Three Major Plays (14 page)

Read Three Major Plays Online

Authors: Lope de Vega,Gwynne Edwards

Tags: #Fiction, #Drama, #Classics, #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #Continental European

ESTEBAN [
off
]. We have the tyrant and his vile
Accomplices. Fuente Ovejuna! They
Must die!

Enter
VILLAGERS.

COMMANDER. Wait, all of you!

VILLAGERS. Injustice does
Not wait!

COMMANDER. You have to tell me what
205
Injustices they are. I'll put them right,
I swear.

VILLAGERS. Fuente Ovejuna! Long
Live King Fernando! Death to all
False Christians and foul traitors!
COMMANDER. Listen!
I am your lord and master.

VILLAGERS. The Catholic Kings
210
Are our lords and masters!

COMMANDER. Wait!

[
Exit the
COMMANDER

VILLAGERS. Fuente Ovejuna! Death to FernÁn GÓmez!

The men of the village leave. The women enter,
*
armed.

LAURENCIA. Halt! Women -- no, brave soldiers! This
Is where our hopes will be fulfilled.

PASCUALA. He'll see what women are when they
215
Want vengeance. We'll drink his blood!

JACINTA. Stick
His body on our lances!

PASCUALA. We're all agreed!

ESTEBAN [
off
]. See how the treacherous Commander dies!

COMMANDER [
off
]. Please God, have pity! Help me!

-61-

BARRILDO [
off
]. There's Flores!

MENGO [
off
]. Get him! He's the one who flogged me!

FRONDOSO [
off
]. I'm not
220
Avenged until I've ripped his soul out!

LAURENCIA. We should go in.

PASCUALA. Don't get so worked up!
Just watch the door.

BARRILDO [
off
]. I'll not be moved
By your tears, you puffed-up marquesses!

LAURENCIA. Pascuala, I'm going in. What use
225
Is any sword still in its scabbard?

[
Exit
LAURENCIA

BARRILDO [
off
]. Why, here's Ortuño.

FRONDOSO [off]. Slash his face!
*

FLORES
enters running, pursued by
MENGO.

FLORES. Mengo, spare me! I'm not to blame.

MENGO. It wasn't enough to be a pimp,
You went and whipped my arse as well!
230

PASCUALA. Hey, give him to us women, Mengo!
Leave him to us! We'll see to him!

MENGO. He's yours. I know you'll do your best!

PASCUALA. Tit for tat for your flogging.

MENGO. See
To it!

JACINTA. Come on, the traitor dies!
235

FLORES. At the hands of women?

JACINTA. You think
It's not appropriate?

-62-

PASCUALA. Is that
Why you are crying?

JACINTA. You organized
His pleasures. Now you die.

PASCUALA. Let's kill
The traitor.

FLORES. Please! Have pity!
240

Enter
ORTUÑO,
pursued by
LAURENCIA.

ORTUÑO. I swear it wasn't me . . .

LAURENCIA. I know
It was! Come! Stain your weapons with
The blood of these vile men!

PASCUALA. I'll kill
Until I have no strength for more!

ALL. Fuente Ovejuna! Long live Fernando,
245
Our King!
*

Exit all. Enter
KING FERNANDO and QUEEN ISABEL,
and DON MANRIQUE,
Master of Santiago.

MANRIQUE. Our plan worked well and our hopes
Were quickly realized. Our troops
Faced little opposition, and if

They had, I doubt it would have caused
250
Us problems. Cabra holds the town
And will remain there just in case
Our enemies should try to take
It once again.

KING. A wise decision.

It's best he stays and that his troops
255
Be reinforced so their control
Is even more assured. If we
Do this, Alonso cannot do
Us harm, however many men
He seeks in Portugal. Cabra is well
260

-63-

Advised to stay and demonstrate
His bravery. By doing so
He guarantees our safety here,
And like a loyal sentinel

Protects the needs of our kingdom.
265

Enter
FLORES,
*
wounded.

FLORES. Oh, noble King Fernando, whom
The heavens have chosen to become
The ruler of Castile:
*
I beg
You let me speak and tell you of

The foulest deed the world has seen
270
From where the sun begins and ends
Its daily course.

KING. Control yourself.

FLORES. Oh, sovereign King, my injuries
Are such, my time so short, I must

Inform you of these terrible
275
Events
*
without delay. I come
From Fuente Ovejuna. The people there
Have mercilessly killed their lord
And master: Fern?án Gómez murdered by
His faithless subjects, vassals who,
280
Believing they'd been wronged, rose up
Without good cause. These people called
Him tyrant, and on the strength of that
Committed this foul deed. They broke into
His house, and though he offered, as
285
An honourable man, to see
To their complaints, not only did
They fail to heed his words but rained
Upon the Cross upon his breast
A thousand cruel blows. And then
290
They threw him from the window to
The ground where all the women caught
Him on their pikes and swords.
They dragged his body to a house
And there, in competition with
295

-64-

Each other, tore his beard and hair,
And cut his face to shreds. Such was
The fury of the mob, that of
His mutilated flesh his ears

Remained the largest pieces. They smashed
300
His coat of arms with pikes and shouted that
Your coat of arms should take their place,
For his offended them. They then
Ransacked his house, as if he was
Some enemy they'd overcome,
305
And, having triumphed, shared the spoils
Among themselves. I saw all this
From where I chose to hide, for my
Unhappy fate declared that I,
Despite this tragedy, should live.
310
I did not move the whole day long,
But when night came I managed to escape
Unseen and bring you this account
Of what occurred. You are renowned
For being just, your Majesty,
315
And so I ask of you that for
Their evil deeds these criminals
Be made to pay.

KING. I promise you
They shall be punished. What you describe

Is so incredible, I shall
320
At once dispatch a magistrate
With orders to investigate
*
The case and punish those who are
To blame, so everyone may see
Crime does not pay. He'll have a captain for
325
Protection, for wrongs as great as these
Demand a punishment that is
Exemplary. See to this soldier's wounds . . .

Exit all. Enter the
PEASANTS,
men and women, with
FERNÁN GóMEZ's
head fixed on a lance.
*

MUSICIANS.
Long life to King Fernando,
*

-65-

Long life to Isabel;
330
A cruel death to tyrants,
And let them rot in Hell.

BARRILDO. Let's hear your song, Frondoso.

FRONDOSO. It goes
Like this. If someone thinks he can

Improve on it, then he can try.
335
Long life to lovely Isabel
And our King Fernando,
They suit each other very well,
Their love is strong, their love is true;
One day Saint Michael
*
at the gates,
340
Will welcome them and let them in;
Till then long life to both of them,
And punish tyrants for their sins!

LAURENCIA. Barrildo, your turn.

BARRILDO. Alright,

Here goes. I've put some effort into this.
345

PASCUALA. Just sing it clearly. It'll be fine.

BARRILDO.
Long life to both the Catholic Kings,
For theirs is the victory;
We welcome them as our Lords

To rule our lands successfully.
350
Whatever battles lie ahead,
We know they'll be triumphant,
Their enemies both great and small,
And down with cruel tyrants!
MUSICIANS.
Long life to King Fernando,
355
Long life to Isabel;
A cruel death to tyrants,
And let them rot in Hell.

LAURENCIA. Now Mengo!

FRONDOSO. Yes, come on! Let's hear you!

MENGO. You know I've a gift for poetry.
360

-66-

PASCUALA. Let's hear about the other gift, On the backside of your belly!

MENGO.
One Sunday morning recently,
He ordered me a whipping;

I promise you it really hurt,
365
My backside's still complaining.
But then we put them on our spit
And gave them all a roasting.
*
Long life to both our Catholic Kings,
An end to the tyrants' boasting.
370

MUSICIANS.
Long life to King Fernando, Long life to Isabel;
A cruel death to tyrants,
And let them rot in Hell.

ESTEBAN. Take the head down now.

MENGO. He looks as if
375
He's just been hanged.

Enter
JUAN ROJO
with the royal coat of arms.

ALDERMAN. He's brought the coat Of arms.

ESTEBAN. Let's see.

JUAN ROJO. Where shall I put it?

ALDERMAN. Why, there, outside the Council Chamber.
*

ESTEBAN. It looks magnificent!

BARRILDO. A joy To behold!

FRONDOSO. As bright as any sun,
*
380
It marks the dawn of our new day!

ESTEBAN. Long live León and old Castile,
The bars of Aragón, and death
To tyranny! But listen now,

People of Fuente Ovejuna.
385

-67-

I may be old but my advice
Can do no harm. The King and Queen
Will want to know what's happened here,
Not least because our town is on

The route they take. You'd best
390
Agree on what you are to say to them.

FRONDOSO. So what is your advice?

ESTEBAN. On pain Of death you all say 'Fuente Ovejuna', And stick to it.

FRONDOSO. I think you're right. Fuente Ovejuna did it!
*

ESTEBAN. Are you all
395
Agreed? ALL. Agreed!

ESTEBAN. Imagine, then, that I'm The judge. We'd best rehearse what we Must do. Mengo's to be tortured
*
first.

MENGO. There must be someone less strong-willed Than me!

ESTEBAN. We're only pretending, Mengo!
400

MENGO. All right, get on with it!

ESTEBAN. Who killed The Commander?

MENGO. Fuente Ovejuna!

ESTEBAN. You dog, you shall be tortured!

MENGO. Ahhhhh! You can kill me! I'll not confess!

ESTEBAN. Confess, you wretch!

MENGO. All right, all right!
405

ESTEBAN. Who killed him, then?

-68-

MENGO. Fuente Ovejuna!

ESTEBAN. Turn The screw!
*

MENGO. I shan't confess!

ESTEBAN. To hell With the trial!

Enter the
ALDERMAN.
*

ALDERMAN. What are you doing here?

FRONDOSO. What's happened, Cuadrado?

ALDERMAN. A judge Has just arrived.

ESTEBAN. Let's go! The other way!
410

ALDERMAN. He's brought a captain with him.

ESTEBAN. Who cares If he's brought the devil himself! All of you know what you have to say.

ALDERMAN. They're arresting everyone.

ESTEBAN. No need

To be afraid. Mengo, who killed
415
The Commander?

MENGO. Fuente Ovejuna!

All exit. Enter the
MASTER OF CALATRAVA
and a
SOLDIER.

MASTER. You mean this really happened? I can't
Believe it. The poor man! For news
Like this you could be put to death!
*

SOLDIER. My lord, I'm just the messenger.
420
I didn't mean to make you angry.

MASTER. How can a mere village, though Incensed, commit this dreadful crime? I'll take five hundred men and raze

-69-

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