Don Álvaro or the force of fate

Don Álvaro or the force of fate It is a play written by the Duke of Rivas and premiered at the Teatro del Príncipe in Madrid, in 1835. This work helps to consolidate Romanticism in Spain and is set at the beginning of the 18th century, after the War of the Spanish Succession, in Seville, where he is the protagonist of the story: Don Alvaro.

In this lesson from a PROFESSOR we present you the summary of Don Álvaro or the force of fate, one of the most important writings in Spanish literature.

Don Álvaro or the force of fate is a play that tells us about a doomed love story and that it will end in fatality.

Don Álvaro is a very young Indian nobleman that he is in love with Leonor, the daughter of the Marquis of Calatrava. Nobody knows where Don Álvaro comes from and that is what makes the marquis not want to shake hands with his daughter and strongly opposes the marriage. However, this small inconvenience does not stop the couple, who decides run away together when it gets dark

The night the lovers run away, the girl's father discovers her intentions and tries to stop them. When Don Álvaro throws his pistol to the ground, in a gesture of submission, it accidentally goes off and

mortally wounds the marquis. In this tragic moment of confusion, the two lovers separate, both believing that the other has died at the hands of the servants.

In this other lesson we will discover the genres of romanticism.

Leonor takes refuge in a hermitage, in order to atone for his sins and live a life of contemplation, away from the love and romantic life. For his part, Don Álvaro enlists in the army, under a false name and travels to Italy, without fear of death.

Don Álvaro's recklessness turns the young man into a war hero. This is what allows him to befriend Don Carlos, Leonor's brother; although neither of them knows the true identity of the other. When by chance coincidences lead Carlos to discover who Álvaro is, the former challenges him to a duel. Don Álvaro tries to reject the offer, but the lady's brother refuses and dies in the duel.

Trying to flee from guilt, Don Álvaro returns to Spain and takes refuge in a small monastery, very close to the hermitage where his beloved Leonor was. The third son of the marquis finds him and challenges him again, this time to avenge the death of his father and his brother Carlos his. Don Álvaro refuses again, but it is of no use to him, so he also she mortally wounds the other brother of his dear Eleanor.

Hearing the screams, Leonor leaves the hermitage where she lives and sees her brother dying on the ground. Without thinking twice, she throws herself over the wounded body to try to calm her grief, crying desperately. That is the moment in which his brother, about to see death, he stabs his own sister Leonor with a dagger for revenge.

eleanor dies at that very moment at the feet of Don Álvaro, who loves her with all his heart. Since the young man cannot bear so much pain, he becomes hysterical and he jumps off a cliff taking his own life too.

The dramatic play of Don Álvaro or the force of fate she is structured in 5 days, a very common thing in neoclassical literature. This work has all the characteristics of the romantic theater, since it deals with the themes, the history and the style that the authors of the time used to use. However, when it comes to neoclassical writing standards, the truth is that the writer Duque de Rivas took many liberties.

The first freedom that we find is that the story is not only located in a place, but that it takes place in two locations Main: Spain and Italy. In addition, the period covered by the story is 5 years, a much longer time than what was customary to report at the time.

Finally, we can see how there is a main action taking place, but also several interspersed customary and everyday stories that bring depth and veracity to the drama.

This is the summary of Don Álvaro or the force of fate and we hope that it has helped you to understand a little better this famous writing in Spanish literature. If you want to continue learning more literary works, do not hesitate to consult our reading section.