Three Major Plays (23 page)

ALONSO. Take

This horse. The others have gone wild,

165

Are running loose inside the ring.
Are you alright?

RODRIGO. Yes, thanks to you.
I fell so heavily.

ALONSO. Best not enter
The ring again. Your servants will

Assist you. I must go back and find

170

The horse I left there. God be with you!

Exit
DON ALONSO.
Enter
DON FERNANDO.

FERNANDO. Rodrigo, what's happened? Are you hurt?

RODRIGO. Everything goes badly. First, a fall,
But, more than that, I owe my life
^*

To someone I'm so jealous of,

175

I long to see him dead.

FERNANDO. The King
A witness to it all, and now
Inés has seen her brave young man
Put down the bull to save your life.

RODRIGO. It drives me mad! Can there be anyone

180

In this entire world less fortunate
Than I? I am insulted, offended,
Rejected, driven mad with jealousy,
Now dishonoured.
^*
I looked towards

Inés to see if in her eyes

185

I could detect the slightest sign
Of sympathy. Why do I worship her
When she shows such ingratitude?
I doubt that Nero showed as much

Disdain while he observed Rome burn, *

190

As did Inés when she looked down on me!
But then, when she observed Alonso,
Her jasmine cheeks began to blush
As bright as any pink carnation.

-146-

Her rose-red lips revealed those pearls *

195

Which were the sweet reward for his
Success, the joy of seeing me
Prostrate at Don Alonso's feet,
The helpless victim of misfortune.

I swear to God that smile of hers,

200

Before Apollo
^*
ushers in the dawn
And turns the sky to gold, shall be
Transformed to tears if I should meet
This so-called gentleman of hers

Between Medina and Olmedo.

205

FERNANDO. He knows how to defend himself.

RODRIGO. You underestimate my jealousy.

FERNANDO. The greatest monster, so it's said.
But matters of great consequence

Must be approached with common sense.

210

Exit both. Enter the
KING,
the
CONSTABLE,
and
ATTENDANTS.

KING. The festivities have finished late.
But still, I have not seen better.

CONSTABLE. I have informed them that you leave
Tomorrow. However, they are anxious that

You see the tournament arranged

215

In your honour. Medina begs
Your Majesty to stay just one
More day.

KING. It would be interesting.

CONSTABLE. And your presence much appreciated.

KING. Then I agree to it. Remember, though,

220

We have to reach Toledo in good time
And meet the Infante
^*
as arranged.

CONSTABLE. The Knight from Olmedo has performed
Superbly.

-147-

KING. He has, indeed, enjoyed
Good fortune.

CONSTABLE. It's difficult to know

225

Which is the greater: good fortune or
His valour. He is certainly brave.

KING. He seems to excel at everything.

CONSTABLE. Your Majesty is right to favour him.

KING. No more than he deserves, or that,

230

For your part, you favour him too.

Exit both. Enter
Don ALONSO
and
TELLO.
It is night.
^*

TELLO. Master, we've waited far too long.
It's much too late to start.

ALONSO. My parents will
Be waiting anxiously. I have

To go, however late it is.

235

TELLO. If you start talking to Inés,
You'll soon forget your parents. You'll still
Be here at daybreak.

ALONSO. I doubt I shall.
My soul will tell me when it's time
To leave.

TELLO. I hear voices. Leonor's,

240

I think.

ALONSO. See how the stars shine brighter still
As my Inés approaches.

LEONOR
at the window.

LEONOR. Is that Don
Alonso?

ALONSO. It is.

LEONOR. My sister will soon

-148-

Be here. She's with my father, discussing

The fiesta. Tello can come inside.

245

Inés has a present for him.

ALONSO. Tello, go
Ahead.

TELLO. If I don't appear again, sir,
Just start without me. I'll catch you up.

[
Exit
TELLO

ALONSO. Oh, when, Leonor, will I be allowed
To come inside?

LEONOR. I think quite soon.

250

My father is full of praise for you,
And well disposed. When he's informed
You love Inés and she loves you,
He'll welcome you with open arms.

INÉS
appears at the window.
^*

INÉS. Who are you speaking with?

LEONOR. Why, Don

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Rodrigo.

INÉS. You lie, it is my lord.

ALONSO. No, not your lord, Inés. I am
Your slave.

INÉS. You cannot be if you
Are my true master.

LEONOR. I'll leave you.

Who would want to disturb lovers

260

Other than someone truly jealous?

[
Exit
LEONOR

INÉS. So are you well, Alonso?

ALONSO. It was
As if I had no life, and so,

-149-

To live, I come to see you once again.

INÉS. I think the sadness of our parting now

265

Is meant to temper all the joy
I felt on seeing you the paragon
Of knights, the torment of all ladies.
I am so jealous of each one

Of them. I wanted them to sing

270

Your praises, then regretted it
In case they fell in love with you.
So many names and titles were
Conferred on you through envy in

The men and admiration in

275

The women. My father longs that you
Should marry Leonor and so
Become his son-in-law, a thought
That gratifies my love for him

But fills my heart with jealousy.

280

'You shall be mine,' I tell myself,
The words contained, my soul proclaiming it
Quite openly. But how can I
Be happy if you now depart?

ALONSO. I go only to see my parents.

285

INÉS. And go you should, but that does not
Prevent my sadness.

ALONSO. Nor mine, Inés.
But, going to Olmedo, I leave
My soul here in Medina. How strange!

To leave, yet not to leave. Love fears

290

Such absences, and fear in turn
Inspires jealousy. And so I go,
Half dead and yet still half alive.
What can I say as I prepare to leave,

My foot already in the stirrup? *

295

My lady, all my days are spent
Amongst such harsh imaginings,
That sometimes I am happy in

-150-

The midst of sadness, yet most sad

When I feel greatest happiness.

300

I am obsessed by darkest thoughts
Of losing you, and when I think
Such thoughts, imagination proves
So strong, no matter how I try,

I am convinced I am to die.

305

I know my rivals envy me,
And fear so much that, though I am
Convinced I can defeat them all,
I spend my anxious days between

Conflicting thoughts of love and fear.

310

I think perhaps we shall not meet
Again, and so I live obsessed
By thoughts that death is close at hand.
I imagine the words I'll put on paper,

And so now write this farewell letter.

315

To be thought of as your husband is
For me the greatest happiness;
And so, for one so loved and favoured as
Myself, it seems but just reward

That I should feel the greatest sadness.

320

To leave is surely to die, to write
Is to describe my death though I still live.
Believe me, Inés, when I return,
I shall be dead when I arrive,

If leaving is to cease to be alive.

325

I know that this is mere sadness,
And yet, Inés, its hold is such,
It speaks to me and tells me this:
'If you are dead when you depart,

How can it be that you'll return?'

330

I go, then, to my death,
^*
although
To die, I know, is not to lose you.
For if you still possess my soul,
How can I then depart and be alive?

-151-

How can I not be dead when I arrive?

335

INÉS. My lord, these fears you express
Have saddened me. If they are caused
By jealousy, it means your love
For me lacks faith. In part, I understand,

But you, it seems, have failed to understand

340

My love.

ALONSO. I promise you, my fears are
The product not of jealousy,
But of a soul that cannot cast
Aside such dark imaginings.

What I have said is not the fruit

345

Of any doubts I have of you.
But only of my fearful dreams,
Ill-founded fantasies.

LEONOR
appears at the window.

INÉS. Leonor
Returns. What is it?

ALONSO. Time for me
To leave, no doubt.

LEONOR. Yes, father is

350

About to go to bed. He wants
To see Inés.

INÉS. Then you must leave, Alonso. It can't be helped. Goodbye.

[
Exit
INÉS
and
LEONOR

ALONSO. Oh, when, God willing, will we meet

Again? Now that I must depart,

355

My life is at an end. Tello
Has not appeared. Perhaps he too
Finds parting difficult. I'll go
Alone and he can follow later on.

-152-

As
ALONSO
is about to exit, he is confronted
by a
SHADOWY FIGURE
^*
wearing a hat and
a black mask. He has his hand placed on the
hilt of his sword.

What's that? Who's there? He pays me no

360

Attention. Who are you? Speak! That I,
Who fear no one, should now be frightened by
This person! Are you Don Rodrigo?
Tell me who you are!

SHADOW. I am Don Alonso.

ALONSO. What?

SHADOW. Don Alonso.

365

ALONSO [
aside
]. Another Don
Alonso, clearly! [
Aloud
] If this
Is some deceit, I challenge you
To draw your sword!

[
Exit
SHADOW

He's turned away.
It would be madness to pursue him.

Oh, fearful imagination! The man

370

I saw was my own shadow! No,
Not shadow! For it seemed flesh
And blood and said that it was Don
Alonso. These things are fashioned by

My sadness, the product of a restless and

375

Unhappy mind. Oh, why does it
Torment me with this vision of
Myself? Such baseless fears are
The province of more superstitious minds!

Perhaps it is a trick of Fabia's

380

To stop me going to Olmedo.
She's always telling me to be
More prudent, not to journey at night,
And this because she knows, she says,

How others envy me. As for

385

Rodrigo, envy is impossible,

-153-

For I have saved his life, and he,
On that account, is in my debt.
For any gentleman of true

Nobility and worth, it is

390

An obligation he must not forget.
Indeed, this is the reason he
And I can now be loyal friends.
Ingratitude does not reside

In noble hearts, only in the hearts

395

Of those who, lacking noble blood,
^*
Are base and common. In short, it is
The very quintessence of
Ignoble minds and deeds that he

Who has received some benefit,

400

Should in return display ingratitude.

Exit
Don ALONSO.
Enter
Don RODRIGO,
Don FERNANDO, MENDO,
and
LAÍN.

RODRIGO. Today shall see the end of both
My jealousy and Don Alonso's life.

FERNANDO. Your mind is finally made up.

RODRIGO. Yes, nothing can save him now. Did they

405

Not break the promise I was given?
Her wish to be a nun, a cruel trick!
And all the time his servant, Tello,
Pretending to teach her Latin,

While in reality he passed

410

Her letters from Alonso written in
Romance!
^*
Don Pedro too, treating Fabia
As if she were the true embodiment
Of virtue! Oh, wretched Inés! I do

Not blame your innocence for falling foul

415

Of Fabia's evil spells! How could
You know, as modest as you are,
What trickery was in the air,
Or that our honour -- yours and mine --

Was being trampled underfoot?

420

How many noble families

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