Plot summary El médico de su honra

1 plot summary

1.1 act 1
1.2 act 2
1.3 act 3

plot summary
act 1

the play opens infante enrique falls horse , loses consciousness. king, pedro, not wish detained on journey court @ seville, , suggests infante’s companions, don arias , don diego, take him nearby country house while continues on seville. arias criticizes king being cruel, diego cautions him watch says. 2 noblemen carry him country house, inhabited don gutierre , wife, doña mencía.

mencía , slave, jacinta, receive them. mencía recognized infante’s former lover arias, cautions him keep quiet, telling him honor depends on it. sends jacinta fetch perfumes , left alone enrique , soliloquizes former love him , need suppress emotions protect honor. enrique awakens , expresses love her. mencía explains married , in house of husband. enrique, overcome emotions, demands , companions leave @ once, convinced fall omen of impending death due grief @ lover’s marriage another. mencía explains never have married enrique, status not high enough marry infante.

don gutierre, mencía’s husband, enters lackey coquín , asks enrique honor humble dwelling (compared palace) staying there while recovers. enrique politely declines, saying has pressing need leave quickly. gutierre inquires nature of need, enrique reads story friend betrayed him in matter of heart, intended message mencía explaining pain @ news of marriage. mencía uses metaphor in made-up story convey wishes explain herself him.

diego returns , announces horse has been prepared infante. gutierre offers him exceptional mare own stables instead. enrique accepts gift , lets mencía know return visit her. leaves, along 2 attendants , coquín. mencía mentions jealousy of gutierre’s former lover leonor, , gutierre reassures no longer loves her. mencía doesn’t believe him , leaves. jacinta enters , convinces mencía tell problems.

the next scene takes place @ king’s court in seville, receiving petitions subjects. doña leonor , maid, inés, enter wearing cloaks conceal identities. after king deals several petitions, leonor approaches him , explains seeking justice on matter of honor. king sends else away, , leonor tells story of how don gutierre courted , proposed marriage, broke off engagement. claims have filed lawsuit against him lost due favoritism towards gutierre. asks king order him support in convent, sees option dishonored woman. king says wishes hear gutierre’s side of story, , suggests hide herself behind screen , listen while speaks him. hides , coquín enters.

the king asks is, , coquín explains makes people laugh. king makes wager him: if coquín makes him laugh, king pay him 100 gold coins, if can’t, king have teeth pulled. coquín accepts wager, out of fear of king’s wrath should refuse. leaves , court, including don gutierre, don diego, don arias, , infante enrique, enters. gutierre approaches king, asks leonor told him earlier. gutierre denies having promised marriage , judge’s favoritism during lawsuit. hints there more story, , king insists tell him, leonor hear has , can respond later.

gutierre reveals 1 evening discovered unknown man sneaking out balcony of leonor’s house, , felt no longer able trust her. @ leonor reveals herself , begins explain happened evening, don arias interrupts, saying feels must 1 explain. says there woman in house night, whom had been courting intention of marriage, has since died. followed woman house before leonor stop him, , when gutierre approached ordered him flee. @ time had thought married , husband returning home, did said. knows truth, declares wishes publicly defend honor, , , gutierre draw swords. violates law against drawing weapon in presence of king, , king orders them both arrested. enrique decides give him opportunity sneak off , see mencía. leaves except leonor, laments loss of honor, , curses gutierre causing it.

act 2

jacinta agrees let enrique house see mencía, because enrique offers her freedom in exchange. mencía alarmed see him, saying violating honor of herself , husband coming visit alone, enrique claims thought contributions false story traitorous friend invitation. expresses regret having led him on, begs him leave alone honor not destroyed. argue, gutierre , coquín return home, , mencía orders enrique hide in bedroom until can door open him escape out of. hides, , gutierre explains warden of prison, relative , friend, let him out temporarily come see mencía. mencía calls jacinta prepare dinner husband, , leave. gutierre reminds coquín must return prison before daylight. coquín suggests not return, , gutierre infuriated @ suggestion betray prison warden.

as argue, mencía calls help, claiming have found thief hiding in bedroom. gutierre, coquín, , mencía go investigate, , mencía puts out candle, allowing jacinta guide enrique out of house under cover of darkness. gutierre goes search room, , jacinta asks mistress why didn t tell gutierre truth. mencía reveals feels husband not have believed innocent. gutierre returns, dagger has found left enrique hidden under cloak. tells mencía must return prison, , embrace, reveals dagger. alarmed, mencía asks if has dagger kill her, , protests innocent of offense. gutierre lies , says pulled out dagger while searching house, protection. mencía tries cover guilt claiming absence makes nervous , paranoid. gutierre leaves, though confesses has suspicions way mencía acting.

the next scene occurs in seville, king has returned making nightly incognito rounds through city. , don diego encounter coquín, whom king challenges try , win wager. coquín tells joke eunuch moustache protector, king not laugh. enrique enters , asks don arias released. king pardons both lawbreakers. leaves, , after conversation between enrique , coquín, don arias, don diego, , don gutierre enter. gutierre compares dagger found in mencía’s bedroom sword enrique carrying.

suspicious of infidelity, gutierre decides set trap wife. returns home following night, sneaking in through garden. in darkness changes voice mencía not recognise him, , when calls him prince , gutierre realises mencía has been seeing enrique @ night in absence. not aware of mencía not guilty of wrongdoing enrique , tried dismiss him when appeared @ house.

act 3

sure wife has been unfaithful him prince, gutierre appeals king , informs him honour in jeopardy. king confronts enrique, hiding gutierre behind wall himself may hear prince s side of story. when enrique confesses loved mencía, king tries him stop talking continues incriminte himself in gutierre s hearing. when king attempts hand on enrique s dagger gutierre found in house, hand cut accidentally in exchange of hands. king interprets accident attack , accuses brother of treachery.

having fled scene, avoid further confrontation, enrique makes plans leave town. mencía fears arouse suspicion amongst neighbours, court , of course husband, writes him begging him not leave lest reputation endangered. gutierre finds letter unfinished, merely 1 ambiguous line written. more ever of infidelity, gutierre feels has no choice become médico (physician/surgeon) of own honour, , makes plans kill mencía restore honour. hires ludovico, bloodletter, whom blindfolds on way house unable identify surroundings , blame gutierre. threatens ludovico s life unless complies kill mencía bleeding death. under protest given no choice under fear life, ludovico lets blood.

once has been drained of life, gutierre takes ludovico out onto street, intending kill him anyway tie final loose end. gutierre flees when sees king approaching in street. ludovico upon seeing king informs him has happened, , says left bloodied handprint on door of house may identify later. king finds house handprint, , knows of gutierre. admires how gutierre has set salvaging honour in discreet , private way. decides have gutierre marry leonor in order repair honour also, gutierre protests him remarry. king overrides gutierre s opinion, , play ends dark exchange how gutierre has been médico of honour once, , leonor should take heed , careful, again should feel has cause.