Punishment without Vengeance (Castigo sin venganza) is a 1631 tragedy written by the Spanish playwright Lope de Vega at the age of 68, centred on adultery and a near-incestuous relationship between step-mother and step-son.
[2][3] Federico's servant Batin closes the play with a comic line, noting that it was based on a true story in Italy – this refers to an event in 1425 under Nicolo III d'Este.
De Vega also works in aspects of the story of King David as well as using the 208 novellas of Matteo Bandello (78 of these were translated into French by Boisteau and Belleforest and later into Spanish, in a first edition published in Salamanca in 1589).
It may also allude to Philip II of Spain's marriage to his third wife Elisabeth of Valois in 1559 and problems with his first son Carlos, Prince of Asturias.
[10] The second was in the original language by Fundaciόn Siglo de Oro (formerly Rakatá) at Shakespeare's Globe from 1 to 6 September 2014[11] – this was the first Spanish Golden Age play to appear at that venue.