Cruz, Ramón de la

Cruz, Ramón de la

(rämōn` dā lä kro͞oth), 1731–94, Spanish dramatist. He wrote tragedies and adapted French and Italian plays, but he owes his fame to his sainetes, some 450 masterly one-act comedies that depict the life of the middle and lower classes. His work freed the awakening Spanish drama from foreign influence.