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Peribanez

Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña
Written by Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio
Characters Inés, bridesmaid
Costanza, peasant
Casilda, bride
Peribáñez, groom
Bartolo, peasant
The , Don Fadrique
Blas
Marín, lackey
Luján, lackey
Leonardo, servant
King Enrique III
The Queen
The High Constable
A page
A secretary
Two aldermen of Toledo
Gómez Manrique
A priest
Gil
Antón
Benito
Mendo
Llorente
Chaparro
Helipe
Belardo
A painter
Musicians
Peasants
Harvesters
A servant
Retinue
Date premiered unknown/disputed (1604, 1609, 1614)
Original language Spanish
Subject Honor, Love
Genre Spanish Golden Age Drama
Setting Ocaña, Spain

Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña (Peribáñez and the Comendador of Ocaña) is a Spanish language play by Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio. Published during the reign of Philip III of Spain, it is a tragicomedy about a peasant named Peribáñez, and a (knight commander) who falls in love with his wife Casilda. Ultimately Peribáñez must kill the Comendador in order to protect his wife from his advances.

Peribáñez and Casilda are celebrating their wedding when they learn that the Comendador of Ocaña has fallen while trying to control a raging bull. He is brought to their house, and Casilda revives him from unconsciousness. The Comendador immediately falls in love with the beautiful Casilda, and is dismayed to learn that she is already married. Peribáñez and Casilda enjoy their wedded bliss, but the Comendador's obsession with Casilda grows. The married couple decides to travel to Toledo for the Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary, and the Comendador gives them some tapestries to decorate their cart with. He secretly follows them to Toledo, where he pays a painter to sketch a picture of Casilda without her knowing, to be turned into a full-sized portrait later.

Peribáñez and the other members of the Brotherhood of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Ocaña, meet to discuss the state of disrepair that the icon of the saint has fallen into. It is decided that Peribáñez should return to Toledo to commission an artist to repair it. The Comendador conspires with his assistants, Luján and Leonardo, to find ways to seduce Casilda. Luján tells the Comendador that the tapestries he gave the couple are hanging in their bedroom, which the Comendador takes as a sign of encouragement. Luján decides to try and seduce Casilda's unwed cousin Inés to get closer to Casilda. While Peribáñez is in Toledo, various harvesters who work for him stay at his house. Luján pretends to be one, and lets the Comendador into the house. The Comendador attempts to seduce Casilda, but she loves and is loyal to Peribáñez and rejects him.

Meanwhile, Peribáñez visits the same artist who the Comendador ordered the portrait from and commissions him to repair the icon of Saint Roch. The painter shows him the portrait he is working on, and Peribáñez recognizes his wife. The painter assures him that the woman in the picture had no idea about the portrait, and tells him who commissioned the work. Peribáñez is overcome with jealousy. When he returns to Ocaña he learns about what happened at his house while he was gone from some of the harvesters, and is glad to hear of Casilda's innocence. When he returns to his house he makes up a story about falling from his horse but being protected by Saint Roch. He claims that he wishes to give the tapestries as an offering of thanks, so that he can remove them from the bedroom, as they now remind him of the man who is lusting after his wife. Luján arrives and tells him that he has been summoned by the Comendador.


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