Summary of Fuente Ovejuna
Lope de Vega
Fuente Ovejuna
The Commander of the Order of Calatrava, Fernán Gómez de Guzmán, arrives at Almagro for the Order’s master, Don Rodrigo Télès-Chiron. The master was young for years and only recently inherited this high post from his father. Therefore, the commander, crowned with military glory, treats him with some mistrust and arrogance, but he must observe the respectfulness of the case. The Commander came to the master to tell us about the strife characteristic of Spain in the 15th century. After the death of the Castilian King Don Enrique, King Alfonso of Portugal claims on the crown that his commander and his supporters are indisputable, and through Isavella, his wife, Don Fernando, Prince of Aragon. The Commander insistently advises the Master to immediately announce the collection of the Knights of the Order of Calatrava and take Ciudad Real with a fight, which lies on the border of Andalusia and Castile and which the king of Castile considers
In Fuente Ovehune, the peasants are waiting for the Commander’s departure: he does not enjoy their confidence, mainly because he pursues girls and beautiful women – some are seduced by his love assurances, others are threatened by threats and the possible revenge of the commander in case of their obstinacy. So, his last hobby is the daughter of the mayor Fuente Ovehuna, Laurence, and he does not give the girl a pass. But Laurencia loves Frondoso, a simple peasant, and rejects the rich gifts of the commander, which he sends to her with his servants Ortunio and Flores, who usually help the gentleman to seek the favor of peasant women.
The battle for Ciudad Real ends with the crushing victory of the Master of the Order of Kadatrava: he broke the defense of the city, beheaded all
Soon after returning from the military campaign, the commander, going hunting, meets in a deserted place by the stream Laurenciu. The girl there has a date with Frondoso, but when she sees the commander, she begs the young man to hide in the bushes. The commander, sure that he and Laurensya are alone, behaves very decisively, and, putting aside the bow, is determined at any cost to achieve his goal. Frondsso jumps out of cover and grabs a bullet and forces the commander to retreat under the threat of weapons, and he runs away. The Commander is shocked by the tested humiliation and vows to take vengeance cruelly. The incident immediately becomes known to the whole village, happily meeting the news that the commander was forced to retreat to a simple peasant. The commander is to Estevan, the mayor and father of Laurenci, with the demand to send him a daughter. Estevan, supported by all peasants,
Meanwhile, two members of the city council of Ciudad Real are coming to the king of Castile, Don Fernando and to the queen of Don Isabeli, and, having told about the excesses committed by the master and the commander of the Order of Calatrava, they implore the king for protection. They tell the king that only the master remained in the city, and the commander and his people went to Fuente Ovehun, where he usually lives and where he is rumored to rule with unprecedented arbitrariness. Don Fernando immediately makes the decision to send to Ciudad Real, two regiments under the leadership of the Master of the Order of Santiago, to cope with the rebels. This campaign ends with complete success: the city is besieged, and the master of the Order of Calatrava needs immediate help. The messenger reports this to the commander – only his appearance saves the inhabitants of Fuente Ovehuna from the immediate punishment and revenge of the commander.
While the commander is absent, Laurencia and Frondoso decide to marry – to the joy of their parents and the entire village, who had been waiting for this event for a long time. At the height of the wedding and the general merriment, the commander returns: irritated by the military failure and remembering his resentment against the inhabitants of the village, he orders to seize Frondoso and take him to jail. Take into custody and Laurence, who dared to raise her voice in defense of the groom. Residents of the village are going to a gathering, and opinions are divided: some are ready to go to the commander’s house now and deal with the cruel ruler, while others prefer cowardly to remain silent. In the midst of the dispute, Laurencia resorted. Her appearance is terrible: her hair is disheveled, she is all covered in bruises. The agitated story of the girl about the humiliations and tortures she was subjected to, about the fact that Frondoso is about to be killed, makes a strong impression on the audience. The last argument of Laurencia – if there are no men in the village, then the women will be able to defend their honor themselves, – decides: the whole village rushes to storm the commander’s house. He at first does not believe that the people of Fuente Ovehuna could rebel, then, realizing that this is true, decides to release Frondoso. But this can not change anything in the fate of the Commander: the cup of people’s patience overflowed. Killed, literally torn to pieces by the crowd himself Commander, not to be bothered and his faithful servants.
Only Flores manages to escape by a miracle, and, half-dead, he seeks protection from Don Fernando, the king of Castile, representing everything that happened as a peasant revolt against the authorities. In doing so, he does not tell the king that the people of Fuente Ovehuna want the king to own them, and so they beat the coat of arms of Don Fernando over the Commander’s house. The king promises that the payoff will not slow down to follow; This is what the Master of the Order of Calatrava asks him, who came to the king of Castile with a guilty head and promises to continue to be his faithful vassal. Don Fernando sends to Fuente Ovejunu judge (punish the perpetrators) and the captain, who should ensure order.
In the village, although they sing the toast in honor of the Castilian kings Don Fernando and Doña Isavela, they still understand that the monarchs will be closely examining what happened in Fuente Ovehune. Therefore, the peasants decide to take precautions and agree on all the questions about who killed the commander, to answer: “Fuente Ovehuna.” They even arrange something like a rehearsal, after which the mayor calms down: the arrival of the royal judge is all ready. The judge interrogates the peasants with greater severity than expected; those who appear to him as instigators are thrown into prison; No mercy is given to women, children, or the elderly. To establish the truth, he applies the most brutal torture, including the rack. But all as one on the question of who is guilty of the death of the commander, answer: “Fuente Ovehuna.” And the judge has to return to the king with a report: he used all means, tortured three hundred people, but did not find any evidence. To confirm the truth of his words, the villagers themselves came to the king. They tell him about the humiliation and humiliation that they endured from the commander, and assure the king and queen of their devotion – Fuente Ovejuna wants to live, obeying only the power of the kings of Castile, their fair trial. The king, after listening to the peasants, passes his sentence: if there are no evidences, people should be forgiven, and the village should remain after him until there is another commander to own Fuente Ovehuna. and assure the king and queen in their devotion – Fuente Ovejuna wants to live, obeying only the power of the kings of Castile, their fair trial. The king, after listening to the peasants, passes his sentence: if there are no evidences, people should be forgiven, and the village should remain after him until there is another commander to own Fuente Ovehuna. and assure the king and queen in their devotion – Fuente Ovejuna wants to live, obeying only the power of the kings of Castile, their fair trial. The king, after listening to the peasants, passes his sentence: if there are no evidences, people should be forgiven, and the village should remain after him until there is another commander to own Fuente Ovehuna.
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