Lope de Vega was a Spanish Baroque playwright and poet. His reputation in the world of Spanish letters is second only to that of Cervantes, while the sheer volume of his literary output is unequaled: he is estimated to have written up to 1,500 three-act plays 鈥� of which some 425 have survived until the modern day 鈥� together with a plethora of shorter dramatic and poetic works.
[Read in Spanish] -- [Rese帽a en espa帽ol m谩s abajo]
The meaning of the play is very good and important, but one thing is the what I want to communicate, and another thing is HOW I communicate is, and there is the problem. Hence, I rated this with 1 star only. The I felt the book was heavy and slow. To be honest, I didn't understand anything in the first half of the play. Maybe it was the edition that I read since the usage of Spanish language was very complicated, or maybe it's just me who can't adapt to read plays in books. I understand the play is very old, but no, I didn't fall for it. In fact, after finishing the book I read a few reviews and thanks to that I could understand the play a bit more. The way in which it's written is not for me at all, but my golden rule is that I always MUST finish the books I start reading, even if they are so bad. In that way, I can actually give an argument why something is good or bad and not just because "I didn't like it". I think we, as people, should learn a lot from Fuenteovejuna, to be just one and rebel ourselves against the ones who want to control us. We should be empowered. I hope it happens one day.
El trasfondo de la obra es muy bueno e importante. Ver a Fuenteovejuna como uno solo tiene mucho m茅rito, pero una cosa es el trasfondo o lo que quiero comunicar, y otra cosa es decir como lo comunico, y ah铆 est谩 el problema; he ah铆 el por qu茅 de mi 1 estrella solamente. El libro se me hizo tedioso. La verdad es que no entend铆 nada hasta bien avanzada la obra. Debe ser la edici贸n que le铆 que ven铆a en un castellano bastante complicado, o simplemente soy yo que no puedo adaptarme a la literatura teatral. Entiendo que es una obra bastante antigua y todo eso, pero no, no hubo caso, no pudo atraparme. De hecho, despu茅s de terminar el libro, le铆 algunos reviews y gracias a ellos pude entender la obra un poco m谩s. La forma en la cual est谩 escrita no va conmigo para nada, pero mi regla de oro es siempre terminar los libros que empiezo a leer, por muy malos que sean. As铆 puedo argumentar por qu茅 son o no son malos. Creo que nosotros como pueblos, deber铆amos aprender un mont贸n de Fuenteovejuna, ser uno solo. y revelarnos ante los abusos de los poderosos; empoderarnos. Ojal谩 suceda alg煤n d铆a.
Me encant贸 el libro. Me encanta que este lleno de personajes femeninos empoderados que no dudan en expresar sus pensamientos y sentimientos 馃挀 La mejor es Laurencia 馃挒
Morir, o dar muerte a los tiranos, pues somos muchos, y ellos poca gente.
Fuenteovejuna is the most famous of the roughly 500 plays that Lope de Vega wrote throughout his lifetime. The man could produce plays faster than the most seasoned potboil scribbler, it seems, and write well enough to make many of them classics. He was an enviable man, and fully earned Cervantes鈥� envious appellation for him: the Monster of Nature. Indeed, though not much widely read in the Anglophone world, in Spain his reputation is second only to that of Cervantes himself. The contemporaneous pair can be roughly compared to Shakespeare and Ben Johnson鈥攊f the latter were somewhat more famous鈥攕ince they had a prolonged rivalry in life, from which the prolific Lope de Vega normally came out the winner.
I was lucky enough to see this work performed last year at the Teatro de la Comedia in Madrid. From the acting to the set design it was an excellent show; and seeing the action on stage allowed me to follow the story, even though I could hardly understand the dialogue. I probably would not have been able to read the play at all if not for this experience. For Lope de Vega鈥檚 Spanish is exactly contemporary with Shakespeare鈥檚 English鈥攁nd thus full of antiquated words. Not only that, but the Spanish playwright also writes in poetic verse, doubling the challenge. So there were many parts that, even with the aide of a dictionary, proved too much for me.
But the central plot is easy enough to follow, and still compelling. If anything the play has only grown more relevant, since it treats of the male abuse of power and democratic revolt. The final rebellion has proven so iconic that 鈥淔uenteovejuna鈥� has entered everyday Spanish as a synonym for a popular uprising. Given the anonymous nature of the rebellion, it is sensible that Lope de Vega didn鈥檛 draw strongly memorable characters in the play. They are differentiated just enough to keep track of them, but no more. This is one reason why the play benefits from being performed, since different actors will naturally individualize these roles. What鈥檚 more, the commander's disdainful abuse of power, and the fear, hopelessness, and anger of the villagers, becomes really electric when you see it live.
It seems that Lope de Vega, an ardent monarchist, intended the play鈥檚 message to be monarchical in addition to democratic. The villagers rebel against a tyrannous noble and the king pardons them. But he perhaps unwittingly created a genuinely democratic play. The shouted hails to the king sound like pure irony in the peasant鈥檚 mouths, especially since they are later tortured under the orders of the same king. And the final royal pardon is given by force of circumstance, not kingly tolerance, since nobody confesses to the deed. The king thus comes off as rather callous鈥攚hich may not be what Lope de Vega intended, but which definitely helps to remove it from the orthodoxies of former ages.
In the small town of Fuenteovejuna, tyrannical lords like Fern谩n G贸mez of the order of Calatrava rule their people with an iron fist, and are respected as much as feared. Accustomed to getting away with it, their power is put to the test, when they take it just a bit too far.
Spanish Lope de Vega of the 17th century is considered the most prolific playwright of all times, having written around 1500 plays, with less than one third surviving to this day. Fuenteovejuna is arguably his most famous work, and one of the first "revolutionary" plays ever. On the plus side, I can say this is very short, the story is good, and if you enjoy old plays this is probably a perfect ten.
Having that said, I can't even express how much and in how many ways this grated my will and patience, so I'm just going to limit myself to the most important ones. First, this is written in poetic verse, which by itself it's enough to annoy the crap out of me. Second, I barely understood a thing. This type of symbolical, outdated and undecipherable classical style of writing makes me doubt I even understand Spanish, which is my mother tongue. I would be generous if I said that I considered myself lucky if I got a few lines here and there, and barely a general sense out of anything that was being said, in any page. And of course there's more, but my memory is short, and I only like to rant for so long. So there, that's all. Suit yourself if you want to risk being bored.
En el peque帽o pueblo de Fuenteovejuna, se帽ores tir谩nicos como Fern谩n G贸mez de la orden de Calatrava gobiernan a su pueblo con mano de hierro, y son tan respetados como temidos. Acostumbrados a salirse con la suya, su poder es puesto a prueba cuando esta vez lo llevan demasiado lejos.
El espa帽ol Lope de Vega del siglo XVII es considerado el dramaturgo m谩s prol铆fico de todos los tiempos, habiendo escrito alrededor de 1500 obras, de las cuales menos de un tercio han sobrevivido al d铆a de hoy. Fuenteovejuna es posiblemente su obra m谩s famosa, y una de las primeras obras "revolucionarias" de la historia. Por el lado positivo, puedo decir que es muy corta, la historia es buena, y si disfrutas de antiguas obras teatrales, probablemente esto sea un diez.
Dicho eso, ni siquiera puedo expresar cu谩nto y de cu谩ntas formas esto destruy贸 mi paciencia y voluntad de leer, as铆 que s贸lo me limitar茅 a las m谩s importantes. Primero, esto est谩 escrito en verso po茅tico, lo cual ya de por s铆 es suficiente para molestarme sobremanera. En segundo lugar, apenas si entend铆 algo. Este tipo de escritura simb贸lica, anticuada e indescifrablemente cl谩sica, me hace dudar de si siquiera entiendo espa帽ol, que es mi lengua materna. Ser铆a generoso si dijera que me consideraba afortunado si entend铆a algunas l铆neas aqu铆 y all谩, y apenas una idea general de lo que se hablaba, en cualquier p谩gina. Y por supuesto hay m谩s, pero mi memoria es corta, y solo me gusta rabiar determinado tiempo. As铆 que eso es todo. Si quer茅s correr el riesgo de aburrirte es cosa tuya.
Extraordinaria obra de teatro sobre la importancia de la uni贸n entre los habitantes de un pueblo, para as铆 poder rebelarse contra los gobernantes abusivos. A 400 a帽os de su publicaci贸n, no ha perdido nada de su fuerza.
Y todo aderezado, adem谩s, con toques de humor en los que Lope de Vega se burla hasta de los mismos poetas. 隆Grande Lope!
Me gust贸 mucho este libro. Al principio no entend铆 lo que estaba pasando pero despu茅s de leerlo un poco m谩s, podr铆a seguir la trama mejor. Contiene unos argumentos muy interesantes por la 茅poca, incluyendo cr铆ticas de lo establecido en cuanto al gobierno.
I really liked this book a lot. At first I didn't understand what was going on, but after reading a little more, I was able to follow the plot. It contains interesting arguments about the time, including some very interesting critiques of the government.
This is so far my favourite play by Lope de Vega. Loved the character of Laurencia, she was such a brave woman, and I dare say a feminist, who faced all the men in town and made them realise that they were losing their honor. I mean, come on, a woman!!! In the Golden Age!!
Nunca pens茅 que me acabar铆a gustando este libro porque al principio de todo no entend铆a nada. Yo ven铆a de leer las locuras del Quijote y ahora al leer la prosa de Lope tuve que hacer un cambio muy grande. El caso es que me ha gustado, o sea, est谩 bien y tiene un mensaje de rebeli贸n muy potente. Ver como el pueblo se une en contra de los abusos del Comendador y hacer justicia, me ha encantado sobretodo cuando Laurencia llama a todas las mujeres para que se unan. Personajes que me han gustado: Mengo y Laurencia <3
Wow incre铆ble dar con un cl谩sico y encontrar tantos valores en la literatura ancestral, situaciones que son atemporales que si lo llevamos a la actualidad las cosas no han cambiado tanto.
Aprecie mucho las l铆neas en verso, conect茅 con el pueblo y su clamor de justicia. Me animo a ver la obra. Lo recomiendo este libro aunque no es para todo el mundo el mismo lenguaje en el que est谩 escrito representa un reto.
Lope de Vega es uno de los autores imprescindibles para cualquier amante de la literatura cl谩sica. Su pluma consigue trasladarnos a la escenograf铆a y a las costumbres de la 茅poca, al tiempo que logra reflejar los conflictos sociales de ayer y de hoy, convirtiendo a todo un pueblo en el protagonista ante las injusticias del tirano comendador. Leer esta obra implica una experiencia social e hist贸rica pero, ante todo, supone conocer una de las plumas m谩s importantes y brillantes de la literatura espa帽ola. Adem谩s, se trata de un libro corto, cargado de humor, pero que definitivamente no es una lectura ligera, conviene dedicarle tiempo y saborearla.
Una obra con un tema atemporal, el abuso de poder y la lucha por la propia dignidad. Me gust贸 mucho el personaje de Laurencia, muy alejado de la t铆pica dama de Lope. Hay escenas que me pusieron los pelos de punta.
I've been working through a lot of different feelings about this play.
Readers should be aware upfront that one of the female protagonists spends a good portion of the play trying to escape the local commander who's attempting to rape her. And she fails. It's an unsettling turn in the narrative, and it almost made me stop reading the play.
I did end up finishing it, though. And as I've reflected on the play and read several critical engagements it, I've slowly developed more of an appreciation for it. There's a lot about this play that's countercultural to the time it was written in. It presents a scathing indictment on those who turn a blind eye to abusive men and treat them as someone else's problem. In an era where rape victims in literature were often consigned to convents or living as an old maid, our heroine remains active. She takes up a sword, fights to protect others, and ends the play married to a man who truly loves her. Rape doesn't end her story like it ends the stories of most other women in medieval literature.
And her motivating speech does inspire others to change. The way the villagers not only sought justice, but also took communal responsibility for their actions--even at the point of torture--was a strong image. The play leaves readers remembering the innate worth and value of every person, whether they be noble or peasant, man or woman. And there's a lot of depth packed throughout the conversations, images, and sequences that make up the play.
Fuenteovejuna is an unsettling read, even with the protagonists' eventual victory. But while I've struggled with several parts of it and wishing that parts of the story would have turned out otherwise, that does mirror real life rather well. And there's a value in plays like this that cause you to feel deeply how evil such actions are, alongside presenting a powerful picture of standing up to and seeking justice for the vulnerable, even at personal cost.
Because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter, I wouldn't recommend this play to every reader. But while I didn't always enjoy the play, I've developed a deeper appreciation for what de Vega is doing, especially in light of the time that he wrote in.
Me ha encantado iniciarme con Lope de Vega a trav茅s de esta obra que mezcla cr铆tica social y drama, pero a la vez un toque c贸mico. Sin duda volver茅 a repetir con este autor, que bien merecido tiene el sobrenombre de "F茅nix de los ingenios".
Basada en hechos hist贸ricos ocurridos en Espa帽a a finales del siglo XV, consta de tres actos, est谩 escrita en verso y desde hace casi cuatrocientos a帽os, esta obra de teatro ha cautivado al mundo con su tem谩tica del honor y de los l铆mites pol铆ticos frente a la libertad de la sociedad. Fern谩n G贸mez de Guzm谩n ha sido nombrado Comendador de la villa de Fuenteovejuna y cuando llega a ella, pronto demuestra ser indigno para el cargo. Tirano, abusivo, acosador, asesino y violador. Cuando sus ojos se ponen en la hija del alcalde, llamada Laurencia, se traza un fat铆dico destino para el pueblo. Estando Laurencia aparentemente sola, el Comendador la amenaza con una ballesta para que se le entregue, pero el joven enamorado de ella, Frondoso, la defiende. All铆 Guzm谩n jura vengarse. Pronto sigue ultrajando a otras mujeres, haci茅ndolas luego violar por sus secuaces. Acusa a Frondoso de insultarlo y decide ahorcarlo en la plaza. Abusa de su poder y azota a quienes se le oponen. En la obra, pronto quedar谩n claras las posiciones: los campesinos ser谩n los 煤nicos que tengan honor y se muestren dignos, en cambio los nobles mostrar谩n ser infames e incivilizados. El honor, era para la 茅poca en la cual se ubica el argumento, un bien m谩s preciado que la vida, enti茅ndase as铆 el porqu茅 del arrebato del pueblo cuando el Comendador se los quita. Tambi茅n aparecen como t贸picos, el amor, el agravio, la justicia y la venganza. Ser谩n los reyes quienes devuelvan el equilibrio a Fuenteovejuna, dando as铆 el final a la obra. Ser谩 el pueblo por entero el personaje principal en la obra: Fuenteovejuna ser谩 ofendida, Fuenteovejuna ser谩 rebelde, Fuenteovejuna ser谩 vengada y Fuenteovejuna ser谩 ajusticiada. El enemigo, ser谩 el Comendador y la hero铆na ser谩 Laurencia, mujer que se alejar谩 de las convenciones de la 茅poca. La pluma de Lope de Vega se mover谩 con soltura en esta obra popular y pol茅mica, atrayendo al lector a pesar de los a帽os de distancia.
鈥溌縉o pens谩is que las mujeres tambi茅n somos de familias?鈥�
Tres estrellas. Y una punk sin pelos en la lengua.
鈥淐erdos sois, no espa帽oles.鈥�
S铆, Fuenteovejuna tiene momentos 茅picos. Tambi茅n tiene machistadas para aburrir (entendibles por la 茅poca). Pero entre sus p谩ginas dormita una bomba: Laurencia. Mientras todo el pueblo pone excusas, ella rompe la baraja. No llora, no tiembla: explota. Laurencia no es v铆ctima, es fuego. El punk de su 茅poca, sin piercings ni pinchos, pero con m谩s coraje que todos los hombres juntos.
驴El Comendador? No es un villano de manual. Es lo que pasa cuando el miedo es ley. Cuando el silencio es su mejor aliado. 脡l no necesita tener raz贸n: le basta con que nadie se atreva a llevarle la contraria.
驴Que el lenguaje es anticuado? S铆. 驴Que algunas escenas chirr铆an? Tambi茅n. Pero en el centro de todo arde Laurencia junto con una verdad inc贸moda: el poder no siempre se impone a gritos. A veces se cultiva en susurros cobardes que se convierten en ecos y nos consumen.
Fuenteovejuna no me ha enamorado. Me ha enfadado. Y en el fondo, creo que eso era justo lo que necesitaba.
"Fuente Ovejuna" is a nice short Spanish play. It tells the story of a small village called Fuente Ovejuna, where the people suffer under the rule of a cruel commander. He abuses his power, mistreats the villagers, and even attacks women.
Tired of the abuse, the villagers decide to come together and kill the commander to stop his cruelty...
Holy shit. Here is a drama for the #MeToo movement. Lope links authoritarianism with brutality, violence, and injustice against women, in the story of a tyrannical military Commander taking the women of Fuenteovejuna at will as a 鈥渞ight鈥� of his position in the social hierarchy. The men in town are noble and equitable in their words, even tossing the women a bone by allowing them say in marriage, but they are ultimately all talk and no action as the Commander runs rampant through their town -- and through the local women.
In the climactic council meeting to address the town鈥檚 grievances, the (all male) attendees bond together in a democratic front -- laborers, farmers, businessmen, local government officials -- and decide...to punt. Instead of taking direct action against the tyrannical Commander, they vote to passively petition the King and Queen, who have far more on their plate as they fight for their throne on multiple fronts. At this point, Laurencia, the daughter of a noble-minded-but-weak town leader, arrives disheveled from being assaulted by the tyrant's soldiers. She declares that if the men of Fuenteovejuna won鈥檛 let the women vote, they will at least have a voice in the meeting. Then she delivers one of the most stirring 鈥渇inger-pointin鈥欌€� monologues found in just about any play. She calls the men out for what they are: spineless pimps for the military tyrants who run their town. She demands direct action against the brutal upper classes for their political, social, and sexual misdeeds, even claiming that women themselves will take up swords to redress these wrongs if the men are too cowardly. She soon rallies them -- and the women of Fuenteovejuna -- to take action against tyranny in all its forms. And they do. With brutal and swift vengeance.
In the simple words of Kurt Vonnegut: 鈥淪trong stuff.鈥�
Even when the monarchial authority is reasserted in the final scene, thus undercutting any perceived notion of democratic republicanism, the message remains clear: unity and some measure of equality in voice and action are needed to ensure tyrants are removed from power. And "non-violent civil disobedience" isn't an option!
Besides highly recommending this drama, I also suggest reading Jill Booty鈥檚 translation, unhindered by any attempt to create awkward-sounding or archaic-English verse, as she captures the verve, spirit, language, and power of the narrative that so reverberated in Lope's time as to inspire him to write this play based on true historical events.
I know I lean towards extreme enthusiasm when I like something, but this is easily one of my favorite plays of all time and one I will showcase in my dissertation. The year is 1476. The tyrannical commander Guzm谩n has set up shop in the peaceful town of Fuente Ovejuna. He is brutal to the women and emasculates the men. In true tragicomedy form, there is a romance subplot between two young members of the village and Guzm谩n aims to take the young woman Laurencia by force. Love cannot bear the violence and eventually, after a series of events, Laurencia stirs the whole town into action. The women partake just as much in the uprising as the men do, fighting and killing and bearing their rapists heads on posts! When the judge comes to make a ruling, each and every citizen takes the blame saying "Fuente Ovejuna did it!" This play speaks to me on SO MANY LEVELS. This translation by Laurence Boswell was done recently for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and is truly excellent. A+ highly recommend!!!!!!!!!!!
Fuente Ovejuna... Por fin me he enterado de la historia, y por fin he entendido eso de "Fuente Ovejuna, todos a una". Pensaba que esa frase aparecer铆a en el libro y NO lo hace, pero su significado es el protagonista de esta obra. A pesar que, estoy segura, hay fragmentos que no he entendido completamente {por estar escrito en castellano antiguo}, el libro me ha gustado. Para los que no se animan con este tipo de libros, 茅ste es perfecto para hacerlo, porque es cortito y ameno. Y como frase, muy apropiada para esta 茅poca, me quedo con: "Y al cabo, al cabo, se siembre o no se siembre, el a帽o se remata en Diziembre"