Tirso de Molina is the pseudonym of Fray Gabriel Téllez, a worldly Mercedarian friar and also a prolific playwright, who is reputed to have written over four hundred plays. The details of his birth and paternity remain veiled, but the best evidence suggests that he was sired out of wedlock by a noble father—someone of considerable standing at court—and that he was born on March 24, 1579, St. Gabriel’s day. He was reared by his mother and assumed her surname. The date of his death is thought to be February 20, 1648.

Tirso is considered today to be one of the four major playwrights of Spain’s Golden Age. He is in good company in that regard, with Lope de Vega, Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, and Pedro Ca

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First published 04 November 2009

Citation: Parr, James A.. "Tirso de Molina". The Literary Encyclopedia. 4 November 2009.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5483, accessed 21 November 2009.]