Meaning of Fuenteovejuna by Lope de Vega
What is it Sourceovejuna from Lope de Vega:
Sourceovejuna is a work of the Spanish playwright Félix Lope de Vega (1562-1635), published in 1619; she is considerate one of the most relevant theatrical dramas of the Spanish Golden Age.
The play is divided into three acts and its main themes are honor, collective power and abuse of power.
Sourceovejuna It is inspired by the events that occurred in the municipality of Fuente Obejuna in the province of Córdoba, Andalusia, in the 15th century.
Characters and analysis of Sourceovejuna
The argument of Sourceovejuna focuses on two fundamental aspects:
- The triangle between the Commander, Laurencia and Frondoso being the commander the tyrant who abuses her power by persecuting Laurencia, Frondoso is Laurencia's boyfriend, who defends her from his imminent rape by the commander, and Laurencia, who defends her honor and organizes the women's battalion to demand Justice.
- The political situation in Spain, which is divided after the death of King Henry IV, causing a civil war between those who wish the succession to the throne of the daughter of King Doña Juana and those who support Isabel de Castilla, sister of the King.
The main characters of the play are:
- Fernán Gómez de Guzmán: He is the commander of the order of Calatrava who is characterized by abusing his power. He is the tyrant of the play. He ends up being killed by the people.
- Ortuño: servant of the commander. Among his functions is to do everything possible to take the women of Fuenteovejuna, whom the commander is after, to the house of the encomienda.
- flowers: servant of the commander whose function he shares with Ortuño. He survives the rebellion where the commander is murdered and he is the one who tells what happened to the kings.
- The Master of Calatrava: Rodrigo Téllez Girón, nobleman who fights against the Catholic kings in favor of the succession to the throne of Doña Juana, together with the commander.
- Passover: farmer from Fuenteovejuna, friend of Laurencia.
- Laurencia: daughter of the mayor of Fuenteovejuna who was harassed by the commander. His vision of his love is platonic, that is, that love is the desire for beauty and focuses on the virtue of the beloved.
- Mengo: farmer in Fuenteovejuna and defender of women. He defines love in Aristotelian terms explaining that there is no love, since it is composed of elements in perpetual discord and that selfish love is the only one that exists.
- Barrel: labrador in Fuenteovejuna. It defines love in Pythagorean terms, alluding that love is the fundamental cause of harmony in the universe.
- Leafy: farmer in Fuenteovejuna, Laurencia's boyfriend.
- Juan Rojo: Labrador from Fuenteovejuna who suggests that the protection of the Catholic kings be welcomed in the town meeting as a solution to the incident of the kidnapping of Frondoso by the commander on the day of the wedding between Frondoso and Laurencia.
- Esteban: Mayor of the town Fuenteovejuna and father of Laurencia. Honest and honorable man.
- King Don Fernando: Catholic king, who reigns in Castile together with Isabel, after winning the battle where the Royal City was retaken.
- Queen Isabel: Isabel de Castilla and sister of King Enrique IV. After the death of the king, he contested the throne with the daughter of Enrique IV, donã Juana.
- Judge: is the investigator that the Catholic kings send to Fuenteovejuna to find out the truth about the murder of the commander. To try to get information, he tortures a child, an old man and a woman in Fuenteovejuna.
Summary of Sourceovejuna
After the death of King Enrique IV of Castile, in Spain the civil war and the dispute for the Royal City broke out, as a strategic point, between the supporters who support the succession of his sister Isabel and those who support his daughter Juana.
Commander Fernán Gómez, supported by the master of Calatrava, is characterized by his excesses and his abuse of the women of Fuenteovejuna. The insistence of her towards Laurencia, the daughter of the mayor Esteban, who rejects him is especially highlighted repeatedly claiming that she owes him obedience as her commander, which does not mean sacrificing his she honors.
Meanwhile, the commander and the master conquer the Royal City and invite Laurencia and her friend Pascuala to the Casa de la encomienda during the celebration, but the women resist.
Laurencia agrees to marry the labrador Frondoso after he asks Mayor Esteban for his hand. In the middle of the wedding, the commander arrests Frondoso and kidnaps Laurencia. In the midst of this situation, the Catholic kings, Isabel and Fernando, win the Ciudad Real.
Faced with the injustice committed by the commander, the people meet in the council room to reach a resolution. Laurencia enters with clear signs of struggle and encourages the men to act. The rebellion ignites and the women's battalion is organized.
The people force the entrance to the house of the encomienda, avoiding the hanging of Frondoso. They kill the commander, despite his pleas, and punish the servants who supported him.
The Catholic kings find out what happened to Flores, a subject of the commander who manages to flee, and they decide to send an investigating judge to investigate the situation.
The investigating judge tortures an old man, a child and a woman to try to get the truth out, but the people uphold the decision discussed above among all to respond communally that it was Fuenteovejuna.
The investigating judge informs the kings that he has not been able to find the true culprits, therefore, there are only two solutions: forgive or kill all the people.
The villains go to the palace to explain to the kings about the reasons for the murder, reaffirming, on the other hand, their obedience to the king.
The kings declare in the face of this situation, as a final sentence, that it is fair to forgive the town for lack of evidence on the true culprits, despite the terrible crime. They incorporate Fuenteovejuna to the Crown until another commander inherits it. The play ends with a party and praise to the king.
