Three Major Plays (35 page)

Such treachery! Must I believe

515

That any son is capable
Of infamy as terrible
As this against the very man
Responsible for his own birth?

If this is true, I pray that heaven,

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When I have killed him once, will grant
Him life again, so I may have
The chance to kill him one time more.
Oh, this is true disloyalty!

Oh, this the very worst offence!

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A man cannot leave home without
His son abusing what he thought
Was safe, entrusted to his care.
How can I, then, be sure that

I learn the truth and not expect

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The witnesses I call to draw
Attention
^*
to the full extent
Of my ignoble fall? And yet
It is quite possible that not

A soul will be prepared to speak

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Of something quite so horrible.
But if they do, it follows that
The revelation of the crime

Is only possible because

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It's true, and as its consequence
My own disgrace is unavoidable.
To punish him is not to take
Revenge, nor can the man who punishes
Be properly avenged. To force

The truth from him could also be

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The source of my undoing. Honour lies
Far less in what is done than in
The dreadful things that may be spoken.

Enter FEDERICO.

FEDERICO. My lord, I knew you were not yet

Asleep. I wish to speak with you.

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DUKE. May God protect you, Federico.

FEDERICO. I come because there is a favour I
Would ask of you.

DUKE. There is no need.
You know my love is such, it favours you
Before you ask.

FEDERICO. It was your wish

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Not long ago, that I should ask
Aurora for her hand in marriage.
Although I shared that wish, I was
On that occasion most discouraged by

The Marquis's love of her, and so

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Did not pursue my own. But when
You'd gone to Italy, it was as if
Aurora, seeing how I really loved
Her, changed; began to favour me

Again, and I to hope our marriage could,

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Once you came back, soon be arranged.
I come to ask that you agree
To our wedding and, of course,
Confer upon us both your blessing.

DUKE.My son, there's nothing else would give

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Me greater pleasure. Even so,
You must discuss the matter with
Your mother too, as you have done
With me. What matters most is that

We are a happy, caring family.

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FEDERICO. But she does not have our blood.
Why should I therefore ask advice
Of her, my lord?

DUKE. I would have thought,
Because the lady is your mother.

FEDERICO. My mother was Laurencia.

580

DUKE. So does that mean you are ashamed
To call Casandra mother? They tell

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Me, while I was away, the two
Of you got on extremely well
Together.

FEDERICO. My lord, I do not wish

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To contradict the story others tell.
I know you love her dearly.
But if she was for them the angel they
Describe, she was not so with me.

DUKE. Then I am sorry if what I

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Have heard is so untrue. They said
That nothing ever pleased her more
Than seeing you.

FEDERICO. She favoured me
At times, but also made me feel

As if to be another woman's son

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Was something of a feckless crime.

DUKE. I do admit I am inclined
To think there is some truth in it.
I would have been more pleased if she

Had shown you even greater love

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Than me, for that would surely
Consolidate this kingdom's harmony.
May God go with you.

FEDERICO. And with you, my lord.

[
Exit
FEDERICO

DUKE. How could I bear to listen to

Such hideous lies, and see how he

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Prepares a marriage to Aurora to
Disguise the truth! How eagerly
He blames Casandra, thinking I
Will therefore think the worse of her!

How foolishly are criminals

610

Convinced that they conceal their crimes,
When everything they say and do
Is of their guilt the clearest sign!

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He cannot bring himself to call

Her mother -- how could he when his father's wife

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Is now his own devoted lover?
But why am I so easily
Convinced* that such a foul offence
Is true? Is it not possible

Some enemy of mine now plots

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His own revenge on me by making me
Believe my son's committed such
An act of treachery? That I
Should even think he is to blame

Is both a source of punishment and shame.

625

Enter CASANDRA and AURORA.

AURORA. To grant me this, my lady, is
To grant me life itself.
CASANDRA. To choose
So wisely is to guarantee
Yourself both wealth and happiness.

AURORA. The Duke comes here.

CASANDRA. My lord, I had

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Not thought to find you wide-awake.

DUKE. Because I've been away so long,
I feel I have to give attention to
Affairs of state. And yet this letter here

Makes mention of the way you and

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The Count both make most excellent
Administrators. Your deeds, it seems,
Have made their mark, and won unstinted praise
From others.

CASANDRA. It is the Count, not me,

To whom you owe most gratitude.

640

It is not flattery to say
He's served you well, displaying both
Discretion and nobility,
Combining wisdom and true bravery.

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He is the image of yourself, my lord.

645

DUKE. You speak as if he copies me In everything, and you now have
A problem in distinguishing
Between the two of us. For this

I shall reward him as he properly

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Deserves.

CASANDRA. It is Aurora whom
You now can serve more properly.
The Marquis wants to marry her,
And I have said you'll willingly
Agree to it.

DUKE. I am afraid that someone else,

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Whose love and status is by far
Superior, has already asked for her.
The Count has made me promise her
To him.

CASANDRA. The Count?

DUKE. The Count.

CASANDRA. Has asked
For her?

DUKE. I'd say you are surprised,

660

Casandra.

CASANDRA. If someone else had told
Me this, I would have said he lied.

DUKE. To please the Count, the wedding shall
Take place tomorrow.

CASANDRA. If that is now

Aurora's wish, it shall be so.

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AURORA. My lord, forgive me. I cannot marry him.

DUKE. What foolishness! The Count is far
Superior to the Marquis in
Good looks, nobility, in anything

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You care to name.

AURORA. But when I loved

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Him, sir, he would not look at me.
And if he says he loves me now,
I cannot share that sympathy.

DUKE. I ask you do this not so much

For him, Aurora, as for me.

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AURORA. I do not love him, sir. I swear To you. I shall not marry him.

[
Exit
AURORA

DUKE. How very strange!
CASANDRA. She may seem bold,
My lord, but acts most prudently.

DUKE. She'll marry him, I promise you,

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Or pay the price for her temerity.

CASANDRA. To force her would be pure folly. No
One loves who does not do so freely.

[Exit the DUKE

I cannot bear to think the Count

Can contemplate such treachery!

685

Enter FEDERICO.

FEDERICO. Was not my father here?

CASANDRA. You dare
To speak to me when you have told
The Duke you wish to marry her!
What treachery is this?

FEDERICO. Casandra, hush!
The danger is too great.

CASANDRA. There is 690
No danger that can now compare
With all the anger that I feel

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For you.

FEDERICO. Casandra, please! Speak quietly,
Or everyone will hear.

Enter the
DUKE.
He hides and listens.

DUKE. I must have proof. I'll listen to

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Them both from here; far better if
I know the worst than be destroyed
By groundless and imaginary fears.

FEDERICO. Casandra, listen. What matters now
Is your reputation.

CASANDRA. Who would have said

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That anyone would do what you
Have done when I have offered you
My love and therefore ask you recognize
Your obligation?

FEDERICO. My main concern Was that suspicion should not fall

705

On us. But even so, I think
What happiness we had must end.
The Duke is not so base a man
He will not, once he understands

What we have done, take every step

710

To mend his name and reputation.
Our love consumed us like a fever.
We must regard it now as over.

CASANDRA. You are the greatest coward I

Have ever seen. Those earnest pleas,

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Those sweet entreaties that you used
To steal my heart and then my honour --
How many women have become,
Like me, men's helpless prisoners? --

Are now the milksop pleadings of

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A coward racked by fear!

DUKE [aside]. How can
I bear to listen any more

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And not be made of stone? They have
Confessed their sin without the need

To torture them. But who can say

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There is no torture here if I
Am forced to listen to this foul
Confession? I need to hear no more.
What I am sure of is honour is

The judge of this offence and is

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Thus called upon to pass and then
To execute the sentence. But it
Must be in such a way that my
Good name remains unsoiled, and cannot be

By public gossip then destroyed.

735

No living soul shall ever know
I am dishonoured. I shall take steps
To see the crime is quickly buried.
^*
For it is not enough for any man

To cleanse his honour, when others are

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Prepared to speak of it forever.

[
Exit the
DUKE

CASANDRA. How women are abused! How false are men!

FEDERICO. I swear, my lady, I shall do
What you demand of me. My word

Bears witness to my loyalty.

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CASANDRA. You promise me?

FEDERICO. As I stand here,
You can rely on me.

CASANDRA. I am
Convinced that love can overcome
All obstacles. I have been and

Shall always now be yours. If it

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Is true that love can find a way,
I know that I shall see you every day.

FEDERICO. What matters most is that the Duke
Should be convinced of your love.

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He must believe that, when he lies

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With you, you are his gentle, cooing dove.

CASANDRA. I shall convince him I am still
His treasure, though love, when it is feigned,
Does not contain the slightest pleasure.

[
Exit
CASANDRA and FEDERICO

Enter
AURORA
and
BATÍN.

BATÍN. They tell me, fair Aurora, you

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Are soon to marry my good friend,
The Marquis of Gonzaga. I've only one
Request: that when you leave, you let
Me come with you to Mantua.

AURORA. But why, Batín? You've always been

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The Count's most loyal servant.

BATÍN. That's
The point, my lady. He who serves
Too well can almost guarantee
He'll never prosper. How often do

You hear them say to you: 'No, not

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Today, you'll have to wait until
Tomorrow.' And when tomorrow comes:
'What cheek! You'll have to wait until
Next week.' There's no reward in what

I do. I know I'd rather go with you.

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Besides, I don't know if the Count's
Gone mad. He's either happy or
He's sad. He either laughs from ear
To ear, or else his mouth drops down

To here. Then there's the Duchess, just

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Like him, as if she's in a constant spin.
So what can I expect to get
If all they ever do is fret?
The Duke has conversations with himself;

He wanders round as if he's blind;

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Pretends he is a perfect saint,
And looks for what he'll never find.

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