This study first examines Valle-Inclan's day-to-day involvement with the theatre as actor, director-dramaturg and playwright. It then turns to Valle-Inclan's full-length and one-act plays, which demonstrate the foibles and follies of human behaviour, and are discussed here under a variety of thematic headings. There follows an up-to-date bibliography of the plays, from editions contemporary with the author through those published posthumously; it includes translations of the dramas into many languages, as well as a selection of critical studies worldwide.