texts is deeper and, this makes them difficult to follow at times. However, thanks to his style and constant plot twists, Tirso's works are rife with intrigue and unexpected changes for the reader or viewer.

The characters that Tirso presents in his works are characterized by a deep psychology, something totally innovative and different from the theater of Lope de Vega. And within all of them, we must mention that the author gave great importance to female characters and, many times, they become the protagonists of his works.

Tirso de Molina's dramatic work highlighted, above all, in the comedy field with a large number of texts loaded with twists and hilarious situations that triumphed among the public. He also cultivated palatine comedy and religious works such as autos sacramentales or biblical dramas. However, comedy was the genre in which he most stood out and for which he has been recognized the most over time.

We begin by talking about one of Tirso de Molina's most important works: The Trickster of Seville. As we have already advanced, this work signifies the creation of the myth of Don Juan Tenorio in Spanish literature. It is a work loaded with philosophical content and is written in three acts.

The protagonist is Don Juan, a man characterized by using the weapons of seduction for selfish ends. A man who loves to make fun of others and, above all, to conquer women to achieve his goals. In this work we meet unforgettable characters like Duke Octavio, Isabela or Don Gonzalo de Ulloa.

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Now we will mention the first work of Tirso de Molina and where the author makes a very interesting mix of the comic with the tragic. "The shameful man in the palace" is a three-act tragicomedy that places us in Portugal and tells us about the life of a shepherd who feels ashamed of his social condition.

Mireno is the protagonist of this work, a character with a strong ambition who decides to abandon everything to prosper in life. In this trip, he will fall in love with Madalena and, together with her, he will experience a lot of entangled situations that will take him through funny and tragic situations at the same time.

Another of Tirso de Molina's best works is this text that stars by a female character: Martha. As we have indicated above, the author is characterized by presenting his characters very well and having a good psychological definition; Furthermore, he is an expert on female characters and, therefore, we did not want to stop mentioning this outstanding work.

Marta, The Pious It is a work that tells us about a woman ahead of her time. Marta is presented to us as an intelligent, determined and tenacious character who does not care about moral standards if they get into her objectives. A surprising work for the time and with a cold and rational protagonist who shows us the coldness to which human beings can sometimes reach.

We cannot talk about the most outstanding works of Tirso de Molina in the history of literature without mentioning Don Gil of the green leggings. This piece was published in 1615 and is a comedy based on entanglement and the conspiracy carried out by the characters to get their way. It is considered one of the best works by Tirso as it has a very well woven plot and is inspired by the foundations of Lope de Vega.

Here we will know the history of Don Martin, a man who asks Doña Juana to marry him but who, in the end, regrets it and goes to Madrid with a new name: Luís Albornoz. The fiancee decides to also go to the capital to look for her fiancé and she will do it disguised as a man so that no one will recognize her.

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And we finish this review of Tirso de Molina's plays to present another very prominent title within his production: The condemned as distrustful. It is a piece that is part of the stage of his life more spiritual and religious and, in fact, the plot is told from a theological point of view.

Here we will meet Monk Paulo, a distrustful and haughty character who runs into Enrico, a criminal who, despite his condition in his life, wants to become a good person. This work was written in 1615 and refers to the world of appearances and how these can end up fooling everyone.

If you want to read more articles similar to Tirso de Molina: most important works, we recommend that you enter our category of History of Literature.

• de Molina, T. (1907). Comedies by Tirso de Molina (Vol. 9). Bailly / Bailliere.
• Arellano, I. (1994). The power machine in Tirso de Molina's theater.
• Zugasti, M. (1998). Of entanglement and theater: some theoretical notions and their application to the work of Tirso de Molina. The sitcom. Proceedings of the XX Classic Theater Conference. Almagro, July 1997, 109-141.