This book distinguishes itself from other editions of "El nuevo mundo" in that it is the first critical edition of the play by Lope de Vega that, in the absence of a known manuscript, is based on the existing three "princeps" editions: Madrid, Barcelona, and Pamplona, 1614. This critical edition is also unique in its juxtaposition of Spanish poetry with an English prose translation. The introduction to this bilingual critical edition places "El nuevo mundo" within the ideological context of seventeenth-century theater; suggests 1600 as the date of the play's composition; explains the purpose of allegory; shows the challenges of staging the play; offers a stemma of recent editions; and analyzes the rhyme scheme of the Spanish verse.