Plays by Jacinto Benavente; Second Series

Critics attribute the beginning of modern Spanish drama to Jacinto Benavente, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1922. His work marked his break with the melodrama and affectation of the previous style, represented by Jose Echegaray, another Nobel Prize winner. Benavente considered Lope de Vega, Calderon, Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Perez Galdos his masters.

Compared to their works, however, Benavente's seems bland and static. He was noted for elegant dialogues, and indeed he used conversation to relate action that takes place offstage. He excelled in the use of social satire, ironic presentations of human weaknesses, and psychological penetration of characters. The Bonds of Interest (1907), considered his best play, utilizes puppet figures.

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