Lope de Vega

Peribanez is a poetic tragicomedy of masterly theatricality and profound human interest. Created from a few lines of folk song, it tells of the Comendador's adulterous passion for Peribanez's wife, Casilda. The conflict between Peribanez, the sturdily independent peasant farmer, and the romantic, self-doubting nobleman is brilliantly presented against a background of a whole society, from peasant to king, in harmonious coexistence. An underlying poetic structure of great richness and consistency adds depth to Lope's handling of the theme.