themes, were considered strictly religious used to open religious festivals and for Christmas. Loas cortesanas (Royal Court loas) were used in theatre festivals, sometimes represented Kings, and were used in comedias. Loas para casa particulares (Loas for a private house) were used to celebrate familial festivities such as weddings and baptisms and were similar to the previous categorization but themes focused on dukes, counts, and other dignities of the time instead of Kings. Loas de presentación de compañias (Loas for presentations from companies) were, for example, a dialogue between with actors in the play and the playwright. These often introduced the actors and the characters they played in comedias. History of the Loa Bartolomé de Torres Naharro (1485-1530), Spanish dramatist, is the earliest known writer of Spanish comedias and of the introductory monologue. In Naharro's volume of plays, Propaladia (published in 1517 in Naples), he uses what is called an introito as a prologue spoken by a comic shepherd. Furthermore, traces of the beginnings of the introitos are seen in medieval mystery plays of the 15th Century in Spain in the eclogues, short poems, (églogas) of Juan del Encina using a similar comic shepherd character within a Christmas play. Introitos and argumentos, another similar form of prologue used by Naharro, are both early forms of the loa that provide a summary or explanation of the comedia that follows it. Loas in Spain: Comedias Comedias of the Spanish Golden Age were secular plays and had secular loas, introductory prologues attached to them. It is important to note, in order to be considered a Spanish comedia, a Spanish play must only be in verse and in three acts (jornadas). Content can be comedic or tragic. Lope de Vega (1562-1635) Lope de Vega is said to have "perfected" the Spanish comedia, but also wrote autos. The drama of the Spanish Golden Age is often characterized by his work so that pre- Lope de Vega drama of the 16th century is said to have used the introito which was soon replaced by the loa. His loas tend to have little evident relation to the play that follows and are characterized by their playful, humorous, trivial and positive ending appeal to the audience for the rest of the performance. Lope de Vega's loas vary from 100 to 400 lines and he is thought to have written many, but nearly all have been lost. Agustín de