Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla

Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla (1607 - c. 1660) was a Spanish dramatist.

He is known to have been born at Toledo; the only other fact recorded about his life is that he became a knight of Santiago in 1644. The exact date of his death is unknown. It is believed that he studied at the University of Toledo and University of Salamanca, and for a time followed a military career. [CathEncy|wstitle=Francisco de Rojas y Zorrilla]

His plays were published between 1640 and 1645; his greatest dramatic composition, "Del Rey abajo Ninguno", was printed separately under the title of "Garcia del Castanar". Of his other pieces, apart from their intrinsic merit, an international interest attaches to "No hay padre siendo rey", which was borrowed by Jean Rotrou for his "Venceslas"; to "Donde hay agravios no hay zelos" and the "Amo criado", which were imitated by Paul Scarron in his "Jodelet Souffleté" and "Maître Valet"; to "Entre Bobos anda el juego", the source of Thomas Corneille's "Don Bertrand de Cigarral", as well as of Scarron's "Don Japhel d'Armenie"; to "Obligados y ofendidos", from which are derived "Les Généreux Ennemis" by François le Metel de Boisrobert, "Les Illustres Ennemis" by Thomas Corneille, and Scarron's "Ecolier de Salamanque"; and to "La traición busca el castigo", upon which are based Sir John Vanbrugh's "False Friend" and Le Sage's "Traitre puni".

References

*1911