Starting from the 1580, Lope de Vega, who created about 1500 plays, set the standards for playwrights; almost 500 of his plays are still in use till date. Vega wrote his plays to please the audience and to satisfy public demand; his plays are described as witty, charming, action-packed, and realistic. This explains why the theater was so popular in England, Spain, and the Spanish Empire between 1580 and 1640.