FUENTE OVEJUNA

by
Lope de Vega 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1
 
 
 
DRAMATIS PERSONAE

QUEEN ISABEL OF CASTILE

KING FERNANDO OF ARAGÓN, ​her husband
RODRIGO TÉLLEZ GIRÓN, ​Master of the order of Calatrava
FERNÁN GÓMEZ DE GUZMÁN, ​Comendador of the Order of Calatrava
ORTUÑO his aides
FLORES
DON MANRIQUE, ​Master of the Order of Santiago
A JUDGE
TWO ALDERMEN OF CIUDAD REAL
ESTEBAN ​Mayors of Fuente Ovejuna
ALONSO
LAURENCIA
JACINTA ​peasant women
PASCUALA
JUAN ROJO
FRONDOSO
BARRILDO ​peasants
MENGO
LEONELO​, a student of law
CIMBRANOS, ​a soldier
A BOY
A PAGE
MUSICIANS
ATTENDANTS
PEASANTS AND PEASANT WOMEN
SOLDIERS

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The action takes place in and around FUENTE OVEJUNA, and in ALMAGRO, MEDINA
DEL CAMPO, CIUDAD REAL, TORO, AND TORDESILLAS, in 1476

FUENTE OVEJUNA

ACT ONE

SCENE I.

A room in the house of the Master of the Order of Calatrava in

ALMAGRO

​ ​O
Enter the Comendador and his aides, FLORES and ORTUÑ

COMENDADOR: Does the Master of Calatrava know that I am here?

FLORES: He is informed, sir.

ORTUÑO: He grows a little more serious as his years increase. Time may make

him a gentleman.

COMENDADOR: Indeed? And is he also informed that I am Fernan Gόmez de

Guzman?

FLORES: He is only a boy, sir.

COMENDADOR: Or if my name is nothing to him, is my title also nothing-

Comendador of the Order of Calatrava?

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ORTUÑO: The fault will lie with flattering counselors who have told him that

he has no need of common courtesy, now that he is Master of the Order of

Calatrava.

COMENDADOR: He will earn little love if he continues so. Courtesy is the key

to men’s goodwill, discourtesy the surest way to enmity

ORTUÑO: Indeed, if an arrogant man could see how he is hated, even by those

who flatter him, he would rather die than continue in his insolence.

FLORES: Arrogance is the worst form of insult, and makes for bitter feeling.

Discourtesy is folly between equals, and sheer tyranny from a superior. But do

not take it ill, my lord. He is but a boy and has not yet earned how much he

needs love of those whom he commands.

COMENDADOR: The sword of knighthood which he received when the cross

of Calatrava first adorned his breast should have sufficed to teach him courtesy.

FLORES: You will soon discover if any has been speaking ill of you.

ORTUÑO: If you have any cause to doubt him, wait no longer, my lord.

COMENDADOR: I wish to see what sort of youth he is.

Enter the Master of Calatrava, accompanied.

MASTER: Pardon me, I beg you, by my life, Fernan Gόmez de Guzman. Only

now have I been told of your presence in the town.

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COMENDADOR: I had good cause to blame you, since faith in your love and

knowledge of your virtuous upbringing had led me to expect a fairer welcome

our ranks being as they are: you the Master of Calatrava, I your Comendador-

and your servant.

MASTER: I was ignorant, Fernan, of your most welcome arrival, but now I bid

you welcome with great joy.

COMENDADOR: You do well to honor me, for on your behalf I have risked

much, disputed much, before his Holiness the Pope was finally persuaded to

overlook your age.

MASTER: It is true. And by the holy signs we two bear upon our breasts, I

swear I will repay you with respect and honor you as a father.

COMENDADOR: I am content

MASTER: What news of the war?

COMENDADOR: Attend closely, my lord, and you will learn soon enough

where your duty lies.

MASTER: Proceed, and I will hear you.

COMENDADOR: Eight years ago, my lord, your noble father raised you to

great estate, resigning into your young hands the Masterhood of our ancient

Order of Calatrava. As a surety it was decreed by papal bull that your uncle,

Don Juan Pacheco, Grand Master of Santiago, should act as your adviser, which

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decree was sworn to by kings and knights commander. Now that Don Juan

Pacheco is dead, the responsibility is yours alone, and I have come to urge you

to win fame and honor in this present quarrel between Portugal and the united

strength of Aragon and Castile. You know well, Rodrigo, that since death of

Enrique IV your kindred have chosen to obey as vassals King Alfonso of

Portugal, who, since his marriage to Juana, Enrique IV’s daughter, lays rightful

claim to her inheritance- the kingdom of Castile. King Fernando, Aragon’s great

King, makes a similar claim through his wife, Queen Isabel of Castile. But in

the eyes of your noble kindred, his claim is not so clear as that of Alfonso, King

of Portugal. Ties of blood, my lord, demand that you should aid Alfonso in this

strife. And so I have come to counsel you to gather together the knights of

Calatrava in Almagro, and to take by storm Ciudad Real, which stand astride the

frontier of Andalusia and Castile and commands them both. Little force will be

needed, for there will only be a few knights and men from the surrounding

villages to uphold the cause of Queen Isabel and King Fernando in Ciudad Real.

Although you are only a child, Rodrigo, you would do well to surprise those

who say that the cross you bear is too grave a weight for your weak shoulders.

Draw that white blade, which you shall dye in battle as deep a crimson as the

cross you wear. Rightful Master of the Cross of Calatrava, both must be the

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color of blood! And then, Rodrigo Téllez Girόn, your youth and valor will truly

crown the fame of your immortal ancestors.

MASTER: Fernan Gόmez know at once that in this I will uphold the cause of

my family and Portugal, for I see that so to do is right. And if my first step

should be to take Ciudad Real, then you shall see me strike its city walls like a

bolt from heaven. Let not my people think, or those unknown to me, that

because my uncle is dead, my young spirit died with him. I will draw my white

sword and its brightness shall be bathed in blood till it is the color of this cross.

Where is your lodging? Have you soldiers with you?

COMENDADOR: Few, but those my faithful servants. If you will accept their

services, my lord, they will fight like lions. In Fuente Ovejuna there are only

humble folk, not trained, though, for war, but skilled in labor in the fields.

MASTER: And that is where you live?

COMENDADOR: It is. I chose, from all my lands, a house to suit me in these

changing times. Call to your aid every man you have, my lord, let not a vassal

remain.

MASTER: This day you shall see me ride, Fernan, with my lance couched ready

for action in the field.

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SCENE II.
The square in Fuente Ovejuna
Enter PASCUALA and LAURENCIA.

LAURENCIA: I pray to God the Comendador Fernan Gomez de Guzman

never comes back!
PASCUALA: And yet I thought you looked just a little disappointed when
I told you the news that he was gone.
LAURENCIA: I hope Fuente Ovejuna never sets eyes on him again.
PASCUALA: I have seen many girls just as proud, just as determined, as
you, some even more so. But when it came to it - their hearts were as soft
as butter.
LAURENCIA: I will no more budge than that oak tree.
PASCUALA: How can you be so sure? Nobody can safely say “I will
never do a certain thing.”
LAURENCIA: Well, I do say it. And I mean it, Pascuala. Though you and
the whole world contradict me! Say I were to fall in love with
Comendador Fernan Gomez de Guzman, what good would it do me?
Would he marry me?
PASCUALA: No.
LAURENCIA: Then there is your answer. I will have nothing to do with
him. How many girls have I seen in this village put their trust in the
Commendador, only to find out how wrong and stupid they were!
PASCUALA: I think it will be a miracle if you escape.

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LAURENCIA: He has been following me for a month already, and not a
glimmer of hope have I given him. And neither shall I. That Flores, his
pimp, and that other scoundrel, Ortuño, showed me a jacket, a sash, and a
bonnet, and they brought me such messages from their master, Fernan, that
I must say that at the time they scared me. But whatever those court
caterpillars say will not change my mind.
PASCUALA: Where did they talk to you?
LAURENCIA: Down by the stream, almost a week ago.
PASCUALA: I am afraid they will deceive you in the end Laurencia.
LAURENCIA: What me?
PASCUALA: Yes, you, Laurencia.
LAURENCIA: The Comendador may think I am just a spring chicken, but
he will find me tough meat for his table. I do not want his so-called “love,”
Pascuala. I had rather have a sizzling bacon for breakfast, with a slice of
my own baked bread, and a glass of wine from mother’s jar. Or arrange a
tasty marriage between an onion and a slice of ham when I come home
hungry. And when at last the supper is ready, it is a tasty fry of pork and
peppers and spice all sizzling in olive oil. Then I go to bed content and say
my prayers, and fall asleep when I reach “lead us not into temptation.” For
all their wiles and tricks, their so-called love serves no other purpose than
to get us to bed with pleasure, to wake in the morning with disgust.
PASCUALA: You are right, Laurencia. That is as long as their love lasts.
They are no more grateful than the sparrows that flutter around your door
in winter when all the fields are frozen, men are just the same. When they
need us, we are their life, their being their soul, their everything. But when

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their lust is spent, they behave worse than the sparrows and we are no
longer “Sweety-hearts” or even “idiots,” but bitches and whores!

LAURENCIA: You cannot trust one of them.

PASCUALA: Not one, Laurencia.
Enter MENGO, BARRILDO, and FRONDOSO.
FRONDOSO: Barrildo! Why persist? You will not persuade him.
BARRILDO: Ah, but here I see a judge who will settle the matter fairly.
MENGO: Agreed. But before she makes her judgement you must both
promise to honor the bet that you made, should she decide the matter in
my favour.
BARRILDO: Right. We agree. But if you lose, what will you give?
MENGO: I will give my fiddle. It is worth a lot of money, and I value it
even higher than its worth.
BARRILDO: Very well, I am satisfied.
FRONDOSO: Come then, let us approach them. God keep you, lovely
ladies.
LAURENCIA: Did you call us ladies, Frondoso?
FRONDOSO: I was merely following the fashion. Nowadays the Bachelor
of Arts is called professor, the blind man is said to be myopic, or, if you
squint, you have a slight cast in one eye. A man with a wooden leg is a
trifle lame, and a careless spendthrift a good guy. An ignorant ass is said to
be the silent type, a braggart is known as soldierly. A large mouth is called
generous, and a beady eye, shrewd. And the gossip, a wit. A chatterbox is
called intelligent, and a loud-mouthed bully, brave. The coward is a quiet

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sort, the pusher, eccentric. A bore is companionable, and a madman easy
going. A bald head is a noble brow, foolishness passes for wit, and large
feet are firm foundations. An arrogant man is reserved, and a hunchback is
the learned type. I might go on forever, but I think I have said enough for
you to see that I go no further than the fashion, when I address you as
ladies.

LAURENCIA: That may be the courtesy used in the city, Frondoso, but I
am more familiar with the sound of a less flattering vocabulary.
FRONDOSO: How does that go? Give us a sample of it.
LAURENCIA: It is quite the opposite of yours. For here a grave man is a
bore, one who tells the truth is rude, a serious man, melancholy. And
anyone who dares to give advice is a busybody, and if you are generous,
you are interfering nuisance. If you are just, you are called cruel, if
merciful, then you are weak. One who is constant is called boorish, the
polite man is flatterer, one who gives alms, a hypocrite, and a true
Christian is only doing it in order to get on. Hard-won happiness is called
luck, a virtuous woman is a fool, and a beautiful one is a whore however
chaste she may be. And an honorable woman... But that is enough. I have
answered you.
MENGO: You are the very devil.
LAURENCIA: There, what did I tell you?
MENGO: I’ll bet when you are christened, the priest used something
stronger than water.
LAURENCIA: I thought I heard you arguing. What was the dispute?

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FRONDOSO: Oh, yes, Laurencia, hear it, please.
LAURENCIA: Tell me then.
FRONDOSO: I trust your understanding completely.
LAURENCIA: I hope I can repay your trust. What was the argument?

FRONDOSO: Barrildo and I were against Mengo.

LAURENCIA: And what does Mengo say?

BARRILDO: He denies a known fact, which is certain and undeniable.

MENGO: I deny it because I know I am right.
LAURENCIA: But what does he deny?
BARRILDO: That there is such a thing as love.
LAURENCIA: I should have said that we could not do without it.
BARRILDO: We could not do without it. Exactly. The world could not go
on.
MENGO: I do not know how to philosophize. As for reading, I only wish I
could. But if, as I hear, the elements live eternally by discord, and if our
bodies receive from them all the sustenance by which they live: choler,
melancholy, phlegm and blood, then there you are. That proves it.
BARRILDO: The world both here and yonder is all harmony, Mengo, not
discord. And harmony is pure love, for love is concord.

MENGO: I do not deny that there is such a thing as self-love. I know the
value of that. It governs and balances all things we see, besides seeking to
preserve them. I have never denied that... It defends things as they are -the

12
status quo. My hand will defend my face from the blow that comes toward
it, or my feet will protect my body by running away from any danger that
threatens it. My eyelids will close at once to guard my eyes. But that is
only natural love-self-love.
PASCUALA: Then what is the argument?
MENGO: That no one has any love other than for his own person.
PASCUALA: Forgive me, Mengo, but you lie. Can you deny the power
which makes a man love a woman, or an animal its mate?
MENGO: That is still only self-love, I say. What is this love you talk
about?
LAURENCIA: It is a desire for what is beautiful.
MENGO: And what does it desire the beautiful for?
LAURENCIA: To enjoy it.
MENGO: There you are. Just as I thought: is not the enjoyment simply
selfish?
LAURENCIA: It is.
MENGO: Then does not love seek the thing which will give it pleasure out
of sheer self-interest?
LAURENCIA: That is true.
MENGO: That proves my argument. There is no love other than that
which says: “I want a thing, and I want it for myself alone, to give me
pleasure.”
BARRILDO: I remember the priest once saying in a sermon something
about a man called Plato. He was supposed to know all about love, and he
only loved the soul and the virtue in things.

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PASCUALA: Now you are talking right above our heads. That is what the
learned professors in schools and academies spend their hours boiling
down and sorting out.
LAURENCIA: Pascuala is right. There is nothing for us in this debate but
frayed nerves so stop arguing and give thanks to Heaven, Mengo, that is
has made you free from love.
MENGO: Do you love, Laurencia?
LAURENCIA: Yes – my honor.
FRONDOSO: May your hard heart be punished with the pangs of
jealousy.
BARRILDO: Who is the winner of our argument?
PASCUALA: You must take your problem elsewhere. Let the sacristan or
the priest resolve it for you. Laurencia says she is not in love, and I have
too little experience to tell either way. So how can we give a judgement?
FRONDOSO: Well. That has put us in our place.
Enter FLORES
FLORES: God be with you.

FRONDOSO: Here comes one of the Comendador’s aides.

LAURENCIA: His bird of prey. Where do you come from, my friend?
FLORES: From battle. Can you not tell?
LAURENCIA: Has Comendador Fernan Gomez de Guzman returned as
well?
FLORES: The battle is over, though not without costing us both lives and
blood.

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FRONDOSO: What happened up there?
FLORES: Who can tell you better than I, whose eyes were witness to it
all? To storm the city of Ciudad Real, our gallant Master of Calatrava,
young Rodrigo, called to arms two thousand proud men from among his
vassals, besides three hundred mounted knights, both secular and clerical –
for the red cross of Calatrava obliges all who bear it to respond to the call
to arms, even though they be of holy orders – but only to war against the
impious Moors, you understand. The gallant youth rode out, a figure of
dazzling elegance and pride. Your own Comendador Fernan Gomez de
Guzman, rode beside him, his mount a stallion the colour of rich honey,
shading to black, with a splash of brilliant white upon its nose. The city
rose to arms as they approached the walls and their spokesman declared
boldly that they would never desert the royal crown of King Fernando and
Queen Isabel, and that they were ready to defend their city and their royal
masters. Battle was joined, but at length, after mighty resistance, the
Master forced his way in – as victor. He ordered all rebels and any who
had dared to insult his honor to be beheaded, while those of vulgar blood
were to be publicly whipped with gags in their mouths. Now he is so
feared and so admired in Ciudad Real that all who witnessed the youth
perform such deeds in fighting, winning and chastising believe that when
he grows to maturity he will be the scourge of the African race, and
extinguish every blue crescent moon that shines before his scarlet cross.
What is more, he showed such liberality to the Comendador, and to all
who aided him in this enterprise, that the sack of the city looked like the
sack of his own fortune, such generous gifts did he give. But I hear music!

15
They are coming! Receive them joyfully, for no victor’s laurel is so
welcome to the returning hero as the good will of those he left home.

Enter the COMENDADOR, ORTU​ÑO​, MUSICIANS, JUAN ROJO,

ESTEBAN, and ALONSO.

MUSICIANS [singing].
Welcome the Comendador,
Returned from conquering lands and killing men.
Welcome the Comendador!
In him great Alexander lives again.
In Ciudad Real, he conquered and showed his might,
But now he returns in peace, a gentle, courteous knight.
He comes to Fuente Ovejuna, his banners flying.
Long live our brave Comendador,
May his fame be undying.

COMENDADOR: Fuente Ovejuna, I give you thanks for the loving

welcome you have given me.
ALONSO: Sir, we can only show the little tribute of what we feel, for
however great our love and loyalty, yet you merit more.
ESTEBAN: Fuente Ovejuna and its municipal Mayors, whom you honor
today, sir, with your presence, beg you to accept this small token of
loyalty. We offer it to you not without some shame, Sir, for these carts are

16
loaded more with our good will than with rich gifts. We bring no arms and
horses, or trappings adorned with gold-unless you consider the love of
your vassals golden – but there is one further thing, which in truth seems
to me worthy of mention: twelve skins of wine, such that if it should
reinforce your men, they would hold a wall for you even in January
weather and feel safer than with arms of steel, and think it better than
armor. For wine, they say, makes swords flash brighter and more valiantly.
I will not trouble you to tell of the cheeses and other trifles, but let these
gifts speak to you in their own voices of the good will which your vassals
have for you, and may they bring good cheer to you and to your
household.
COMENDADOR: I am most grateful to the people and Mayors of Fuente
Ovejuna. May you go in peace.
ALONSO: And may you, sir, have good rest, knowing that you are most
welcome back to us, and I wish our simple offerings were rubies and
Orient pearls, for so would they be if it lay within our power to grant you
the impossible.
COMENDADOR: I do believe you, good people. May God go with you.
ESTEBAN: Now singers! Give us the chorus once again!
MUSICIANS [Singing].
Welcome the Comendador,
Returned from conquering lands and killing men.
[The PEASANTS and MUSICIANS go]
COMENDADOR: You there! Stay!
LAURENCIA: Is he speaking to you, Pascuala?

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PASCUALA: To me? Not likely. You know whom he means as well as I
do.
LAURENCIA: Do you addressed me, my lord?
COMENDADOR: You, proud virgin, and the other girl: are you not my
vassals?
PASCUALA: Yes, sir. Yours to command.
LAURENCIA: Within reasons.
COMENDADOR: Come, do not be afraid to pass my gates. You will not
be alone, my men are there.
LAURENCIA: If the Mayors go in – and one of them is my father – then
we will enter. If not...
COMENDADOR: Flores...
FLORES: Sir…
COMENDADOR: You observe how they refuse to obey my will?
FLORES: Go in.
LAURENCIA: Let go of us.
FLORES: Go in.
PASCUALA: Just so that you may lock the door on us?
FLORES: Go in. He desires only to show you the spoils he has brought
from the wars.
COMENDADOR: When they enter, Flores, see that the gates are closed.
[Exit the COMENDADOR]
LAURENCIA: Flores, let us go.
ORTUÑO: Are these presents, like all the other stuff?
PASCUALA: How dare you! Get out of our way...

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FLORES: Mind what you say! You are plucky little chicks…
LAURENCIA: Has not your master received enough flesh for one day?
ORTUÑO: But yours is the kind he wants.
LAURENCIA: May it choke him.
The two girls break clear and run away.
FLORES: Now what are we to do? He will hardly be pleased to hear that
they escaped. There will be trouble for us.

ORTUÑO: You must expect that when you enter a great man’s service. If
you wish to prosper, you have to learn to bear his displeasure with
patience. If it irks you, then my advice is, leave his service quickly.
[They go]

19
Scene III. 

A room in the palace of King Fernando and Queen Isabel in MEDINA DEL 
CAMPO 

Enter King Fernando, Queen Isabel, Don Manrique Master of the Order of 
Santiago, and Courtiers. 

QUEEN ISABEL: My opinion, sir, is that we should proceed swiftly and 

diligently, for King Alfonso of Portugal is known to be preparing his army even 
now, and holds a strong position. If we do not act at once, it may be too late.  

KING FERNANDO: We can rely on help from Navarre and from Aragon, and, 
given time, I hope to have the Castilian forces fully reorganized, so that together 
we may rout the Portuguese. 

QUEEN ISABEL: Indeed, concerted action is the key to this. 

DON MANRIQUE: Sir, there are two aldermen from Ciudad Real to see you. 
They await your pleasure. Shall they be admitted? 

KING FERNANDO: Let them come in. 

20
 

FIRST ALDERMAN: Most Catholic King Fernando, sent from Aragon by 
Heaven to be the strength and the protector of Castile: we present ourselves 
humbly in the name of Ciudad Real to crave your royal protection. We hold 
ourselves most fortunate in being your subjects, but adverse fate has now 
conspired to snatch that honor from us. Don Rodrigo Telléz Girón, the Master 
of Calatrava, is now, despite his youth, a knight renowned throughout the land 
for his reckless courage in battle. He, with intent to increase his noble estate, 
laid siege to our city. The citizens rose to arms and offered such a brave 
resistance that soon our streets flowed with streams of blood from the dead and 
wounded. Finally he gained possession of Ciudad Real. And yet he would not 
have done so, had not Comendador Fernan Gómez assisted, advised, and 
controlled the young man's action. Now he commands our city, and we, your 
rightful vassals, must become his, unless immediate aid is given us. 

KING FERNANDO: Where is Comendador Fernan Gómez now? 

FIRST ALDERMAN: In Fuente Ovejuna, I believe, sir, where he enjoys the 

title of overlord. He has a house and estates there. It is rumored that he keeps 
the citizens of that place far from contented with his tyranny. 

KING FERNANDO: Is there a captain among you? 

21
SECOND ALDERMAN: None, sir. Not a single nobleman escaped. All were 
captured, wounded, or killed. 

QUEEN ISABEL: Ciudad Real must be retaken without delay, or the bold 
attacker will grow in strength and pride. Besides, King Alfonso of Portugal may 
see this as his chance to enter our kingdom without check or hindrance, using 
this new breach in Extremadura as the means to invade us.  

KING FERNANDO: Don Manrique, take two companies at once. Give the 
youth no respite until he has paid for his foolhardy venture. With you we shall 
send the Count of Cabra, who has a world-wide reputation as a soldier. That is 
the most I can spare you at this time. 

DON MANRIQUE: I shall obey your wise command with willing heart. I will 
put an end to the Master of Calatrava’s bold excesses if my life is spared to me. 

QUEEN ISABEL: With you, Don Manrique, leading our undertaking, we are 
already sure of victory. 

[They go] 

22
Scene IV.

The countryside near FUENTE OVEJUNA

Frondoso and Laurencia enter.

LAURENCIA: Frondoso! Now do you see what lengths you drive me to? I had
to leave the washing only half wrung out down by the stream simply because
the way you were looking at me down there was enough to set the whole village
gossiping- not that they aren't already. Oh, I admit I look at you too! Everybody
has noticed how smartly you dress- they all say you are quite the most
handsome, lively, and amusing man in the village, and as far as Fuente Ovejuna
is concerned, we are as good as married already. So no wonder I had to leave
the washing. You should be ashamed.... They are counting the days till Juan
Chamorro, the sacristan, will stop playing his bassoon for a few minutes to write
our marriage lines in the vestry. Why cannot they stop gossiping? But let them
do as they will. Nothing they say can worry me or make me lose my sleep, since
I know that is quite untrue.

FRONDOSO: My lovely Laurencia; why are you so cold toward me? Every
time I try to see you or to hear you speak I feel as if I am taking my life in my
hands. You never reward me with one word of hope, and yet you know that my
desire and my intention is to be your husband.

LAURENCIA: What should I do?

23
FRONDOSO: Laurencia, how can you see me in such agony, not eating, not
drinking, not sleeping, for thinking of you, and still no pity on me? How can
your angel's face be so harsh towards me? I mean it, Laurencia, my love will
drive me mad.

LAURENCIA: Then you had best try the apothecary. He might give you a
remedy for madness.

FRONDOSO: You are the only apothecary that can cure me, and the remedy
would be the two of us cooing happily together....

LAURENCIA: Beak to beak?

FRONDOSO: After the Church has given us its blessing....

LAURENCIA: Then tell my uncle, Juan Rojo. For though I do not say I am in
love with you, yet who knows, I might....

FRONDOSO: You might...! Someone is coming.

LAURENCIA: It is the Comendador. Hide there in those bushes.

24
FRONDOSO: Hide?

LAURENCIA: Yes, over there!

Enter the Comendador

COMENDADOR: A happy stroke of fortune! I was hunting deer, but did not
think to find such dear game as this!

LAURENCIA: I was resting here a moment, but with your leave, sir, I must
now return to the stream and finish wringing out the clothes.

COMENDADOR: Sweet Laurencia, such rude behavior mingles strangely with

the fair graces that Heaven has bestowed on you. Your actions should suit your
looks, otherwise you will seem a monster of nature. But, Laurencia, if on other
occasions you have fled from my gentle wooing, this time there is no need, for
the countryside is a discreet and silent friend that will not carry tales. Why
should you alone be so proud and haughty? Who are you that you can afford to
scorn your master? Sebastiana Redondo was not so prim and she was a married
woman, neither was Martín del Pozo's wife, after only two days of marriage.

25
LAURENCIA: That may be, sir, but if they did give way to you, it was only
because many other men had enjoyed their favors first. God be with you, sir,
and may you catch the deer which you were hunting. But except for the cross
you wear on your breast, I should take you for the Devil, dogging my footsteps.

COMENDADOR: Your manner of speech offends me, but. I will overcome

your peasant prudery barehanded. [He puts down his crossbow.]

LAURENCIA: Have you lost your mind?

Frondoso enters and takes up the Comendador’s bow.

FRONDOSO: I have his bow! Oh, God, let me not have cause to use it.

COMENDADOR: Why resist? No one can hear your cries.

LAURENCIA: Oh, Heaven help me.

COMENDADOR: We are alone.

FRONDOSO: Noble Comendador, leave the girl alone, or by my faith, your

breast shall be the target for the arrows of my offended anger, though I confess I
fear the cross you wear.

COMENDADOR: Peasant dog!

FRONDOSO: A peasant, but I see no dog. Now, Laurencia, run.

LAURENCIA: Frondoso, take care!

FRONDOSO: Run quickly!

[She goes]

COMENDADOR: My sword! What madness to be parted from one’s sword!

Yet I left it behind for fear that it might frighten her.

26
FRONDOSO: Now, sir, I have only to release this trigger and you die.

COMENDADOR: She has gone now. Put down that bow, traitor.

FRONDOSO: So that you can kill me with it? Love is deaf and hears no reason.

COMENDADOR: What, shall a knight of Calatrava turn his back before a

peasant? Shoot, peasant, shoot, and then beware, for I break the laws of
knighthood to dally with you.

FRONDOSO: No. I will not shoot. A peasant cannot kill his overlord. But for
the sake of my own life I will keep the bow.

COMENDADOR: This peasant shall pay dearly for insulting me. By Heaven, I
will have vengeance!

27
 ACT TWO

SCENE I

The village square in Fuente Ovejuna

Enter ESTEBAN and ALONSO.

ESTEBAN: I consider it wisest that we should draw no more on the stocks

in the public granary. It looks like being a bad harvest. We should reserve
what we have, even if it proves an unpopular measure.

ALONSO: You are in the right. Caution has always been my watchword
throughout many years of local government.

ESTEBAN: Let us make an appeal to Comendador Fernan Gomez de

Guzman. We do not want any of those astrologers who know nothing of
the future or anything else coming here, making their long speeches about
things that are nobody’s business but God’s. They will discourse for hours
about the theological implications concerning what has happened and what
will happen, but if you ask any of them a straight-forward question about
what is happening now, then they do not know the first thing about it.

Enter BARRILDO and LEONELO, a student of law.

LEONELO: Ah, we are not the first comers; I see the gossip’s corner is
already occupied.

28
BARRILDO: How did you enjoy your time studying in Salamanca?

LEONELO: Oh, that is a long story.

BARRILDO: You must have studied very hard.

LEONELO: I managed to learn one or two of the more important notions.

BARRILDO: Now they are printing so many books, everyone you meet
imagines himself a sage.

LEONELO: And yet I should say that there is more ignorance in the world
than ever before. For already an excess of printed matter has come from
the presses, which, contrary to the original intentions of spreading
knowledge, has only led to confusion, and those who read most become
most befuddled with this mass of print. I do not deny that the invention of
printing has brought to light the works of many writers whose works might
otherwise have gone unnoticed save by a discerning minority, nor do I
deny that it has great uses as a means of preserving works for posterity. It
was invented, as I am sure you are aware by famous German from Mainz,
called Gutenberg, whose name will long be remembered for this service.
And yet many who passed for sages before have quickly lost their
reputations now that their works have appeared in print. Besides, there are
those who publish their own inanities under the name of some respected
author and so damage his reputation in order to fill their own pockets.

BARRILDO: I do not agree, Leonelo.

29
LEONELO: It has often been said that the ignoramus resents the man of
knowledge.

BARRILDO: But printing is important. It is a great step forward.

LEONELO: The writers of the past managed for centuries without it. Can
you name one man of genius, a Saint Jerome or Saint Augustine, whom
printing has given to the world?

BARRILDO: Come, there is no need to get overheated about it. Let us sit
down.

Enter JUAN ROJO and ALONSO.

JUAN ROJO: These days you need four farms to make up a dowry, and
still they grumble and say it is not enough. That is how the fashion goes,
and a ridiculous fashion it is too. I say-

ALONSO: What news of the Comendador? If one dare ask that question.

JUAN ROJO: What, after the way he treated Laurencia! …

ALONSO: I’d be glad to see him hanged for a whore-master and a tyrant.
Hanged from that tree, I say.

Enter the COMENDADOR, ORTUÑO, and FLORES​.

COMENDADOR: God keep you all, my good people.

ALONSO: Sir!

30
COMENDADOR: Remain seated, all of you.

ESTEBAN: Sir, pray you be seated, we are well content to stand.

COMENDADOR: I say be seated.

ESTEBAN: It becomes honorable men to give honor where it is due. And

only those who have honor can give it.

COMENDADOR: Sit down. I wish to talk with you.

ESTEBAN: Did you see the greyhound we sent, sir?

COMENDADOR: Yes, Mayor, my servants were delighted with its speed.

ESTEBAN: It is a fine animal. It could outpace a prisoner on the run or the

confessions of a coward under torture.

COMENDADOR: However, at the moment I am more interested in a

certain young rabbit which I have pursued many times in vain. That would
be an even more welcome gift.

ESTEBAN: Where is it to be found, sir?

COMENDADOR: I think you know better than I where your daughter is

to be found.

ESTEBAN: My daughter!

COMENDADOR: Your daughter.

ESTEBAN: Sir, is her rank such that she is worthy to be wooed by you?

31
COMENDADOR: She has been troubling me of late. I could name a
woman- what is more, a woman of good standing, the wife of one present
in this square-who was not above meeting me. She obeyed my wishes at
once.

ESTEBAN: Then she did wrong, and you, sir, do not do well speak of it so
freely.

COMENDADOR: What an eloquent peasant we have here. Flores, see that

he is presented with a copy of Aristotle. The Politics would amuse him, I
think.

ESTEBAN: Sir, we of this village would live honorably under your rule.
There are people of worth among us, though of peasant blood.

LEONELO: Did you ever hear such brazen speech!

COMENDADOR: What, have I said something to offend you, Alonso?

ALONSO: You have spoken unjustly, sir. It is not right that you should
deprive us of our honor by speaking in such terms.

COMENDADOR: A peasant rebukes me, Flores. In the name of honor

too. You will soon aspire to join the brotherhood of Calatrava, no doubt?

ALONSO: There may be some that proudly boast the cross of knighthood,
whose blood is not so pure.

COMENDADOR: Whose blood do I honor by joining mine with yours?

32
ALONSO: Evil desires make any blood unclean.

COMENDADOR: I honor your wives by giving a thought to them.

ESTEBAN: Your speech dishonors us and you, sir. We cannot believe you
mean it.

COMENDADOR: Oh, this tedious peasant logic! Give me the city life
where no one seeks to hinder the pleasures of a man of quality! There
husbands are flattered when their wives receive attentive visitors.

ESTEBAN: There is still God’s justice, even in cities, my lord, and, so I

understand, an earthly one too, which does not wait on Heaven before it
takes revenge. You will not thus persuade us to live without honor or
respect.

COMENDADOR: Go! Leave this place.

ESTEBAN: Do you wish me to repeat what has passed between us?

COMENDADOR: Go, I say! Leave the square empty. Not one of you
remain.

ESTEBAN: We go.

COMENDADOR: Peasant insolence!

FLORES: Sir, take care what you do.

COMENDADOR: These peasants have grown ill-mannered in my

absence! They will soon be forming factions.

33
ORTUÑO: Have a little patience, sir.

COMENDADOR: I marvel I have shown so much! Now, each of you, off

to your own home directly. I will have none forming groups on the way,
do you hear me?

LEONELO: Just Heaven, will you let this pass?

ESTEBAN: I shall take my way home, my friends.

[The peasants go]

COMENDADOR: Ortuño, what say you to these peasant manners?

ORTUÑO: Sir, your own thoughts are clear, you have no wish to hear our
opinion any more than theirs.

COMENDADOR: Do they seek to make themselves my equals?

FLORES: That is not their intention, sir, I am certain.

COMENDADOR: And is the peasant Frondoso that stole the bow to go

unpunished? A free man?

FLORES: Last night I saw him outside Laurencia’s door. At least, I

thought that it was he. I laid him out with a blow behind the ear, only to
find it was someone else who looked like him.

COMENDADOR: And where is this Frondoso now?

FLORES: They say he is about the village still.

34
COMENDADOR: What, does the man who threatened me with death still
dare to walk my lands?

FLORES: Yes, like an unwary bird that does not heed the snare, or an
innocent fish swimming after the baited hook.

COMENDADOR: Cordoba and Granada tremble at the sight of my sword,

and now a village lout aims my own bow at my heart! I think the world is
coming to an end, Flores.

FLORES: Such is the power of love.

ORTUÑO: You owe him a little gratitude, sir. He did not kill you.

COMENDADOR: Ortuño, I have disguised my feeling beyond all bearing.

Had I given my anger its head, I tell you that within two hours this whole
village would have felt the edge of my sword. Yet let it be. My revenge
shall wait until its time is ripe. What news of Pascuala?

FLORES: She replies that she is already betrothed.

COMENDADOR: And till then she asks for credit?

FLORES: Never fear, sir, she will give you payment in full.

COMENDADOR: And what of Racquel?

ORTUÑO: She sent back a witty answer, sir.

COMENDADOR: She is a lively girl. What did she say?

35
ORTUÑO: That her husband is very jealous of your attention, but says that
once his back is turned, you may enter as before.

COMENDADOR: Good news indeed. But her husband is too watchful.

ORTUÑO: Watchful, sir, and quick to anger.

COMENDADOR: And Ines?

FLORES: Which Ines?

COMENDADOR: Ines de Anton.

FLORES: She is ready when you are. I spoke to her in her back yard. You
may enter there when you will.

COMENDADOR: Oh, these easy women. I love them well and pay them
ill. If only they valued themselves at their real worth, Flores!

FLORES: When a man is never put in doubt, the delight he gains means
nothing to him. A quick surrender denies the exquisite anticipation of
pleasure. But has not the philosopher said that there are also those women
who as naturally desire a man as form desires its matter? And that it
should be so is not surprising, for-

COMENDADOR: A man crazed with love is ever delighted to be easily

and instantly rewarded, but then as easily and instantly he forgets the
object of his desire. Even the most generous man is quick to forget that
which cost him little.

36
 Enter CIMBRANOS, a soldier.

CIMBRANOS: Is the Comendador here?

ORTUÑO: Can you not see you are in his presence?

CIMBRANOS: Oh, gallant Comendador Fernan Gomez de Guzman! Don

Rodrigo calls for aid! He is besieged in Ciudad Real by the armies of
Queen Isabel, led by Don Manrique the Master of Santiago and the Count
of Cabra. That which was brought with so much blood may soon be lost to
us. The light from the beacons on the high battlements of the city reveals
the troops of Castile and of Leon massed together against us, strong as
castles, fierce as lions, and reinforced by solid ranks of sturdy Aragonese.
And though Don Alfonso the King of Portugal should heap every kind of
honor and title upon young Rodrigo Master of the Order of Calatrava, yet
we, sir, should be thankful beyond all present hope if he returns alive to
Almagro. To horse, sir, for the very sight of you will suffice to put the
enemy to flight.

COMENDADOR: Say no more. Ortuño, have a trumpet sounded in the

square immediately. What forces have I here?

ORTUÑO: You have fifty men at your command, sir.

COMENDADOR: Bid them all mount at once.

CIMBRANOS: If you do not make haste, Ciudad Real falls to King

Fernando and Queen Isabel.

37
COMENDADOR: Have no fear. I come at once.

[They go]

38
Scene II.

A field near FUENTE OVEJUNA

Enter Mengo, Laurencia, and Pascuala, running.

PASCUALA: Do not leave us, Mengo.

MENGO: Why, what are you afraid of?

LAURENCIA: These days we find it safer, Mengo, not to go out alone. We

keep together as much as we can for fear of meeting the Comendador.

MENGO: We live in Hell fearing that pitiless devil.

LAURENCIA: He plagues us day and night.

MENGO: I would Heaven would send a thunderbolt to strike the madman.

LAURENCIA: And now he lusts for blood as well as flesh. He is a poisonous

plague upon our lives.

MENGO: I hear Frondoso aimed an arrow at his heart and threatened to kill him
to protect you, Laurencia, down by the stream.

LAURENCIA: I cared for no man, Mengo. But I have changed my mind since
then. Frondoso was brave. But I am afraid that it may cost him his life.

MENGO: He would do best to leave the village if he values his skin.

LAURENCIA: I told him to, despite my love for him, or rather because of it.
But he scorned my warning, even though the Comendador has sworn that he
will hang him by one foot.

PASCUALA: May the Comendador be strangled!

39
MENGO: No, stoned, I say, and I would like the stoning of him. All I ask is one
shot from my sling, the sling I take when I go with the shepherds. I would show
him with one shot to the head.

Enter JACINTA

JACINTA: Help me, for the love of God, help me! For friendship’s sake, or
what you will, only help me.

LAURENCIA: What is it Jacinta, what is it?

PASCUALA: We will both stand by you.

JACINTA: The Comendador’s servants- they are setting out for Ciudad Real-
armed rather with their own vicious natures than with sharp steel- and they
intend to take me with them.

LAURENCIA: Then, Jacinta, may God help you. I cannot. If he will ill-treat
you, he will do a thousand times worse to me. I must escape.

[Laurencia goes]

PASCUALA: Jacinta, I cannot protect you from them. I am not a man, I have
no arms.

[Pascuala goes]

MENGO:Well, that leaves me. Come, Jacinta.

JACINTA: Have you weapons?

MENGO: The first and best in the world!

JACINTA: I would you had.

MENGO: Stones, Jacinta, stones. Here, come on.

40
 Enter Flores and Ortuño with soldiers.

FLORES: Did you think that you could run away from us?

JACINTA: Mengo, I am dead.

MENGO: Sirs, have pity on ー

ORTUÑO: Do you defend the lady?

MENGO: As her close relation, I plead on her behalf. I wouldー

FLORES: Kill the swine.

MENGO: Now, I warn you, do not push me too far. I will loose my sling at you.

Enter the Comendador and Cimbranos.

COMENDADOR: What is happening here?

FLORES: The people of this vile village are making trouble again, my lord.
You would be wise to destroy it entirely, since nothing of Fuente Ovejuna is
pleasing to you. They defy our authority, sir.

MENGO: Sir, if pity can move you, then punish these soldiers for their cruelty.
In your name they tried to seize this innocent girl, snatching her from her
husband and her family. Give me leave, beseech you, to take her home.

COMENDADOR: I give them leave to chastise your insolence. Put down that
sling.

MENGO: Sir…!

COMENDADOR: Flores, Ortuño, Cimbranos, tie his hands with it.

MENGO: Is this your way to protect her honor?

41
COMENDADOR: What do they say of me in Fuente Ovejuna?

MENGO: What have I done, sir, to offend you or the law?

FLORES: Is he to die?

COMENDADOR: No! Do not soil your swords. They will be put to more
honorable use soon enough.

ORTUÑO: What is your command?

COMENDADOR: Beat him. Take him and tie him to that oak. Strip him and
beat him with your belts….

MENGO: Pity, sir, pity, as you are a nobleman!

COMENDADOR: Beat him until the buckles come loose from their stitches.

MENGO: Dear God in Heaven, shall such ugly deeds go unpunished?

COMENDADOR: You, girl, why do you flee from me? Is a laborer to be

preferred to a man of my birth and valor?

JACINTA: Sir, is this all you will do to protect my honor?

COMENDADOR: They robbed you of your honor by trying to take you with
them?

JACINTA: Yes, for I have an honored father, who, if he does not equal you in
high birth, yet is a man worthy of respect and one who betters you in manners.

COMENDADOR: Such foolhardly speech will do little to cool my anger.

Come.

JACINTA: Where to?

COMENDADOR: Where I take you.

42
JACINTA: Sir, think what you do.

COMENDADOR: I have thought, and it will be the worse for you. I will have
none of you. You shall be the army’s baggage and go with them, their common
property.

JACINTA: No power on earth can force me to such a fate while I yet live.

COMENDADOR: Get along there!

JACINTA: Have pity, sir!

COMENDADOR: Enough of pity!

JACINTA: Is there justice in Heaven? Oh, God, have mercy!

[She is dragged off.]

43
SCENE III

ESTEBAN’S house

Enter LAURENCIA and FRONDOSO

LAURENCIA: You are risking death to come here, Frondoso.

FRONDOSO: Then the more is my love for you proved, Laurencia. From
the hilltop, I saw the Comendador ride out with his soldiers, and then I
thought of you and all my fear flooded away, and I came straight down to
the village. God grant he rides to a dishonorable death.

LAURENCIA: No, do not curse him. Those who are cursed most, live
longest.

FRONDOSO: Then may he live a thousand years, all happy ones. That
should settle his fortune for him! Laurencia, I came here to discover if my
loyalty has opened a door to your affections. Tell me you love me! You
yourself said the whole village looks upon us as almost married already,
and marvels that we hesitate so long. Come, now, answer me yes or no.

LAURENCIA: Very well, I answer both the village and you, yes, we shall
be!

FRONDOSO: Oh, Laurencia, I thank you, I kiss your hands, I cannot

speak for joy… Laurencia-

44
LAURENCIA: Since we are decided, Frondoso, let us waste no time in
compliments. You must go and tell my father at once. But here he comes,
talking with my uncle. Have no doubt, Frondoso, we shall be married.
May God fortune attend you.

FRONDOSO: I shall put my trust in God.

[LAURENCIA hides]

Enter ESTEBAN and ALONSO

ESTEBAN: The man is mad! For a moment I thought there would be a riot
in the square, he behaved so abominably. But Jacinta has suffered most at
his hands, poor girl.

ALONSO: Spain will soon be under the laws of King Fernando and Queen
Isabel – the Catholic Monarchs as they call them- then we can hope for
better things. Even now I hear that Don Manrique Master of Santiago has
been appointed Captain General and has laid siege to Rodrigo Giron
Master of Calatrava in Ciudad Real. But still, my heart bleeds for Jacinta.
She was a good girl.

ESTEBAN: And then to flog young Mengo for trying to defend her.

ALONSO: I saw him. His back was like a bundle of red flannel and black
mourning cloth.

45
ESTEBAN: I cannot bear to talk about it. Only to think of the way he
abuses us makes me burn with anger. Am I Mayor of this village for
nothing? Is this staff of office worthless?

ALONSO: It is no fault of ours, Esteban. You cannot blame yourself for

what his servants do.

ESTEBAN: You may not have heard, but they told me that the day he
raped Pedro Redondo’s wife in the valley he flung her to his servants, once
his own foul lust was satisfied.

ALONSO: There is someone here! Who is it?

FRONDOSO: It is I. I was waiting to speak to you.

ESTEBAN: Frondoso, you have no need to stand on ceremony in my

house. I brought you up and you know I love you as a son.

FRONDOSO: Then sir, trusting in the love you bear me, I wish to ask of
you a favor. You know me well and my father too- Juan Rojo.

ESTEBAN: What is it, boy, have you also been offended by Comendador
Fernan Gomez de Guzman?

FRONDOSO: Not a little.

ESTEBAN: I knew it in my heart.

FRONDOSO: But sir, I want to ask, as one more token of your goodness
to me, if you will give me permission to marry Laurencia, whom I dearly

46
love. Forgive me if you think this is an impertinence, for I know that some
might say that I was forward in asking.

ESTEBAN: My heart rejoices at your words, Frondoso. My son, I give

thanks to God that you have come to protect Laurencia’s honor with your
pure and loving zeal. You have relieved me of my greatest fear. But we
must not run before we walk. Have you your own father’s consent? I
happily give mine provided he agrees to the match. If so, then I count
myself a fortunate man indeed.

ALONSO: You should get the girl’s opinion first, before making any
promises, Esteban.

ESTEBAN: Why, do you think they will not have got it all settled before
coming to me? Now, about the dowry: I have a little put aside that will
give you a start.

FRONDOSO: I need no dowry, sir. I beg you, do not trouble yourself

about one.

ALONSO: He will take her as God made her!

ESTEBAN: I will call her and see what she says.

FRONDOSO: Oh, yes, sir, do. Her wishes must be considered.

ESTEBAN: Laurencia! Daughter!

47
LAURENCIA: You called, father?

ESTEBAN: There, what did I tell you? You see how soon she answered!
Laurencia, my dear, come here a moment. We have been asked our
opinion as to whether your friend Laura would make a good wife for
Frondoso. What do you think, is he worthy of her?

LAURENCIA: Is Laura getting married?

ESTEBAN: I should say they will make an ideal match, wouldn’t you?

LAURENCIA: Yes, Father, I agree.

ESTEBAN: Yes, but on the second thought, she is not as pretty as you,
Laurencia. I should have thought a handsome boy like Frondoso would
have set his cap for you. But apparently not…

LAURENCIA: Father, your jokes are almost as old as you!

ESTEBAN: Do you love him?

LAURENCIA: I have always been very fond of him, but of course, now he
is going to marry Laura…

ESTEBAN: No more nonsense. Shall I tell him you will have him?

LAURENCIA: Yes, Father, tell him.

ESTEBAN: Very well, the keys are in my hands. It shall be done. We will
go and seek your father in the square, Frondoso.

48
ALONSO: Come.

ESTEBAN: Now, son, about the dowry, what shall we say? I can give you
four thousand maravedis.

FRONDOSO: I told you, I do not ask for a dowry, sir.

ESTEBAN: Come, Frondoso, you have too many scruples. A little help
when first married never hurt anyone. Refuse now and you may live to
regret it.

[They go, leaving FRONDOSO and LAURENCIA]

LAURENCIA: Well, Frondoso, are you happy?

FRONDOSO: Oh, so happy! My heart is brimming over with joy. I am

almost mad with happiness, Laurencia, to see you as my own sweet
possession.

49
SCENE IV

The countryside near CIUDAD REAL

Enter the MASTER, THE COMENDADOR, FLORES and ORTUÑO.

COMENDADOR: Fly my lord, fly! There is no other remedy.

MASTER: The weakness of the wall was to blame- and the strength of the
enemy.

COMENDADOR: It cost them blood enough. They must have lost half
their army.

MASTER: They can never boast that they took our standard of Calatrava.
That is one honor they cannot add to their spoils.

COMENDADOR: Your hopes are at an end, Rodrigo, even so.

MASTER: A man can do little to turn back blind Fortune’s wheel.

Yesterday I rode on high, today she casts me down.

VOICES [OFF]: Victory! Victory to King Fernando and Queen Isabel!

Castile wins the day!

MASTER: Already they crown the battlements with the fires of victory,
and deck the windows of the high towers with their flags.

50
COMENDADOR: They would do better to paint them with the blood that
they have lost, for this day is more a tragedy than a feast, for victor and
vanquished alike.

MASTER: I will return to Calatrava, Comendador Fernan Gomez de

Guzman.

COMENDADOR: And I to Fuente Ovejuna. I will await your orders there,

sir, while you decide whether you will continue on your kinsmen’s side or
make your peace with the Catholic Monarchs.

MASTER: I will write to tell you what I intend to do.

COMENDADOR: Time will teach you the best path.

MASTER: Perhaps, but I fear my youth is yet an easy victim for the
deceits of time. – It’s not my fault if Fortune blindly lifts me afloat today
and then tomorrow leaves me.

51
SCENE V

The countryside near FUENTE OVEJUNA

Enter WEDDING GUESTS, MUSICIANS, MENGO, FRONDOSO,

LAURENCIA, PASCUALA, BARRILDO, ESTEBAN, ALONSO and JUAN
ROJO.

MUSICIANS [Singing].

Long live the bride and bridegroom!

Long may they live!

MENGO: I’ll bet you did not spend much time composing the words to
that song.

BARRILDO: And the one you have written? Will it be any better?

FRONDOSO: I reckon you had all the music knocked out of you the other
day, Mengo. Am I right?

MENGO: Some of you would not look so handsome yourselves if the

Comendador had-

BARRILDO: Not now, Mengo. Let us not cast a shadow over the
celebrations by naming him.

MENGO: A hundred to one, those were the odds against me, I tell you…
And there I was, armed with nothing but my sling. Oh, they administered a

52
leathery, brass-buckled enema to a certain honorable man- whose name I
need not mention. You needn’t laugh, I did not find it funny.

BARRILDO: No, I am sure you did not.

MENGO: The kind of enema my arse received was no joke. I know they
say it is good for you and clears the system but it nearly killed me.

FRONDOSO: Come, Mengo, let us hear the verses you have written,
provided they are fit for the ears of this present company.

MENGO:

Long live the happy pair,

That is my hope.

May no envy or jealousy

Make them worry or mope.

May their joys be long-lasting,

Their quarrels ephemeral,

And when they get tired of living,

May they have a happy funeral.

FRONDOSO: Thank you, Mengo, I hope so too. But Heaven did not
intend you to be a poet, I fear.

53
BARRILDO: Remember how quickly he wrote it.

MENGO: Well, if you want my opinion on poetry, it is like a baker

making doughnuts. He takes the lumps of dough and throws them into the
boiling oil until he has a pan full. They start off all the same, but turn out
different. Some puff up, light and fluffy, some go flat and squashy. A few
turn out perfectly round, while many of them stick together in a soggy
mess. Some get burnt to a cinder, others are brown and crisp. That is how I
see a poet making up his verses. That is the tragedy of being a baker.

BARRILDO: Hush, Mengo, eat your doughnuts and be quiet, we are here
to give respects and good wishes to the bride and bridegroom.

LAURENCIA: We both kiss your hands in gratitude.

JUAN ROJO: Mine, child? I have done nothing. Here is your father; it is
he that you should thank. Both you and Frondoso have reason to be
grateful to him.

ESTEBAN: No, all I want is to see you happy, with Heaven’s blessing
upon you.

FRONDOSO: But still we thank you, Father.

JUAN ROJO: Come, musicians, let us have a song, now that we seem to
have them safely married at last.

MUSICIANS [Singing].

54
The maiden walks in the valley,

Her dark hair floats in the breeze.

The knight of Calatrava follows.

She hides, startled, among the trees.

Why do you hide from me, sweet girl?

For my desire, lynx-eyed, can see through walls.

She draws the boughs across her face

And shrinks deeper into the leafy shade.

If she could, she would weave an iron lattice

To defend her from the approaching lord.

Why do you hide from me, sweet girl?

For my desire, lynx-eyed, can see through walls.

Love leaps over mountains and oceans,

Love creeps between the branches of trees.

The knight’s shadow falls where the maiden cowers.

She cannot avoid the searching eyes.

Why do you hide from me, sweet girl?

55
For my desire, lynx-eyed, can see through walls.

Enter COMENDADOR, FLORES, ORTUÑO, and CIMBRANOS

COMENDADOR: Pray do not interrupt the festivities on my account.

JUAN ROJO: On the contrary, sir, we would honor you. Will you be
seated? We must give you a conqueror’s welcome, now you have returned
from the wars.

FRONDOSO: This is my death! Heaven help me!

LAURENCIA: Quickly, Frondoso, run this way.

COMENDADOR: Arrest that man.

JUAN ROJO: Obey, my son.

FRONDOSO: What, would you have them kill me, Father?

JUAN ROJO: No, they have no cause to kill you.

COMENDADOR: I do not kill a man without cause. But for me, these
soldiers here would have run him through by now. Take him to the prison
where his own father shall try, and punish, his offense.

PASCUALA: But, sir, it is his wedding day.

COMENDADOR: The cause of justice heeds not wedding days. I am sure

there are others waiting and willing to take his place.

PASCUALA: If he offended you, sir, forgive him, as you are a nobleman.

56
COMENDADOR: This matter does not concern me alone, Pascuala. It
was Tellez Giron, the Master of the Order of Calatrava, who suffered
insult indirectly at his hands. He who insults the honor of the order must, I
fear, be punished as an example. If he goes free others may be tempted to
question its authority. For, lest any here are yet ignorant of this man’s
crime, know that he aimed a bow at the heart of the High Comendador of
the Order.

ESTEBAN: I believe, sir, that it may not be out of place for a father-in-law
to speak a word in his defense. Is it surprising, sir, that a young man in
love should be moved to disloyal anger when you attempted to rob him of
his wife? Is it surprising that he should seek to defend her?

COMENDADOR: Mayor, you are a bumbling fool.

ESTEBAN: But a well-intentioned one, sir.

COMENDADOR: I made no attempt to rob him of his wife- he had none.

ESTEBAN: My lord, you did. Let us hear no more. For there are a King
and Queen in Castile, who will create new orders of knighthood that shall
put down the old disorders that have oppressed us. And when their wars
are over, they will not tolerate proud, powerful men creating havoc in their
towns and villages, bearing great crosses on their breasts. Let the King
alone wear such emblems, since he alone is worthy of them.

COMENDADOR: Remove that staff from this old fool’s hand.

57
ESTEBAN: Take it, sir, I have no more use for it.

COMENDADOR: Let him be beaten with it for a disobedient ass.

ESTEBAN: You are still my Master, sir. Do as you will.

PASCUALA: Do you beat an old man?

LAURENCIA: If this is your revenge upon me, how do you profit by it?

COMENDADOR: Take that girl, and let men guard her with their lives.

[The Comendador and his men go]

ESTEBAN: May justice descend from Heaven.

[He goes]

PASCUALA: The wedding has turned to mourning.

BARRILDO: Is there no man here that will speak out?

MENGO: I have already been flogged till I had enough purple about me to
fill the Vatican. Let somebody else try crossing him.

JUAN ROJO: We must make a stand together.

MENGO: All keep quiet together, you mean. Unless you want a staff
broken across your backs.

58
 ACT THREE

SCENE I

Council room in Fuente Ovejuna

Enter ESTEBAN, ALONSO, and BARRILDO.

ESTEBAN: Are they not coming to the meeting?

BARRILDO: As yet they have not come.

ESTEBAN: Every minute our danger grows greater…

BARRILDO: They will come, have no fear. They all know about this
meeting.

ESTEBAN: Frondoso a captive in his tower, and my daughter taken too! If

heavenly mercy does not intercede, then-

Enter JUAN ROJO and ALONSO

JUAN ROJO: Esteban, why are you shouting? For all our sakes this
meeting must be secret.

ESTEBAN: The greatest wonder is that I am not shouting any louder.

Enter MENGO.

MENGO: I thought I would come after all.

59
ESTEBAN: My honorable friends, a man whose gray beard is bathed in
grief asks you what kind words are to be said over the corpse of our lost
honor. Is there any man among us who still can say he has not suffered
some indignity at the hands of this barbarian, Comendador Fernan Gomez
de Guzman? Answer me. Can none reply? Then since every one of us feels
degraded and dishonored, can we not act together? We are all equally
affronted and yet we hesitate to take a just revenge. Could any misery be
greater?

JUAN ROJO: None. But already it is published abroad and know for truth
that the rightful King Fernando and Queen Isabel hold Castile in peaceful
rule, therefore, I say, let our two Mayors be sent to Cordoba, where they
are soon to hold court, and cast themselves at their feet and beg them to
redress our wrongs.

BARRILDO: King Fernando will never spare the time to deal with our
problem. He will be too busy establishing his rule after his recent
conquests.

ALONSO: Friends, hear me a moment. I vote we evacuate the whole

village, man, woman and child.

JUAN ROJO: That would take too much time.

MENGO: Speak lower! If we are overheard, I fear this council will lose a
few lives among its members.

60
ALONSO: Now the patience is broken and fear blows the ship wildly from
its course. The daughter is violently stolen from a virtuous man who
governs this town in which you live. If we were slaves we could not be
more harshly treated.

JUAN ROJO: What would you have the people do?

ALONSO: Die, or bring death to the tyrants, for we are many, they are
few.

BARRILDO: What, rise in arms against our Master?

ESTEBAN: Only the King is Master under heaven, not Comendador

Fernan Gomez de Guzman. If God is with us in our zeal for justice, then
how can we go wrong?

MENGO: Listen, sirs, we should tread carefully upon such shifting

ground. I represent the laborers upon this council, and they are always the
ones to get the heavier end of the stick, so I can best put forward their
fears-

JUAN ROJO: This misfortune is shared equally, Mengo. By all, whether

laborer or farmer. Why do we hesitate to risk our lives? They burn our
homes and our vineyards. They are tyrants. Let us have vengeance, I say.

Enter LAURENCIA, disheveld.

LAURENCIA: Let me come in. A woman has a right, if not to vote in this
council of men, yet to have a voice. Do you know me?

61
ESTEBAN: Great heaven! My daughter!

JUAN ROJO: Laurencia!

LAURENCIA: Well may you doubt that it is I, seeing me as I am.

ESTEBAN: My daughter!

LAURENCIA: Call me not daughter.

ESTEBAN: Why Laurencia? Why not?

LAURENCIA: Why? I will tell you why! Because you allow tyrants to
kidnap me and do not avenge me, traitors to snatch me, and do not rescue
me. Oh, do not say it was Frondoso’s duty as my husband, and not yours,
for until the wedding night a bride still her father’s charge, and the night
was not yet come. As when a jewel is bought, so the man who sells must
guard it until it is handed over to the buyer. Comendador Fernan Gomez
de Guzman carried me off while you looked on. Like coward shepherds,
you let the wolf make off with the lamb. You let me be threatened with
knives, insulted with their foul language, and brutally maltreated in their
attempts to avenge their lewd appetites upon my chastity! Look how my
hair has been dragged and torn out! See the cuts and bruises where they
tortured me! Do you call yourselves men? Do you? My father? Or you,
Uncle? Are your hearts unmoved to see me so full of woe? Well may this
village be called Fuente Ovejuna- Sheepwell! For its people are nothing
but sheep. A flock of bleating sheep who run from trouble. Give me a
sword! Let me have arms! Oh, you are stone, bronze. Tigers without- No!

62
Not tigers, for tigers hunt and slay any that steal their young before they
have had time to lock their gates in their faces. Meek rabbits were you
born, not noble Spaniards. Hens! You stand by and cluck while other men
enjoy your wives! Why do you wear swords at your belts? By God, I
swear, only the women here shall have the glory of shedding the blood of
this tyrant, and when it is done we shall throw stones at you, for the
effeminate pimps and cowards that you are. From tomorrow, go dressed in
petticoats and paint your faces with rouge. Even now the Comendador
may be ordering Frondoso to be hanged, untried, for so he has sworn to do.
And he will do the same to all of you. And I shall laugh to see it and be
glad that this village has been emptied of you, its old woman and the days
of Amazon shall return in Fuente Ovejuna, to be the wonder of the earth!

ESTEBAN: Daughter, I will not deserve the names you give us. I will go
alone, though all the world should stand against me.

JUAN ROJO: I too, though fearing the greatness of your enemy.

ALONSO: Let us all challenge death together.

BARRILDO: Find a cloth and fix it to a pole. We will raise our banner to
the winds, and death to these monsters!

JUAN ROJO: What shall be our order?

MENGO: Kill him! Never mind about order! We all agree, the whole
village knows what must be done. Down with tyrants!

63
ESTEBAN: Take any arms you can find! – swords, lances, bows, pikes,
sticks of wood.

MENGO: Long live King Fernando and Queen Isabel!

ALL: Long live the King Fernando and Queen Isabel!

MENGO: And down with traitors and tyrants! Let Comendador Fernan
Gomez de Guzman bleed!

ALL: Death to the tyrant!

[They all go]

LAURENCIA: May heaven hear you cry! Rise up, women of Fuente
Ovejuna! Come out and win back your honor.

Enter PASCUALA, JACINTA, and other women.

PASCUALA: What is it, Laurencia? What is happening?

LAURENCIA: Look there! They go to kill Comendador Fernan Gomez de

Guzman. Every man in the village, all running furiously with one
intent-death! Shall we let them alone reap the honor of this deed? Shall we
stay at home when we were the greatest sufferers from his wrongs?

JACINTA: What must we do? Tell us.

LAURENCIA: We shall march in order upon his house, and there take
our revenge. Our vengeance shall strike fear into the hearts of men

64
everywhere. Jacinta, you suffered most you shall be the leader of this band
of women.

JACINTA: You suffered no less.

LAURENCIA: Pascuala, you shall be our standard-bearer.

PASCUALA: Give me a banner. I will fix it to a pole. I shall be a fine

standard-bearer.

LAURENCIA: There is no time. We must strike now!

PASCUALA: We must name the captain.

LAURENCIA: No. No captain.

PASCUALA: Why not?

LAURENCIA: I for one can show my valor without any title of captain or
general.

[They go]

65
SCENE II.

A room in the Comendador’s house

Enter Frondoso with his hands tied, Flores, Ortuño, Cimbranos, and the
Comendador.

COMENDADOR: Hang him up by the rope which binds his hands, he will
suffer longer.

FRONDOSO: Your lofty titles, sir, conceal the truer names that men might call
you.

COMENDADOR: Hang him from the nearest tower.

FRONDOSO: When I had the chance to kill you, I spared your life.

FLORES: What is that noise?

COMENDADOR: What noise?

FLORES: Now they would interrupt your justice, my lord!

ORTUÑO: They are breaking the doors down.

COMENDADOR: The doors of my house! The official residence of our great

Order of Calatrava!

FLORES: The entire village is coming.

JUAN ROJO ​[off ] :​ Smash, crush, cast down, burn, and kill!

ORTUÑO: A mass uprising!

66
COMENDADOR: The populace against me!

ORTUÑO: We shall never stop this mob.

FLORES: They are advancing wildly. They have smashed the doors down.

COMENDADOR: Untie him. Frondoso, go out and pacify them. Show them
you are unharmed.

FRONDOSO: I go. But remember it is love that drives them, sir.

[He goes]

MENGO ​[off] :​ Long live King Fernando and Queen Isabel, and death to the
Comendador Fernan Gómez de Guzman!

FLORES: Sir, for God’s sake, do not let them find you here.

COMENDADOR: They will not come this far. They dare not. Besides, this
room is strong and well defended.

FLORES: When outraged people rise, my lord, there is no quelling them until
they have taken their full revenge.

COMENDADOR: Come, we will defend that door. Our swords will keep them
out.

FRONDOSO ​[off]​: Long live Fuente Ovejuna!

COMENDADOR: What a captain! Let us attack these peasants, the sharp edge
of our swords shall cure their madness.

FLORES: They will cure yours, I fear.

ESTEBAN ​[off] ​: There they are! There is the tyrant and his servants. Fuente
Ovejuna! Death to them all!

67
 All the peasants rush in.

COMENDADOR: My people, wait!

ALL: Insults cannot wait. Revenge cannot wait!

COMENDADOR: What insults? What wrongs do you complain of? You shall
have full justice.

ALL: Fuente Ovejuna! Long live King Fernando! Death to the Comendador!
Death to the traitor! Death to the hypocrite. Kill the foul lecher.

COMENDADOR: Hear me. I speak. I am your lordー

ALL: Our Lords are the Catholic Monarchs, King Fernando and Queen Isabel.

COMENDADOR: Waitー

ALL: Fuente Ovejuna! And death to Comendador Fernan Gómez de Guzman!

The peasants go off following the Comendador.

The women enter armed.

LAURENCIA: Stop. Here is the place where our honor shall be avenged.
Remember, show yourselves not as women in this deed, but as soldiers without
pity.

PASCUALA: Those we called women before have caught him already. They
are letting his blood. Let us not wait longer.

JACINTA: We will impale his body on our spears.

PASCUALA: We are all agreed. We will go together.

ESTEBAN ​[off] ​: Die, treacherous Comendador!

68
COMENDADOR [​off]​ : I die. Pity, oh Lord. I trust in your mercy!

BARRILDO ​[off] :​ Here is Flores.

MENGO​ ​ ​[off] :​ Let me get at the swine. He was the one that beat the hide off
me.

FRONDOSO ​[off] :​ I shall not be avenged till I have the soul out of his body.

LAURENCIA: We must go in.

PASCUALA: Be careful! We must guard the door.

BARRILDO ​[off] :​ Plead with me? Now it is your turn to weep!

LAURENCIA: Pascuala, I go in there. My sword shall not remain imprisoned in

its sheath.

[She goes]

​ ere is Ortuño.
BARRILDO ​[off]: H

FRONDOSO ​[off]​: Slash his face.

Enter Flores pursued by Mengo.

FLORES: Pity, Mengo. I am not to blame!

MENGO: You were his go-between. I felt your belt on my back.

PASCUALA: Leave him to us, Mengo. Stop! Leave him to us!

MENGO: There you are, he is yours. I have finished with him.

PASCUALA: I will avenge your beating, Mengo.

MENGO: Do, Pascuala!

JACINTA: Death to the pimp.

69
FLORES: I was following orders!

JACINTA: A fitting death for such as you!

PASCUALA: And do you weep now?

JACINTA: Die, you cringing pimp!

LAURENCIA ​[off] ​: Death to the traitor!

FLORES: Pity, ladies!

Enter Ortuño fleeing from Laurencia.

ORTUÑO: Listen, I beg you, I am not the one一

Enter Laurencia.

LAURENCIA: I know who you are. Go in there, all of you. You will find
employment for your conquering arms in there!

PASCUALA: I will die killing.

ALL: God for Fuente Ovejuna and King Fernando and Queen Isabel!

[They go]

70
Scene III.

The palace of King Fernando and Queen Isabel in Toro.

Enter King Fernando and Queen Isabel and Don Manrique.
DON MANRIQUE: And so, sir, our timely action achieved the result that you
desired, with few losses on our side. Little resistance was shown, and even if
there had been more, I think it would have carried little weight against our
forces. The count of Cabra is now occupying the town lest by any chance the
bold adversary should dare to attack again.

KING FERNANDO: You have both done wisely. But he must be assisted
further. Let forces be sent to fortify his position. Thus may we best guard
ourselves against King Alfonso of Portugal, who is still gathering men in
Portugal. I am well pleased to know that the Count of Cabra is holding Ciudad
Real. He is a captain who has proved his skill and courage many times in battle.
We can rely on him to be a watchful sentry against those who wish our kingdom
harm.

Enter Flores, wounded.

FLORES: Catholic King, Great King Fernando, to whom Heaven has granted
the crown of Castile, as a worthy tribute to the greatest knight: hear now a tale
of Cruel rebelion, the worst ever known in any land between the rising and
setting of the sun.

KING FERNANDO: Speak.

71
FLORES: Great King: my wounds do not permit me to dally in telling my sad
story, for death will soon overtake me. I come from Fuente Ovejuna, where,
with remorseless hatred, the people have conspired together and have killed
their rightful master. Comendador Fernan Gómez de Guzman is dead, murdered
by his own vassals, a mob inflamed with little cause to senseless fury. They all
took up the cry, and, driven to frenzy by their own ever-increasing chant of
“Traitor, traitor,” they swept through his house, burning and destroying all that
stood in their way. They took no heed of his noble promise that all their wrongs
should be set right and all debts paid. Not only would they not listen to him, but,
in their madness, they hacked his breast and the cross it wore with a thousand
cruel strokes. They flung his body from the high windows to the ground where
the women of the village impaled it on pikes and swords. Then they took his
corpse to a house in the village where they fought among themselves to tear out
his hair and beard in handfuls and slash his face. Their lust for blood grew to
such a pitch that even when they had torn him into pieces, they were still
unsatisfied. They hacked away his coat of arms above the door with their pikes,
exclaiming as they did it that they would hang your royal arms there in place of
his that had offended them. They sacked his house as if it had been the house of
an enemy, and with delight divided his goods among themselves. I saw all this
with my own eyes from where I was hiding, for, alas, unkind fate left me living
amid the chaos. I lay hidden all day until nightfall when I could escape unseen
to tell you of the deed. Sir, since you are known to be a just king, I beg you to
revenge my master’s noble blood, shed without reason by his barbarous vassals.

KING FERNANDO: You may rest assured that they shall not go unpunished. I
confess myself amazed at this tale of horror. We shall send a judge at once to
confirm the truth of the matter, and to chastise the guilty as an example to all

72
Spain. A captain shall go with the judge to protect him. Such bold treason shall
receive fitting punishment. See that this soldier’s wounds are attended to.

[They go]

SCENE IV

The village square in Fuente Ovejuna

Enter the peasants of Fuente Ovejuna with the head of

Fernan Gomez on a lance.

MUSICIANS (singing): Long live, King Fernando and Queen Isabel, and
death to tyrants.

BARRILDO: Give us your verse, Frondoso.

FRONDOSO: Very well, here it is, and if something is missing here and
there, then anyone more skilled in verses than I is welcome to improve it:
Long live, Isabel the Queen,

And King Fernando too.

Long together may they reign,

And be the happiest couple in Spain.

Till Heaven receive the two.

Long live our Catholic King and Queen,

73
And death to tyrants.

LAURENCIA: Let us hear yours, Barrildo.

BARRILDO: Listen carefully. It took me hours to write it.

PASCUALA: Be sure you give it a proper rendering and do it justice, then.

BARRILDO:

Long live our famous King and Queen,

May they be happy and serene.

God keep them free from woes,

And shield them free from their foes,

Whether dwarves or giants.

And death to tyrants!

MUSICIANS (singing): Long live, King Fernando and Queen Isabel, and
death to tyrants.

LAURENCIA: Now for Mengo’s verse!

FRONDOSO: Yes, come along, Mengo.

MENGO: As you all know, I am a very gifted poet.

PASCUALA: We all know you are a gifted whipping post.

74
MENGO: I’ve got the laugh on the Comendador.

He played a tune on my backside:

Now the Commendador is asunder,

But I am still inside my hide.

Long live our Catholic King and Queen,

And down with tyrants!

MUSICIANS (singing): Long live, King Fernando and Queen Isabel, and
death to tyrants.

ESTEBAN: Take down that head, good people.

MENGO: Yes, he does not look very happy up there, does he?

Juan Rojo brings on a shield with the royal arms of King Fernando and
Queen Isabel.

ALONSO: Here is the new coat of arms.

ESTEBAN: Hold it up, Juan, so that we can all see it.

JUAN: Where is it to be placed?

ALONSO: Here, on the front of the town hall.

ESTEBAN: It is a fine shield.

BARRILDO: Just what we wanted.

75
FRONDOSO: It is the sun that rises. Our day begins to dawn.

ESTEBAN: Long live Leon, Castile, and Aragon, and death to tyranny!
Now, my friends, will you hear an old man’s advice? The King and Queen
will order an inquiry into the death of the Comendador, and they will be
the more interested since their own route brings them to these parts. So let
us be prepared and agree on what we shall say.

FRONDOSO: What would you advise?

ESTEBAN: When we are questioned, we shall name no names, but say

only: “Fuente Ovejuna did it.” Even if we die for it, we will say no more
than that.

FRONDOSO: Yes, that is what we must do. Fuente Ovejuna did it.

ESTEBAN: Do you all agree to say that?

ALL: We do.

ESTEBAN: Very well, we will have a rehearsal. I will be the judge. Now,
Mengo, you are the one to be questioned.

MENGO: Could you not find someone weaker than me? Someone more
likely to break down?

ESTEBAN: We are only pretending, Mengo.

MENGO: Come along then, ask me.

ESTEBAN: Who killed the Comendador?

76
MENGO: Fuente Ovejuna did it.

ESTEBAN: Dog! I will have you tortured further!

MENGO: Nay! Kill me, sir.

ESTEBAN: Confess, scoundrel.

MENGO: Very well, I confess.

ESTEBAN: Who was it?

MENGO: Fuente Ovejuna.

ESTEBAN: Torture him further.

MENGO: Give it twenty turns, I care not!

ESTEBAN: That is the way we will treat them at the trial.

Enter ALONSO.

ALONSO: What in the world are you doing here?

FRONDOSO: What has happened?

ALONSO: The judge has arrived.

ESTEBAN: Now scatter, all of you, to your homes.

ALONSO: A captain has come with him.

77
ESTEBAN: Let the devil come with him. You know what your answer is to
be.

ALONSO: They are already arresting everyone they see. Not a soul will be
left out.

ESTEBAN: Have no fear. Who killed the Comendador, Mengo?

MENGO: Fuente Ovejuna.

SCENE V

In the Master of Calatrava’s house in Almagro.

Enter the MASTER and a SOLDIER.

MASTER: What an unlooked-for misfortune! To murder the Comendador

of our Order! I have a mind to kill you for the news you bring.

SOLDIER: Sir, I am only a messenger. I have no wish to offend you.

MASTER: To think that a whole village should have dared to rise up and
commit so terrible a crime. I will swoop down upon them with five
hundred men and raze the village to the ground. Not so much as a memory
of their names shall be left.

SOLDIER: Sir, stay your anger, for they have gone over to King
Fernando. You were best not to incur his displeasure any further.

78
MASTER: How can they have gone over to the King? Their village
belongs to my Order. It is part of my estates!

SOLDIER: The King himself can best answer that.

MASTER: No lawyer would support my claim if the King now rules in

Fuente Ovejuna. Whether I will or no, I must recognize him as my
sovereign. Therefore do I stay my anger. My best course now is to crave
audience of His Majesty. For though I have been guilty of offending him,
my youth may excuse me in his eyes and incline him to pardon me. I go to
him with shame, and yet I must, if I am to protect my honor, as my father
bade me.

They go.

SCENE VI

The square of Fuente Ovejuna

Enter LAURENCIA, alone.

LAURENCIA: Unhappy Laurencia, what will you do if unkind Fate

snatches Frondoso from you? Fear is the torture chamber on which my
love is tormented. My mind, which I thought so steadfast, now quails in
horror to think of our present plight. Oh, you Heavens, guard my husband
from danger, for Laurencia becomes as nothing if she loses him. Oh,

79
Frondoso, Frondoso, when you are here, I am terrified for your safety,
and when you are gone, I can scarce live without you.

Enter FRONDOSO.

FRONDOSO: Laurencia!

LAURENCIA: Dear husband! How can you dare to show yourself here?

FRONDOSO: Laurencia; is this all the thanks you give me for my love in
coming to you?

LAURENCIA: Frondoso, my love, take care. Think of the danger…

FRONDOSO: Laurencia. Heaven would never be so cruel as to hurt you

in anything.

LAURENCIA: But you see how ruthlessly the others are being treated, and
they are not so deeply involved as you, Frondoso. If the judge is harsh
with them, what will he not do to you? Save your life. Flee, my love. Do
not wait here for evil to overwhelm you.

FRONDOSO: How can I, Laurencia? How can you ask? I could not leave
the others in danger. And you, could I leave you when I cannot bear to be
out of your sight? Do you not tell me to flee. I will not leave Fuente
Ovejuna in agony to save my own skin. (Voices off) Hark! It sounds as if
the judge is using the torture chamber for his court. Listen. Perhaps we
can hear what they say.

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JUDGE (off): Now tell the truth, old man.

FRONDOSO: Laurencia! They are torturing an old man.

LAURENCIA: They will stop at nothing.

ESTEBAN (off): Let loose a little – Please, not so tight.

JUDGE (off): Let it go. Now tell me. Who killed the Comendador?

ESTEBAN (off): Fuente Ovejuna did it.

LAURENCIA: Father, may you live forever.

FRONDOSO: He kept his word.

JUDGE (off): That boy! We will take him next. You know who did it, child.
Come, tell me. What, will you be silent, dog? Turn the wheel, you drunken
oaf.

BOY (off): Fuente Ovejuna, sir.

JUDGE (off): Now, by the King’s life, do you want me to hang you all with
my own hands? Who killed the Comendador?

FRONDOSO: It is beyond belief. That they could torture a child, and he

answer like that.

LAURENCIA: The village is showing great courage.

FRONDOSO: Courage and determination.

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JUDGE (off): Now stretch that woman on the wheel. Good. Give it
another turn.

LAURENCIA: He is growing wild with rage.

JUDGE (off): Believe me, I will kill everyone of you in this torture
chamber. I will find out the truth. Who killed the Comendador?

PASCUALA (off): Fuente Ovejuna, my lord.

JUDGE (off): Go on. Tighter on the wheel.

FRONDOSO: It is no good.

LAURENCIA: Pascuala is not giving in.

FRONDOSO: When the children will not confess, how could the rest?

JUDGE (off): It seems they enjoy it being tortured. Give it another turn!

PASCUALA (off): Merciful heaven!

JUDGE (off): Another turn, you fool, who killed the Comendador, are you
deaf?

PASCUALA (off): Fuente Ovejuna killed him.

JUDGE (off): Bring me that fellow, the one who shows off his bruised
back.

LAURENCIA: Poor Mengo.

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FRONDOSO: I am afraid Mengo will confess.

MENGO (off): Oh! Oh!

JUDGE (off): Now, begin.

MENGO (off): Oh!

JUDGE (off): Do you need help?

MENGO (off): Oh! Oh!

JUDGE (off): Now, slave, who killed your Master?

MENGO (off): Oh, I will tell you, sir!

JUDGE (off): Let loose a little.

FRONDOSO: He is giving way.

JUDGE (off): No answer? Right, put your back into it.

MENGO (off): No, no, I will confess.

JUDGE (off): Who killed him?

MENGO (off): Little old Fuente Ovejuna did it.

JUDGE (off): Was there ever seen such stubborn knavery as this? They
mock at pain; even those in whom I placed most hope say nothing. Let
them go. I am weary.

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FRONDOSO: Oh, Mengo, Heaven bless you. You have banished all my
fears.

The other peasants come out.

BARRILDO: Bravo, Mengo!

ALONSO: You did splendidly.

BARRILDO: Mengo, well done.

FRONDOSO: Well done indeed.

BARRILDO: Here, my friend, here is a drink for you. Have some of this
too.

MENGO: Oh! Oh! What is it?

BARRILDO: Candied fruit.

MENGO: Mm! Oh! Oh!

FRONDOSO: Give him another drink.

BARRILDO: Here, Mengo.

LAURENCIA: Have another fruit.

MENGO: Oh! Oh!

BARRILDO: Here, drink this, Mengo, it is on me.

LAURENCIA: Come, Mengo, there is no need to look so serious about it.

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FRONDOSO: If he can mock at the torture chamber, he has a right to take
his drinking seriously.

ALONSO: Have another, Mengo.

MENGO: Oh. Oh! Yes.

FRONDOSO: You drink your fill, Mengo, you have earned it.

LAURENCIA: Give him a chance, he is downing them as fast as he can

already.

FRONDOSO: Put something around him. He is freezing.

BARRILDO: Would you like any more, Mengo?

MENGO: Any amount. Oh, oh!

FRONDOSO: Is there any more wine?

BARRILDO: Yes, drink as much as you can, Mengo. What is the matter?

MENGO: I think I have a cold coming on.

BARRILDO: What you need is a drink.

MENGO: I think this is a little rough to the palate.

FRONDOSO: Have some of this. It is better. Who killed the Comendador,

Mengo?

MENGO: Little old Fuente Ovejuna!

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 They go. FRONDOSO and LAURENCIA are left.

FRONDOSO: Mengo deserves all the honors they can give him. But tell
me, my lovc, who killed the Comendador?

LAURENCIA: Fuente Ovejuna, my dear.

FRONDOSO: Who killed him?

LAURENCIA: Oh, you terrify me. Fuente Ovejuna did it.

FRONDOSO: And how did I kill you?

LAURENCIA: How? By making me love you so much.

They go.

SCENE VII

In the royal palace at Tordesillas

Enter the King and Queen

QUEEN ISABEL: I count myself most fortunate to meet you here thus
unexpectedly.

KING FERNANDO: I am overjoyed to look upon you again, my Queen.

Of necessity I had to halt here before resuming the expedition against
Portugal.

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QUEEN ISABEL: Perhaps Your Majesty turned a little out of your way
because you wished to come here, as now you turn your words to tell me it
was “of necessity.”

KING FERNANDO: In what state did you leave Castile?

QUEEN ISABEL: Content and at peace.

KING FERNANDO: How could it be otherwise, when it is you that keeps

it so?

Enter DON MANRIQUE.

DON MANRIQUE: Your Majesties, the Master of Calatrava has just

arrived. He begs that you may grant him audience.

QUEEN ISABEL: He arrives at a good time. I wished to speak with him.

DON MANRIQUE: My Queen, I would urge you to do so, for, despite his
youth, he is a valiant soldier.

DON MANRIQUE goes, and returns with the MASTER.

MASTER: Rodrigo Tellez Giron, Master of Calatrava, who never ceases

to praise Your Majesties, humbly craves your pardon and forgiveness. I
confess that I was deceived, and that I far exceeded the bounds of what
was just and pleasing to you. I was misled by Comendador Fernan Gomez
de Guzman’s advice and my own desire for personal glory. I was faithful
to the wrong cause, and now I beg for pardon. And should I be worthy of
such mercy at your hands, then from this moment I offer myself as your

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faithful knight and will prove to you the valor of my sword in your
campaign against the Moors of Granada. There shall you see me spread
dismay among the heathen, when I raise my red crosses upon their highest
towers. Furthermore, I will bring with me five hundred soldiers to serve
under your command, and give you my word as a true knight never in my
life to offend you more.

KING FERNANDO: Rise up, Master of Calatrava, from the ground. Now
you have come to us, you shall evermore be welcome.

MASTER: Your Majesties, my heart finds consolation to hear you pardon

me.

QUEEN ISABEL: We find you a perfect knight, and of rare valor.

MASTER: Most fair Queen Isabel and divine King Fernando.

Enter DON MANRIQUE.

DON MANRIQUE: My King, the judge has returned from Fuente

Ovejuna, and would present himself before Your Majesty.

KING FERNANDO: Be judge of these aggressors, my Queen.

MASTER: My King, if I had not seen your clemency, have no doubt that I
would teach them to kill a Comendador of our Order.

KING FERNANDO: The matter no longer concerns you, Master.

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QUEEN ISABEL: I confess, I would prefer to leave this judgement to you
alone, my King.

Enter the JUDGE.

JUDGE: Your Majesties, I went to Fuente Ovejuna as you commanded,

and conducted the inquiry with particular care and diligence. But not one
page of evidence was forth-coming with regard to the crime in question,
for they all, as one man, and, I must confess, most courageously, replied
when questioned: “Fuente Ovejuna did it.” Three hundred were rigorously
questioned in the torture chamber which I used as my court, and yet sir, I
could extract no further information. All, from children of ten years of age
upwards, were tried, but neither coaxing, nor threatening, nor the most
cunning questioning would avail. Since I have had no success in revealing
any proof of guilt, I submit to Your Majesties, that either you must pardon
them or execute the entire population. They are all present here, ready to
be brought before you if you wish for more information from them.

KING FERNANDO: Let them come in.

Enter ALONSO, FRONDOSO, ESTEBAN, MENGO, LAURENCIA, and

other villagers of Fuente Ovejuna.

LAURENCIA: Are those the King and Queen?

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FRONDOSO: Yes, rulers of all Castile.

LAURENCIA: My word, how beautiful they are! May Saint Anthony

bless them.

QUEEN ISABEL: Are these the murderers?

ESTEBAN: My Queen, Fuente Ovejuna presents itself in all humbleness

before Your Majesties, ready to serve you. The cruel tyranny of the late
Comendador Fernan Gomez de Guzman, and the thousand insults which
he heaped upon us, were the cause of the trouble. He robbed us of our
property, raped our wives and daughters, and was a stranger to all pity.

FRONDOSO: Indeed, Your Majesties, even on our wedding day, he stole

this girl whom Heaven blessed me with, and for whom I count myself the
luckiest man alive… On our wedding night, I say, he took her to his house
as if she had been his own. If this virtuous girl had not shown the spirit she
did in the defense of her honor, then the outcome could have been much
worse.

MENGO: Now it is my turn to speak. If you will give me leave, then I will
make you marvel at the way he abused me. Because I tried to protect a girl
whom his men, with bestial arrogance, had tried to rape, that brutal
Comendador Fernan Gomez de Guzman treated me in such a manner that
the reverse side of my person was the color of smoked salmon. Three men
flogged me and I can show Your Majesties, if you wish, the scars which I

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carry with me to this day. But suffice it to say that I have spent more than
my land is worth in powders and liniments to heal the skin…

ESTEBAN: My King, we would be your vassals. You are our rightful

King, and therefore have we already presumed to set up your royal arms
on our town hall. We hope for your clemency, and that you will accept the
pledge of our innocence that we offer you.

KING FERNANDO: Since there is no written evidence forthcoming,

although the crime is great, it must be pardoned. And since its people have
shown such loyalty to me, this village shall come under my direct
jurisdiction. So it shall remain until such time as a Comendador worthy of
its charge shall emerge to inherit it.

FRONDOSO: The King spoke gladly as one would expect

From one who such great wonders could effect.
Good night, dear spectators, all be friends!
And with this line FUENTE OVEJUNA ends.

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