Out of the Wings

Las bizarrías de Belisa (1634), Lope de Vega Carpio

The Gallantries of Belisa : ACT THREE Scene Two

The Gallantries of Belisa, translated by Kathleen Jeffs (née Mountjoy)

ACT THREE Scene Two

Context:

Belisa and her servant Finea are hiding out of sight near Lucinda’s house, dressed in men’s clothing and carrying pistols. Prior to this scene, Belisa received a letter from Lucinda asking to borrow a dress for her (Lucinda’s) wedding to Juan, who is the object of Belisa’s love; this has inflamed Belisa’s jealousy. She questions Juan’s faithfulness, which leads her to take on a disguise and see if Juan visits Lucinda’s house that evening. As this scene unfolds, Juan does visit Lucinda that night, but only because he suspects she has been up to some mischief and wants her to stop. Octavio is also on the street; his wounds from Juan’s sword have healed, but he wants revenge for his still-damaged honour and has come to kill Juan. Belisa and Finea take Juan’s side in the street fight, which never really gets going because everyone flees at the sight of their guns. Juan cannot thank his mysterious saviours because Belisa and Finea run away before they can be recognised.

Sample text

Enter BELISA and FINEA, wearing hats with great plumes and capes embroidered with gold, each carrying a pistol.
FINEA:: I think it’s fair to say you have completely lost your mind.
BELISA:: Nothing, short of killing myself, would be too much in these circumstances; Love tears my soul from my body, for the soul has no strength that can match that of Love.
FINEA:: But lurking ‘round Lucinda’s door in these silly disguises? Think what you are doing, how much you risk, no matter how much love conquers you! If they find us like this, we’ll be lost.
BELISA:: When they find out I am a woman, they’ll just accept that my actions are ruled by love. Even if they kill me a thousand times, or hurl a thousand insults at me, I will see with my own eyes what Juan has been keeping from me. We always long to see what we fear and desire; for once we face our fears, our hearts cannot nag us with doubt.
FINEA:: Up to now I’d have called your behaviour bold, gallant even; but not this, no, now you are putting your honour at risk.
BELISA:: Look out!; [FERNANDO speaks aside to the COUNT]
FERNANDO:: It seems to me you have done the right thing.
COUNT:: Celia, money and love will ease my troubled mind.
FERNANDO:: Make way for these gentlemen, they have not come to this door to see us.
COUNT:: Their good looks alone will see the door open straight away, judging by how Lucinda is peering though the bars at them.
FERNANDO:: God help them. No one can compete for her affection; they are bold men who advertise how much she fancies herself.; Exit FERNANDO and the COUNT.
FINEA:: If she is with Don Juan, and she wrote you that note to say she’s marrying him, or even if that could possibly be true, do we have to stay here until the dawn finds us?
BELISA:: What I tasted in that note was poison; there is no stronger poison than the words of a note, where life so often drinks its death. She tells me that they will be married tomorrow, and there is no time to have a wedding dress fitted and embroidered. She dares to ask if I would lend her one of my best dresses! I’ve lost my mind with this impertinent woman. Is she trying to kill me? She expects to marry him in my finest gown!
FINEA:: Someone’s coming. Wait.
BELISA:: What for, death?; Enter DON JUAN and TELLO [his servant, without seeing BELISA and FINEA].
TELLO:: You do wrong, trying to speak to her.
JUAN:: Well, Tello, what am I to do, when I fear I have offended her somehow, although Belisa will not tell me why I have lost her, and she has treated me with such cruelty, she has locked the doors and windows against me, so that it looks like she’s gone away, and locked up there in her fortress, not even a speck of dust can get in to see how she has forgotten me?
TELLO:: Since the Count adores her, it might be that he is annoyed by the attentions you pay her. It is never prudent to annoy a powerful man, just in case you find your fate in his hands one day. Such men are careless with those who are not their equals; the inferior should do only what is possible, that’s my motto.
JUAN:: Listen to the philosopher! I do not wish to fall out of favour with the Count, I only want to speak to Lucinda.
TELLO:: If she is responds with jealousy, and takes offence, there’ll be no ‘happily ever after’.; [BELISA aside to FINEA]
BELISA:: Finea, don’t you know those gentlemen?
FINEA:: Of course not, be quiet!
BELISA:: I swear I’m not mistaken! I’m going out of my mind!; [DON JUAN calls at the house of LUCINDA]
FINEA:: It looks like he has not come to call as a husband, because if he were already her husband, he would not have to knock on the front door.
BELISA:: He has not yet taken possession; see there, he calls as a suitor.
FINEA:: My lady, it is not right for him to see you here.
BELISA:: I’ll try to be silent—but I’ll hardly be able to, Finea!; Enter OCTAVIO and JULIO with two other men. OCTAVIO speaks softly to JULIO.
OCTAVIO:: Julio, until now I have borne the wound. My body has finally been cured, but the dishonour has yet to heal.
JUAN:: If you’re wise, you’ll wait for the right moment for vengeance.
OCTAVIO:: That one’s Don Juan. He’s calling at Lucinda’s door. But he must not see it open! The time for quarrelling is over—I come now to kill.; [TELLO aside to DON JUAN]
TELLO:: That one’s the Count. I fear he and his servants have come to kill you.
JUAN:: Tello, there’s nothing for it; we will die like soldiers.
TELLO:: There are four of them; I can take two. I won’t leave your side even for an instant.
JUAN:: Well, Tello, now I will see just how brave you are.
BELISA: (Aside to FINEA.): Those men have come to kill Don Juan. I’ll fight by his side.
FINEA:: And I will follow you.
BELISA:: Finea, to defend the enemy shows the finest nobility.
OCTAVIO:: Gentlemen, this door is mine.
JUAN:: Go on in, if you can.; [DON JUAN and TELLO draw their swords. BELISA and FINEA point their pistols at OCTAVIO and his companions.]
JULIO:: Octavio, look out! Four of them, and those two have pistols!
OCTAVIO:: My misfortune mocks my desires.
JULIO:: Get hold of yourself, and don’t attack yet!
OCTAVIO:: Pistols, in Madrid? I never thought it would come to this!
JULIO:: If a man will murder, he will do anything.; Exit OCTAVIO and JULIO and their companions.
TELLO:: They’ve all gone, they fled in fear of the guns.
JUAN:: I owe my life to those gentlemen.
TELLO:: Those peasant squires have fled as well. I suspect it wasn’t the Count.
JUAN:: My lords, if it is possible to know who you are, to know to whom I owe my life, you have defended it against so many enemies ...; Exit BELISA and FINEA.
TELLO:: They turned their backs, without speaking to you or taking down their hoods.
JUAN:: Where did those men come from? Did they swoop down from heaven on my behalf?
TELLO:: Or at least from the roof— if they had been angels, I believe they would have come without pistols, because they don’t have any of them ‘up there’.
JUAN:: Don’t be stupid; thunder and lightning are heaven’s artillery.
TELLO:: It’s true, by God, and the angel who guarded Paradise once appeared with a sword of fire.
JUAN:: What a blind fool I was, what will Belisa think of me?
TELLO:: They left in such a hurry, you are quite right to think it could have been a miracle. If they were angels come down from heaven, they would have feathers in their wings, not in their hats.
JUAN:: Such noble gentlemen are angels on earth. This door is a warning of the danger I face. We had better go and try Belisa’s door instead. I’m sure to spend an entertaining evening there.
TELLO:: It would be a fine thing, if she opens the door to you.
JUAN:: She’ll open up when she hears it’s me.
TELLO:: Her garden has a low stone wall around it, which is not difficult to get one’s leg over.
JUAN:: Could I enter her room from there?
TELLO:: It is possible.
JUAN:: Let’s go before the daylight spoils our plans, for the sapphire sky is already turning rosy.
TELLO:: We should have avoided tonight’s dangers by turning in straight after dinner.; Exit JUAN and TELLO.

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