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2 SPANISH DRAMAS.
Term Paper ID:28624
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Essay Subject:
Compares the theme of honor in Lope de Vega's "Fuente Ovejuna" & in Tirso de Molina's "The Trickster of Seville." Common characteristics & differences.... More...
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5 Pages / 1125 Words
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Paper Abstract:
Compares the theme of honor in Lope de Vega's "Fuente Ovejuna" & in Tirso de Molina's "The Trickster of Seville." Common characteristics & differences.
Paper Introduction:
The theme of honor lies at the heart of Lope de Vega’s “Fuente Ovejuna” and Tirso de Molina’s “The Trickster of Seville.” In fact, the chief protagonists of the two plays, Commendador Fernan Gomez and Don Juan possess the common sin of dishonoring young women. While they are considered “honorable” in aristocratic circles because of their fighting prowess or their ranking, they both abuse the high esteem or the honor generally associated with their titles. However, the issue of honor does not only involve men in aristocratic circles. For a woman, honor is associated with guarding her virginity. Yet, the connotation of the word “honor” also refers to the integrity of character of every individual regardless of gender or position. The comparison of these two plays will illuminate the complete definition of the word “honor.”
Text of the Paper:
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In fact, the honor of the men and women becomes interconnected inthis play. In contrast, women in "The Trickster" arepassive victims whose only course of action is to complain to the King ofSpain. Essentially,his "battlefields" lie in the seduction of innocent women who aresupposedly beyond his reach. Work CitedBentley, Eric, ed. The theme of honor lies at the heart of Lope de Vega's "FuenteOvejuna" and Tirso de Molina's "The Trickster of Seville." In fact, thechief protagonists of the two plays, Commendador Fernan Gomez and Don Juanpossess the common sin of dishonoring young women. Although Gomez seeks to impose hisarbitrary desires on the village because of his rank, Esteban's responseillustrates the fact that there is a higher honor that goes beyond thetrappings of a title. However, the issue of honor doesnot only involve men in aristocratic circles. In the first act, DonJuan's uncle, Don Pedro, hatches a scheme to place the blame of the act ofdishonoring the Duchess Isabel on Don Octavio (1.142). In this play, honor is not only limited to the outward exhibition ofcourage and play. When he dishonors the women in the village, he feels that heis entitled to them because they are his possessions. Furthermore, inLaurencia's tirade against the men, she expands the conception of honor forwomen by transforming them not only into virtuous women, but Amazons who"alone [will] redeem our honor from these tyrants, /And makes thesetraitors bleed!" (3.116). Towards this "male" ghost, as with his dealings with men, heis able to act honorably. The comparison of these two plays willilluminate the complete definition of the word "honor." In "Fuente Ovejuna," Fernan Gomez has usurped the meaning of "honor"when he demands to be honored by his superior, the Master of the Order.Although most people consider honor to be something that is earned, FernanGomez reverses this idea by defining his own conception of the word: "It isbut my due/That you should honor me: I risked my life/On your behalf..."(1.69). The female lead characters such as Laurencia andPascuala in "Fuente Ovejuna" are women with tremendous initiative andstrength of character. New York: Applause, 1985. Knowing that theMarquis is in love with Dona Ana, Don Juan plots to dishonor her anddestroy the relationship between the Marquis and Dona Ana (2.172-3).Furthermore, he sets it up so that the Marquis will be held responsible forthe crime committed. A woman's conscientiousness in guarding her virginity and governingher sexual behavior features in both of the plays. As mentioned briefly in the introduction, Fernan Gomez and Don Juan,the chief villains of the two plays, share the characteristic of abusingtheir high rankings. Therefore, in these cases, Don Juan abuses the honor that isassociated with his rank to dishonor the women (3.194). Fernan Gomez's behavior towards the women is more thanjust a reflection of the women's lack of virtue. Unlike "Fuente Ovejuna," de Molina's "The Trickster of Sevile"demarcates the honor of a woman and that of a man clearly. From the above analysis, it is evident that the plays share a fewcommon characteristics and many different differences in their treatment ofthe theme of honor. Although Don Juan's dishonorable acts seem to affectwomen, they also adversely hurt the virtuous men who are held responsiblefor his actions. Therefore, in de Vega's play, women play a highly proactive role inacquiring honor for themselves. It also testifies to theweaknesses of the men in the village in accepting this state of affairs. However, with the poor women Thisbe and Aminta, Don Juan does nottry to pretend to be anybody else because his rank provides a perfect maskfor him. Infact, her virtue in guarding her honor is linked to the village. In spite of his words of honor to the ghost, Don Juan isman without a sense of honor and who has no conscience about dishonoringboth men and women. In reality, Don Juan's dealing with the ghost is his first"honorable" act. However, in this play, awoman's honor is more than just the virtue of the individual woman. Fernan Gomez earns his honor from his courage on thebattlefields. For a woman, honor isassociated with guarding her virginity. While Esteban's conception of "honor" in this act seems to be limitedto the sexuality of women, it actually refers to the idea of virtue andcharacter. Although he isfrustrated with her unwillingness to surrender to him, he is contemptuousof the women who have sex with him: "They don't know/The value of a decentreputation" (2.98). When the Duchess Isabel surrenders her virginity to Don Juanin the darkness, she thinks that he is Duke Octavio-the love of her life(1.139). For a woman, the way she behaves sexually is a strong indicationof her character. The inner courage required to endure the tortures of thejudge who is sent to punish the individual responsible for Fernan Gomez'sdeath is also an example of honor. Life is a Dream and Other Spanish Classics. In thisinstance, honor is manifested in the form of courage. When the ghost questions his sincerity, Don Juan responds byasserting: "I keep my word with men, being a knight" (3.2 5). On the other hand,Gomez has not proven his prowess anywhere. Don Diego, Don'sJuan's father, also shields Don Juan from appropriate punishment because ofhis intimate relationship with King Castile (2.167). Ironically, even though Don Juan is adept at fleeing from the scenesof his crimes and sins, he attempts to act honorably towards the ghost ofDon Gonzalo: "And I will give my word to do whatever/You should command me"(3.2 5). The masqueradeof all the female characters from Isabel to Aminta are dishonored whentheir virginity is taken away by Don Juan, either by deception or promisesof marriage. Thus, in Laurencia's depiction, the honor that isassociated with men's courage and fighting ability can also be assumed bywomen. However, their abuse of women and their rankings aredifferent. He has no consideration for the honor of the women in the town herules. Initially,this statement seems to indicate that Don Juan treats men and womendifferently. Towards the end of the play, the men become determined to rescuetheir village and reclaim their honor when Laurencia bursts into themeeting room and mocks at their lack of courage (3.115-6). Unlike thewooden male characters in "The Trickster" who are willing to submit theirfates to the dictates of the king, the men in "Fuente Ovejuna" grow intheir character and ultimately summon the courage to act in an honorablefashion to save the village. Not only are they fierce guarders of theirvirginity, they are willing to take on the masculine role of rebellingFernan Gomez, an abusive ruler. However, Laurencia who cares abouther honor has eluded his attempts to seduce her (1.89-9 ). Instead of being passive victims, Laurenciaand her fellow peasant women also become a part of the rebellion againstFernan Gomez (3.12 ). The only honor he possesses is his inherited trappings of rank that hehas achieved with the help of his father and uncle. In his mind, they belong to him. Therefore,when Fernan Gomez boasts of the fact that he sleeps with the married womenin the village, Esteban, the alderman asserts that these women havedishonored themselves. Unlike the peasant women's susceptibility to Don Juan's words ofadulation, Laurencia and Pascuala are reluctant to marry because they seethrough these deceptive words (1.73-4). Yet, the connotation of the word"honor" also refers to the integrity of character of every individualregardless of gender or position. Furthermore, Esteban pleads with Fernan Gomez not to"try to rob us of our honor" (2.95). Not only has he treated women badly, he even double-crosses the Marquis who considers Don Juan his friend. Instead, he manipulates and woosthe women with high-sounding words in order to deceive them. Overall, the theme of honor is muchmore developed in de Vega's play, compared to de Molina's. By his constant proclamation of his own greatness, Fernan Gomezshows that he is arrogant man who has no respect for others. While they areconsidered "honorable" in aristocratic circles because of their fightingprowess or their ranking, they both abuse the high esteem or the honorgenerally associated with their titles. The village of Fuente Ovejuna, fromyoung boys to women, shows that their inhabitants are truly honorablepeople who will sacrifice their lives for the protection of the honor oftheir village (3.134). Although he recognizes the importance of honor forwomen, he also seeks to destroy it.
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