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• The Painter of Dishonour : ACT TWO Final Scene

The Painter of Dishonour (1995), translated by David Johnston, Laurence Boswell

ACT TWO Final Scene

Edition

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro. 1995. The Painter of Dishonour, trans. David Johnston and Laurence Boswell. Bath, Absolute

pp. 79-87

Context:

Serafina and Alvaro are reunited after a long separation, but in the time they have been apart, Serafina has married Don Juan. Alvaro, masked, dances with Serafina in this scene and makes it clear his feelings for her are just as strong as when they were parted so long ago. Serafina is true to her husband, but Alvaro takes advantage of the chaos when a fire breaks out and kidnaps her.

Sample text

The musicians play; DON ALVARO and SERAFINA dance, their words and those of the song combining in a strange harmony; the music continues throughout.

SONG:

My soul kneels before thy beauty,
queen of my heart I crown thee.

DON ALVARO:

Ever more I contemplate in thee
the measure of my love and joy.

SONG:

My soul kneels in act of worship,
my heart sings a hymn to thine eyes.

SERAFINA:

I have no wish to take offence
but such words as these are out of place.

SONG:

Love’s suffering ennobles me,
love’s suffering makes me bolder ...

SERAFINA:

So I must dampen your ardour
before you feel you have the right ...

SONG:

To break the bonds of courtesy
and to speak with tongue and heart free.

SERAFINA:

The time for courtesy has gone.
I’ll dance no more.

DON ALVARO:

The dance hasn’t ...
In that case, the pleasure was mine.

SERAFINA:

Clearly, sir, yours and yours alone.
Let me make one thing clearer still.
Your conduct offends me deeply.

DON ALVARO:

Offends?

SERAFINA:

To the depth of my soul!
Good friends, it’s time we left this place!

She spins round. The musicians stop playing. Bewilderment.

WOMAN 1:

So soon? What’s wrong?

SERAFINA:

I’m tired, that’s all.

FLORA:

Are you not enjoying yourself?

SERAFINA:

I was ... I am ... I’m just tired.

MAN 1:

Let’s walk down by the harbour wall
and go to my house for supper.

DON JUAN:

And we can relax a little,
away from the public eye.
(to JUANETE)
Not you. Follow him, find out who he is,
but make sure he doesn’t suspect.

JUANETE:

I’ll be the eyes and ears of the world,
the soul of discretion itself,
and if he goes to the ends of the world,
I’ll not lose him from my sharp sights.

DON JUAN departs with his wife and friends.

FABIO:

What now, sir?

DON ALVARO:

I don’t know. I don’t know.
I came here so full of warm hopes,
without even stopping to think,
without even saying goodbye
to my father or my sister.
I hired a brig to bring me here,
following my hopes across the sea,
pursuing a sad illusion,
coming to find Serafina ...
she was never Serafina ...
a poisoned chalice, a cold bitch,
a sphinx who inspires this rabid rage.

JUANETE:

I think he’s a monk of some sort,
to judge by the speed they’re walking,
like priests invited out to dinner.

DON ALVARO:

Her final words were so bitter,
offended to the pit of her soul ...
as though my love were some disease,
as though her love were some mistake
of another life, now forgotten.
There’s nothing left to hope for now,
nothing left but to convince my mind
that the sole object of its desire
is lost, that she has gone for good.
Here in this abyss of despair
I could mourn and grieve for ever,
or I can take stock and react
and turn my face back towards life.
Here Fabio, take this cloak and mask

He removes his cloak and mask. He is still wearing his sailor’s costume underneath.

and fling them far into the tide
or give them to some passing child.
And meanwhile I’ll call up the crew
and I’ll shake her dust off my feet
and seek new life across the sea.

JUANETE:

Well, well. So he’s a sailor boy.
A girl in every port, the bastard.

FABIO:

Ah sir, those are the wisest words
that I’ve heard you speak in a month.

FABIO leaves.

DON ALVARO:

And should my suffering dispute this
and take issue with my judgment,
I’ll cast the die, go straight on board.
Tomorrow I shall be far gone.
My last gift to Serafina,
for I love her with all my soul
and if her life requires my death,
then I serve her as best I can.

JUANETE:

He talks a lot for a sailor.

FABIO returns.

FABIO:

Sir, some of the men are over here.

DON ALVARO:

Men, I’m sorry, our plans have changed.
We set sail on the next full tide,
the wind’s behind us for Italy.
(Aside.) Goodbye to my hopes, to my love,
goodbye to you, Serafina.

VOICES: (Off.)

Fire! Fire!

DON ALVARO:

What in God’s name ...

VOICES: (Off.)

Don Diego de Cardona’s house,
it’s well ablaze from end to end.

DON ALVARO:

God, Serafina’s inside there.
Fabio ... Fabio! We must help her.

FABIO:

But what about ...

DON ALVARO:

I still love her,
I have no heart for such revenge.
(Aside.) Perhaps I have come to bring her life,
and not death as she bitterly complained.

JUANETE:

The flames are fanning in the wind;
a Mount Vesuvius on the sea.
No one will come out of that alive.

DON ALVARO:

The night sky has been burnt blood red,
the whole house is a living hell.
Oh, God help us, Serafina!

Suddenly DON JUAN appears. He is carrying SERAFINA in his arms.

DON JUAN:

Good friends, if you’ve come to lend help
the greatest kindness you can do
is to take care of my young wife.

DON ALVARO:

Has she been burnt?

DON JUAN:

She couldn’t breathe.
Look, I must go and help my friends.
They’re still inside there; they’ve been hurt.
I’ll leave my wife in your safe hands.

DON ALVARO:

She couldn’t be in more caring hands.

FABIO:

You’d be mad to go back in there.

DON JUAN:

I have no choice. My friends need me.

JUANETE:

Sir! Sir! So does your wife ... need you.

His voice is drowned out. DON JUAN plunges back into the burning house.

DON ALVARO: (Aside.)

This is the chance of a lifetime,
the point upon which a life turns.
Serafina here in my arms
and I have a ship waiting off shore.
Come on, men, quickly, to the ship!

SAILOR:

What are you doing? Who is she?

FABIO:

What are you ...

DON ALVARO:

Hold your peace, Fabio.
(Aside.) One man’s luck is another’s despair.
The law of life. Why not profit?

They leave, carrying SERAFINA.

JUANETE:

Hey you lot, that’s my master’s wife!

VOICE: (Off.)

Don’t worry about furniture;
make sure everyone is out safe.

OTHER VOICES: (Off.)

They’re all safe, except for some maid.
Doña Serafina’s, I think.

DON JUAN: (Off.)

I’ll break the news to Serafina.
She was so fond of poor Flora.

DON JUAN appears.

DON JUAN:

Good sirs, has my wife recovered?

JUANETE:

Sir, you’re talking to empty air.

DON JUAN:

I left her with some sailors here;
the most precious thing in my life.
They must have taken her to the beach,
to lie her down upon the sand.

JUANETE:

Oh sir, they’ve taken her all right.
Not to the beach, but out to sea
on a brigantine with sails like wings.

DON JUAN:

Just one more lying word from you ...

JUANETE:

Sir, you’re threatening the messenger.
You gave your wife to the masker,
that stranger, a humble sailor.

DON JUAN:

The sailor who ...

JUANETE:

What can I say?

DON JUAN:

Say? Say? What could you have done, fool?
I’ll follow her across the sea ...

The others enter. He begins to strip off his clothing.

ALL:

What’s happened here? What’s the matter?

DON JUAN:

The matter is ... pure disaster,
a frenzy of blackest despair,
the worst insult to my person ...
the matter is my dishonour.
No one, absolutely no one
shall speak of this, nor breathe a word
until revenge has cleansed this stain.
That is the way that things shall be:
I will find my wife; I will find him.
I shall struggle against the sea.
God vouchsafe me vengeance or death.

He flings himself into the sea.

JUANETE:

For God’s sake, fish him out of there.

VOICE: (Off.)

I can still see him. Get a rope.

JUANETE:

Sir, sir ... you can’t swim after them.
Let’s think ... let’s think what has to be done.

DON JUAN: (Off.)

Leave me ... no one can help me now,
unless by some miracle from heaven.

JUANETE:

We must think, sir, we must think!
[End of ACT TWO]

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Painter of Dishonour (1995) by David Johnston, Laurence Boswell is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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

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