Agustín Moreto y Cavana facts for kids
Agustín Moreto y Cavana (born April 1618, Madrid – died October 28, 1669) was a famous Spanish writer. He was also a Catholic priest. Moreto is best known for writing many plays, especially comedies. He lived during a time when Spanish theater was very popular.
About Agustín Moreto
Agustín Moreto was born in Madrid, Spain. His family had Italian roots. We don't know his exact birthday. But he was baptized on April 9, 1618.
He went to the University of Alcalá de Henares. He studied subjects like logic and physics there. He finished his studies in 1639. By 1643, he had become a cleric. This means he was starting his path to becoming a priest. Around this time, he also likely began writing plays.
By the mid-1600s, Moreto was a well-known writer. He was part of a group called the Academia Castellana. In 1654, he published his first collection of plays. It was called Primera Parte. One of his most famous comedies, El desdén, con el desdén, was in this book. This title means "Disdain with Disdain."
Life in Toledo
Moreto lived in Madrid until 1654. Then he moved to Toledo. There, he became a chaplain. A chaplain is a priest who serves a special group or institution. He worked for Baltasar de Moscoso y Sandoval. He was a very important church leader.
After 1657, Agustín became a full priest. After this, he wrote fewer plays. In 1659, he joined a special group. This group helped run the Hospital of San Nicolás. He lived at the hospital until he died ten years later.
He was working on a play about Saint Rose of Lima when he died. Another writer, Pedro Francisco de Lanini, finished it for him. Moreto was buried in the Church of St. John the Baptist in Toledo. More collections of his plays were published in 1676.
His Most Famous Play
Moreto's most celebrated play is El Desdén con el Desdén. It was so good that other famous playwrights copied parts of it. For example, Molière used ideas from it in his play La Princesse d'Elide. Carlo Gozzi and Schreyvogel also created plays inspired by it.
Moreto often borrowed ideas from other writers. He took parts from plays by Lope de Vega, Castro, and Tirso de Molina. But he was very skilled at changing these ideas. He made them his own with great charm.
Plays and Music
Some of Agustín Moreto's plays have been turned into music.
- In 1894, Emil von Reznicek wrote an opera called Donna Diana. This opera was based on Moreto's play El Desdén con el Desdén. The music that starts this opera is still very popular today.
- Carl Maria von Weber also wrote music for the play in 1817. This type of music is called incidental music. It is played during a play to set the mood.
See also
In Spanish: Agustín Moreto para niños
