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• The Foolish Gentleman : ACT THREE Scene Three , ACT THREE Scene Four

The Foolish Gentleman, translated by Kathleen Jeffs (née Mountjoy)

ACT THREE Scene Three

Context:

Family tree for clarity: The Duke has two children, a boy Anteo and a girl Estrella. The King also has two children, a boy Lotario and a girl Aurora. Context: This scene begins in the middle of Act 3. The confusion between the brothers and sisters has been unravelled, and the lovers are now with their partners: Anteo with Aurora and Lotario with Estrella. However, the English Ambassador has waged war on Hungary because Lotario impersonated the Ambassador’s son, getting him killed. Anteo and the Duke join the English forces against the Hungarians, and Aurora joins their fight. Both brothers are intent on killing their sisters for dishonouring their families.

Sample text

LOTARIO:

My lady, I will die a happy man,
if today’s joy does not kill me;
I would like you to keep the name of ‘sister’,
for you are the sister of my soul.

Heaven offers great comfort
to lovers whose passions are ignited
in the security of brotherly love,

for our familial love
comes from our affection as brother and sister;
is it possible that I see myself
in your eyes and in your hands?

My lady, I am so happy to see you,
I cannot even speak to you.

ESTRELLA:

Nor will I know how to respond to you
amid the pleasure of listening to you.

Among the gifts of mercy you have shown me,
I wish you could also see yourself reflected in my heart
as easily as you can see yourself in my eyes.

I am overwhelmed by all these words;
if only my heart could speak out
directly to you.

CLAUDIO: (Aside.)

They speak to one another
with such extraordinary pleasure,
it would be a shame to disturb them
so I’ll not interrupt just now.

LOTARIO:

Oh, my Estrella!

ESTRELLA:

Oh, my Lotario!

LOTARIO:

Righteous heaven has given me my Estrella,
a star which guides me
to all the pleasures of this world.

That star whose halo
lights all the world,
whose light obscures the sun.

Estrella whom the stars have raised to Heaven,
whose eyes are stars,
who allows my heart to see the night’s stars
in the middle of the day.

Estrella, whose divine beauty
brings Heaven to earth,
who rules over my heart
where she shall reign for ever.

Although I was born under a happy star,
since I was born for you,
I cannot say I was born under your influence.

ESTRELLA:

Do not say more, my darling,
for now I am imagining
that because I am your Estrella,
I have been born in your heavens.

You have placed me in the sky,
surrounded by an infinite number of stars,
and I will never try to count them,
for it would be impossible.

LOTARIO:

Count them, beautiful Estrella,
they are as many as the pleasures you bring me.

Because their number is infinite …
but the palace is all in an uproar,
and the King is coming? What can it be?

Enter the KING.

KING:

I am leaving.

LOTARIO:

I will go where my father is.

KING:

No one shall enter.

Voice from within.

VOICE:

None shall pass.

KING:

What news of my Prince?

LOTARIO:

I am here.

KING:

You are needed elsewhere;
although it is understandable for you
to be in the arms of your new wife;

but it cannot be so while your land
lives under threat of the pain, unrest,
blood and fire of war.

When flags wave bearing enemy emblems,
when your lands are covered by
more foreigners than citizens,

in the fields and in the hills,
they tower even over the mountains,
they blind the light of the sun
with their shining steel swords;

when their ferocity
makes weak men flee,
when your people are destroyed,
when they lay waste to your fields,

while even here you are not
safe from the enemy fire,
and even now they are securing ladders
to scale our walls;

when with fury and savageness,
arrogance and temerity,
your fearless nemesis
threatens your own head;

when he has declared war against you,
when he has united all of England in his fury,
they will bring blood and fire against you;

when adding to this wrong,
which for me is unbearable,
your own sister has made herself General
of the enemy army;

you would rather be here
bestowing gifts on your new wife,
who has vowed to stay by you
in good times and in bad;

you must leave your marital bower,
leave Cupid behind,
make Mars begin to govern
your body and your mind.

The brave heart and sharpest steel sword
must now replace the tenderness of home,
if you can remember how to handle steel,
after becoming used to a softer touch.

Go out to the field,
and defend your pleasure, life and honour,
leave off love,
for if you find love in your heart now it will
only serve to weaken you,

for a man must not come to
love a beautiful woman in such a way
that the fear of losing her
can turn him into a coward.

So, my son …

LOTARIO:

Father, enough;
One word from you would be enough,
of course I will go.

I will go where those people
can prove my strength,
who but Love can turn
cowards to valiant men?

You have blamed love
but a thousand of love’s gifts have assured me,
and who has ever seen a coward in love?
Are not lovers brave in defending their beloved?

As for her, my enemy sister,
General of those people,
today she shall pay for her loose behaviour
with her life.

ESTRELLA:

The King my lord sees how
Love lends us courage
and does not take our strength from us;

I go out with you,
so that it may be seen and understood
that the offences of one woman
can be avenged by another;

so that you are not offended
by such an enterprise,
I will go out as the General
of your side and of your people.

I will govern them and
I will take pride in my leadership.

LOTARIO:

Who could know how to govern my lands
better than she who governs my heart?

KING:

Let’s go. Death to England!

LOTARIO:

We will come to the battlefield directly.

ESTRELLA:

War, war, to blood and fire,
war, war, war, war!

They exit, and enter the DUKE, AURORA and ANTEO.

DUKE:

The English are led by their Ambassador;
our people will be victorious,
as they bear the burden of war
and trust to the leadership of my sons.

AURORA:

Can Seslao and Teleo
govern the country well?

DUKE:

I do not believe
they would make a bad coalition.

ANTEO:

Victory will be certain
with so strong a General.

AURORA:

In order to show my mettle
I have ceased to be a woman.

I have exchanged tears and
wringing hands for ferocity;
for I want an honourable husband,
and that has to be you, Sir.

And as such it is right that
I should purchase your honour
and my dignity with my own blood.

ANTEO:

And for me to adore you it is right
that I am insane and half-dead with joy;
even death is not a sufficient sign
of how much I love you,

but no, it’s for you,
my beautiful, strong,
lovely, and holy woman.

It is only right for me to call you
by these renowned names you have acquired!
He who speaks ill of women
is an odious peasant.

And if at one time I myself
abhorred even the name of ‘woman’,
undoubtedly that had to be
because I did not truly know her.

The height of all good and beauty,
for my pleasure and in my interest
leave your feet here so I can kiss them,
I will put my head at their level.

AURORA:

Stand up.

ANTEO:

Stop,
this is where I belong,
my place in this world is at your feet.

But I will be able to console myself
if you begin to do battle,
I will lay so many heads under your feet,
your head will reach up to the heavens.

I have received a gift from you,
and so I will astonish the people,
for it is, without a doubt,
that being brave is the reward for being loved.

When we go to the war,
I will take in my two strong hands
a staff in one, in the other a sword.

And so, you will see me
killing and defeating men with terrible blows,
because you will only be satisfied
with our total victory.

And so, after many different sorts of deaths,
I will raise you up to your throne
on my powerful shoulders
and I will live to serve you,
like a thousand Hercules, like a thousand Atlases.

AURORA:

You have no equal in this world.

Enter a SOLDIER.

SOLDIER:

Now, sir, your sister comes marching,
who bears the rank of General.

ANTEO:

I will award her the rank of slave,
but, to kill her will be better.

AURORA:

Your valour is so great
that even those who praise you can only offend you.

ANTEO:

I will punish that insane girl.

DUKE:

Everyone is prepared.

ANTEO:

To arms, long live Aurora!
To arms!

DUKE:

To arms!

ANTEO:

Long live the mighty and beautiful Aurora!

AURORA:

I live only to see my enemy die.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Foolish Gentleman by Kathleen Jeffs (née Mountjoy) is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

ACT THREE Scene Four

Context:

This scene follows directly from the previous scene.

Sample text

Exeunt, and voices heard from within.

SOME:

England!

OTHERS:

Hungary!

ANTEO:

Long live Aurora!

LOTARIO:

Long live Estrella!

Enter LOTARIO.

LOTARIO:

No one shall escape
my wrath today.

Exit, and enter ANTEO.

ANTEO:

I’ll follow her,
no one escapes from my grip,
especially after all she has done.

Exit, and enter AURORA.

AURORA:

I’ll follow you, my darling husband,
today you shall be renowned
for your brave deeds.

Exit, and enter ESTRELLA.

ESTRELLA:

Love is so demanding!

Enter AURORA.

AURORA:

Desire is all-consuming.

ESTRELLA:

There I see my enemy.

AURORA:

I see my enemy there.
Why do I hesitate?
The time has come, traitor.

Enter ANTEO.

ESTRELLA:

Peasant, the time has come.
What am I seeing? Oh, God!

ANTEO:

Leave me to punish her
for daring to challenge you.

Enter LOTARIO.

LOTARIO:

What am I seeing?
I will defend you from her
and bless God and my good fortune.

ANTEO:

You will not achieve your desire,
for I will take vengeance
on the two of you with one strike.

Enter the DUKE.

DUKE:

They must die, my son.

ANTEO:

I will kill them.

Enter the KING.

KING:

My beloved son, I am here.

DUKE:

And I am your vassal –
wait, Anteo.

KING:

Wait.

ANTEO:

Oh, God.

DUKE:

I respect you as my king.

KING:

I am thankful to you.

ESTRELLA:

Wait, beloved prince,
stay your fierce hand.

LOTARIO:

For your sake I will not kill him here –
you must find me on the battlefield.

Exit one group of three by one door, and the other group of three by the opposite door, and enter the AMBASSADOR.

AMBASSADOR:

You, valiant Englishmen,
raised to such glory.
Victory for England!
The defeated Hungarians
draw back in retreat,
and we shout to them,
Let them die!

Exit the AMBASSADOR and enter AURORA, fleeing.

ESTRELLA:

You are so brave,
fear of your strength
makes my hair stand on end.

Enter ANTEO.

ANTEO:

Why are you running?

ESTRELLA:

Fear of your violence
makes me flee from you.

ANTEO:

Are you headed to the
top of that cliff?
Go on, climb, although
even God cannot help you there.

ESTRELLA:

God, give strength
to my heavy steps.

She climbs up the side of the mountain with ANTEO in pursuit.

ANTEO:

I climb this mountain
with the light steps of a prowling cat.

Enter AURORA, fleeing, as LOTARIO pursues her.

LOTARIO:

Do not run.

AURORA:

I flee from you because
you are cruel.

LOTARIO:

Stop. No matter how lightly you step,
you will not elude me.

And because you were so shameless
I am going to kill you with my own hands.

He unsheathes a dagger.

AURORA:

Oh my brother! What will they say
if you shed your own blood?
Is the blood that runs in my veins
not the same as your own?
Does our blood deserve to be spilled
out here among the rocks,
to rest in the cold, hard ground?

Is it not noble? Is it not loyal?
My reasons must oblige you.

LOTARIO:

Wait, you are right;
I must kill you in another way.

I will not spill your blood,
because you are right, it is mine,
but I will put a cord around your neck
and kill you that way instead.

That way no one can say
I shed our blood.

He takes off his sock-garter and makes a noose around her neck.

AURORA:

Bitter fortune!

LOTARIO:

A noose made from this garter
will be the instrument of her death.

AURORA:

You have given yourself
the role of executioner?

LOTARIO:

A man who wishes to be honourable
has often found himself in that role.

Enter ANTEO on a mountain with ESTRELLA in his arms.

ANTEO:

You are going to take a shortcut
down to the bottom of the mountain.

ESTRELLA:

Heaven help me now!

The two pairs see one another; they are now aware of their siblings’ danger.

AURORA:

You are like a tiger.

ESTRELLA:

Brother.

AURORA:

Brother.

ESTRELLA:

My friend!

AURORA:

My husband!

ANTEO:

What do I see?

LOTARIO:

What do I see?

AURORA:

Anteo.

ESTRELLA:

Lotario.

ANTEO:

My enemy.

LOTARIO:

My nemesis.

ANTEO:

Evil Lotario.

LOTARIO:

Infamous Anteo.

ANTEO:

What are you trying to do now?

LOTARIO:

What is your inhuman hand doing now?

ANTEO:

I am killing a disgraced sister.

LOTARIO:

And I am killing a treacherous sister.

ANTEO:

Do you know that as the spoils of our war
I gave her the keys to my heart?

LOTARIO:

And you, peasant, do you not know
that I see myself in those eyes?

Heaven has rained
this beautiful angel down to earth,
and you must be Lucifer,
if you dare to challenge Heaven itself.

Leave this angel here on earth.
She is my Estrella, my star and my lady.

ANTEO:

You must leave her, my Aurora,
my dawn and my lady.

LOTARIO:

I must kill this one,
and afterwards I will come down and punish you.

ANTEO:

Stop.

LOTARIO:

Stop.

ANTEO:

Wait.

LOTARIO:

Wait,
do not be so quick to cast the heavens down to earth.

ANTEO:

Do not raise her up to Heaven so soon.

LOTARIO:

Die.

ANTEO:

Die,
I will open my arms,
cast you down and you will break to pieces.

LOTARIO:

And I will tighten the noose
when you open your arms.

ANTEO:

What will I do now?

LOTARIO:

What can I do?

ANTEO:

Am I insane?

LOTARIO:

I must be insane.

ESTRELLA:

Look at me, I am your wife.

AURORA:

I am to be yours.
Soften your unfeeling heart.

ESTRELLA:

Move your hard heart.
What terrible confusion!

ANTEO:

And what terrible misfortune!
But you will not dare to lay a hand on her.

LOTARIO:

And you, through fear, must also
forgo your cruel punishment.

ANTEO:

You will die.

ESTRELLA:

Oh God!

LOTARIO:

I will kill you.

AURORA:

God have mercy!

Enter the DUKE above, and the KING below, and they each detain one of the younger men.

DUKE:

Son!

KING:

Son!

DUKE:

Stop!

KING:

Stop!
Your ferocity frightens me.

LOTARIO:

Let go, my lord.

KING:

I will not.

ANTEO:

I’ll throw her off.

DUKE:

Can’t you spare a man his daughter?

KING:

Can’t you see she’s my child?

DUKE:

If you kill her, you kill me.

KING:

Is your life not shared by Estrella?

LOTARIO:

I will have to share the fall with her
as I share my soul with her.

KING:

Stay your anger, temper your pride,
put this noose around my neck
and choke me, for, in truth,
that neck belongs to me.

DUKE:

If you will not respect me as a father
at least show respect for me as an old man.

KING:

If you can see my tears,
you will do what I beg of you.

ANTEO:

I am not so inhuman.

LOTARIO:

Nor am I such a disobedient son.

They let the women go, enter the COUNT and CLAUDIA [and the scene continues…]

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Foolish Gentleman by Kathleen Jeffs (née Mountjoy) is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Entry written by Kathleen Jeffs. Last updated on 4 October 2010.

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