The Village that Killed a Man / by Michael Hatfield
Based on the original play 'Fuente Ovejuna' / by Lope de Vega

Cast:

MALE:
MENGO
FRONDOSO
BARRILDO
ESTEBAN mayor and father of Laurencia
DON ROJO town councillor
COMMANDER FERNANDO GOMEZ DE GUZMAN
CAPTAIN FLORES
SERGEANT ORTUNO
GRAND MASTER OF THE KNIGHTS OF CALATRAVA*
DON MANRIQUE
KING FERDINAND*
MALE VILLAGER 1 The male villagers abbreviated to M1, M2, etc.
MALE VILLAGER 2
MALE VILLAGER 3
MALE VILLAGER 4
YOUNG BOY

FEMALE:
LAURENCIA
PASCUALA
JACINTA
ARBELLA
QUEEN ISABELLA*
FEMALE VILLAGER 1 The female villagers abbreviated to F1, F2, etc.
FEMALE VILLAGER 2
FEMALE VILLAGER 3
FEMALE VILLAGER 4
FEMALE VILLAGER 5
FEMALE VILLAGER 6

+ SOLDIERS. There can be more villagers, or less - though I feel the above is about as few as one should go.

Thus, the cast could be as many as 27:16M, 11 F [with as many extra villagers and soldiers as desired on top of this.] Or 24: 14M, 10 F with the doubling built in as suggested. A further possible character to double would be Don Manrique, only in at the very beginning and the end, perhaps with another of the Male Villagers, reducing the male cast to 13 - the bare minimum.

* These parts, which are small, can be taken by villagers, soldiers or separate extras, as desired. Since they are - except at the very end -'represented' by effigies, behind whose mask faces, the 'characters' speak, the playing of them is up to a director's choice. I have used Male Villager 1 & 2 [M1 & M2] and Female Villager 1 [F1 ] to play them in the following text.

The play is a good full-length - approx. two hours.

Sample Pages from the script

Extract 1

The effigies set in positions, the King and Queen on one side and the Grand Master on the other, where they will brood over the whole play. The Villagers start to leave.

MENGO
They call me a clown and they call me a duffer but there's one thing I know to be true: When great powers collide, it's the victims who suffer - the poor folk like me and like ...
JACINTA
Mengo!

MENGO
There's no justice. But then, you already know that ... don't you?

He exits. The town square is now empty but for Pascuala, Arbella and Laurencia, busying themselves at the well.

PASCUALA
There goes our beloved Commander then.

ARBELLA
Didn't he look handsome, riding strong and proud at the head of his soldiers?

LAURENCIA
Let's hope he's riding to his death.

PASCUALA
Laurencia!

ARBELLA
What a terrible thing to say!
LAURENCIA
Alright, alright. I'll let him live. Just as long as he rides out of here and never comes back.

ARBELLA
What's he done to upset you?

LAURENCIA
He won't leave me alone. He's been chasing me for a month.

PASCUALA
Then perhaps it's time you let him catch you.

LAURENCIA Never!

ARBELLA
I wish he'd chase me.

LAURENCIA
Oh, grow up, girl. He's like all men; he only wants what he can't have.

PASCUALA
So why not give him what he wants?

LAURENCIA
Because I despise him. We mean nothing to him, nothing at all. We're just a diversion, a little entertainment to alleviate his boredom. He thinks he owns us.

ARBELLA
I think he's a romantic. He loves women.

LAURENCIA
He detests women. He thinks we can be bought and sold.

PASCUALA
Well, in this village...

LAURENCIA
Not me. My heart is not for sale. It's mine to give away, not his to buy. You know his errand boys, Flores and Ortuno? They offered me a silver necklace, a silk embroidered dress and a golden bracelet to meet the Commander alone.

PASCUALA
It's cruel and wicked of them!

ARBELLA
I'd take them.

LAURENCIA
Child, understand this: once you sell yourself, you have nothing else to bargain with.

ARBELLA
Well, I still think he's handsome.

LAURENCIA
Handsome is as handsome does. I find him loathesome.

Enter Jacinta wearing a new shawl.

PASCUALA
Jacinta! Where did you get that?

JACINTA
Captain Flores gave it to me. What do you think? Isn't it beautiful? [Laurencia drags it from her shoulders and throws it down.] What did you do that for?

LAURENCIA
What's wrong with you? All of you? What's wrong with the women in this town? Have you lost your self-respect? Do you want to be cattle, is that it? To fetch a good price at the market? Jacinta, how much did you pay for that shawl?

JACINTA
Nothing. It was free - a gift.

LAURENCIA
But I can see the price tag. Nothing's free, can't you see that? Flores knows that; Christ, they all know that. Think about it, Jacinta; aren't you worth more than a silver necklace? A golden bracelet? A shawl?

Jacinta considers for a moment then throws it away. Unnoticed, Arbella retrieves it and departs.

JACINTA
It didn't suit me, anyway. Credit me with better taste than that. Besides, I'm not the one they really want.

PASCUALA
You'd better be careful.

LAURENCIA
Aren't I always? Besides, I can handle the Commander.

JACINTA
He's dangerous.

LAURENCIA
Aren't all men when they don't get their own way?

JACINTA
No, I mean really dangerous. There's something in his eyes. A sharp tongue will be no protection, Laurencia. He's like a wild animal.

PASCUALA
Speaking of which ...

Enter Frondoso, Barrildo and Mengo.

FRONDOSO
Why can't Barrildo be the judge? He's studied the law.

MENGO
Because he's biased; he always comes down on your side. We need someone impartial.

BARRILDO
Well, here's the answer. Here's three judges who always have an opinion.

MENGO
On everything.

BARRILDO
Right. What's the wager? Frondoso?

FRONDOSO
Since I can't lose, there's no need to be cautious. I'll wager this; the shirt off my back!

He starts to take it off. The women giggle.

BARRILDO
Put it back on, Frondoso - ladies present. Mengo?

MENGO
Since I can't lose, there's no need to be cautious. I'll wager my most valuable possession.

FRONDOSO
What's that? Your winebottle?

BARRILDO
No, it's his gut'

FRONDOSO Well it certainly isn't his brain!

MENGO
Actually, it's my guitar. [The men react]

BARRILDO
You've of to win now, Frondoso. For the sake of the village.

FRONDOSO
I'll do my best - for the sake of music lovers everywhere. [Grabbing it] Come with me, Senor Guitar. I'll introduce you to some new friends - Melody and Harmony.

BARRILDO taking it
Not to mention Senorita Playing-In-Tune.

FRONDOSO retrieving it
Come. Let me run my fingers tenderly across your strings. Oh, what has this terrible man been doing to you?

MENGO
Give it back! You haven't won it yet.

Extract 2

COMMANDER
Not today, Laurencia. Today, as you well know, I am a hunter... and you have made yourself my prey. [She struggles.] Enough of this pretence, Laurencia. Very well, you leave me no choice. [He starts to drag her to the pool.]

LAURENCIA
On your honour ...!

COMMANDER

Oh, we're far beyond all that, don't you think? Beyond honour ; beyond mercy.

LAURENCIA
Take your hands off me!

COMMANDER
All in good time! Calm yourself. Now, listen to me, Laurencia: there are two types of people in this world - wolves and sheep - if you'll forgive the analogy. You and your ignorant friends down there are the sheep, whilst I, of course, am the wolf. And you know what wolves do to sheep? [He kisses her violently and she spits at him.] Why must you be so un-cooperative? Comport yourself with a little dignity for God's sake, and we shall both get on a good deal better...

FRONDOSO stepping out of hiding and picking up the crossbow
Get away from her!

COMMANDER
What?

FRONDOSO
Get away from her now or I won't be responsible for my actions!

COMMANDER
Are you threatening me?

FRONDOSO
That red cross on your breast makes a beautiful target, Commander, even for a terrible shot like me. Now, put your hands up and move!

The Commander moves away.

LAURENCIA
Frondoso ...

FRONDOSO Its all right

LAURENCIA
Frondoso, he's not alone ...

COMMANDER
You should listen to her ... Frondoso - is it? All I have to do is raise my voice and ...

FRONDOSO
And you'll be one dead Commander.

COMMANDER
They'll hunt you down and kill you like a dog.

FRONDOSO
I'm sure that'll be a great comfort to you when you're lying in your grave. Laurencia, it's time you went home.

LAURENCIA
What are you going to do?

FRONDOSO
Don't worry about me. The Commander and 1 are going to have a little talk about manners, aren't we, sir?

COMMANDER
As you say.

LAURENCIA
I'm not leaving you.

FRONDOSO
Laurencia, my finger is growing very tired on this trigger. I can't stay here for ever. Go.

LAURENCIA
Goodbye, Frondoso. [Kissing him.] Be careful.

She leaves. There is a long pause.

FRONDOSO
Well, Commander. What now?

COMMANDER
Why don't you just give me the crossbow?

FRONDOSO
Why don't I just give you the crossbow bolt? Turn round. On your knees, Commander.

COMMANDER
Go ahead - kill me. And then what happens? Frondoso, you're a peasant - you're not stupid. Perhaps you're not afraid of death, but what about your beloved Laurencia, your family, your friends down there in the village? Are you willing to see them executed for what you've done? Can you stand by and see Fuente Ovejuna erased from memory? Exactly what price are you willing to pay for my death?

FRONDOSO
What are you saying?

COMMANDER
It will happen like this: before my body is cold, word will be sent to the authorities of a peasant uprising. My suspicious death will be investigated by a high officer of the Inquisition. Every man, woman and child will be interrogated. Some - the older ones, the youngest children, won't survive. And finally, when the charge of treason is proven, as it always is, the village will be destroyed and Fuente Ovejuna will cease to exist. Not a living soul, not a memory remaining - just a wasteland of ashes and regrets. So why don't you end this now and give me the crossbow?

FRONDOSO
As you said - I'm a peasant but I'm not stupid.

COMMANDER
An impasse. Then it falls to me to break the deadlock. [Shouting.] Captain Flores! [To Frondoso.] Make your decision, Frondoso - kill me or hand over the crossbow. But quickly - time is no longer on your side.

FRONDOSO
I choose ... neither. So I bid you good day, Commander. And happy hunting.

He exits as Flores and Ortuno re-appear.

ORTUNO
Sir, are you all right? We heard...

FLORES
What's going on, Commander? You look a little ...

COMMANDER
We came here to hunt, did we not?

FLORES
Yes, sir.

COMMANDER taking Flores' crossbow
Then let's hunt!

A stylised hunt, during which the Commader stalks and savagely kills a deer. The Villagers - one of whom enacts the deer - come on, acting as a chorus.

VILLAGERS
In a well of boiling blood. [Chasing, chasing, ever chasing.]
Searching for the heart of death. [Running, running, ever running.]
Searching for the heat of love -

Extract 3

COMMANDER
Twenty lashes.

The soldiers start to tie Mengo to the well.

JACINTA
No, Commander, he was protecting me.

MENGO
Is this the way you defend the peace?

COMMANDER
Under martial law, I have a right to discipline the populace.

MENGO
On what charge?

COMMANDER
Affray. Disorder. Public drunkenness. It makes no difference - one's as good as another. Gentlemen, what are you waiting for?

MENGO
Mercy!

ORTUNO
Sorry, there's nothing we can do.

JACINTA
Commander, make them stop.

COMMANDER
I must uphold the law, Jacinta.

JACINTA
But he was only protecting me.

COMMANDER
Look at him! He can't even protect himself - none of them can. But I can defend both you and your village. So why are you running away from me? [He takes hold of her arm.]

JACINTA
Commander! Let me go.

She struggles out of the Commander's grasp, but Flores knocks her down.

COMMANDER
Why is everyone being so difficult today? If I am not good enough for you, I'll give you to my men. They'll queue up to take you, one by one.

JACINTA
I'll take my chances with your troops.

COMMANDER
Your wish is my command. Soldado! [The soldiers appear.] Do it!

The Villagers as Chorus enter as the rape of Jacinta and the flogging of Mengo take place symbolically.

VILLAGERS
Hand to hand, flesh to flesh, skin to skin,
Rough hands caressing, warm breath burning, desperate hearts beating
The pulse drumming, the silent scream, and again.

Extract 4

BARRILDO
Senor Esteban! Have you heard the news from Cuidad Real?

M1
It's about the Commander.

FRONDOSO
What about him?

M1
He's ...

BOY interrupting
Let me tell it!

ESTEBAN
Barrildo, what news from Cuidad Real?

BARRILDO
The best - the only news!

M1
Cuidad Real has fallen! The knights of Calatrava have been routed!

BARRILDO
The banners of Ferdinand and Isabella are flying from its towers!

DON ROJO
Praise God! Can it be true?

FRONDOSO
And the Commander? What about the Commander?

BARRILDO
Gone for good.

FRONDOSO
How?

The following events as they are narrated can be acted out, if desired, by soldiers and characters named in front of the silent effigies.

M2
The red-crossed knights have met their match. There they stand, proud as punch.

F1
Teeth like tombstones, schoolboy bullies, ready for a scrap.

F3
Waiting for someone to kick around.

F5
Full of their own importance.

M3
There they stand, shouting the odds.

M1
Invincible, indestructible.

M2
Legends to themselves at least, singing their own superiority. All wind and water.

F2
Shouting 'Bring on the enemy; we'll feast on your women's broken hearts.'

F4
But this time, their opponents aren't helpless women and children.

M4
This time they face soldiers, fighting men, fighting for justice. Fierce as hornets, unforgiving as frost.

M1
Don Manrique gives the order: 'For justice! For Ferdinand and Isabella!'

ALL
Death to all traitors!

M1
And they're everywhere at once, swords flashing in the mid-day sun.

M2
The bullies get a bloody nose - and worse, they try to run.

F6
But now the hunter becomes the hunted.

F1
And the red crosses cower as Cuidad Real falls forever.

F4
And sweet Jesus, father of mercy, smiles upon us.

BOY
The last anyone saw of the Commander, he was running, bleeding from a dozen different wounds.

ALL MALE VILLAGERS
Begging for mercy but finding only justice.

ALL FEMALE VILLAGER
Reaping what he'd sown.

ESTEBAN
Praise God! [He kneels.] Dear Lord, we offer you our true thanks for deliverance from our suffering. We have endured a bitter season and only through your good grace and our sweet faith have we survived to see the light of Spring. Amen.

DON ROJO
Go, spread the word: the time for mourning is over and we will rejoice in this most happy release.

The Villagers exit

Extract 5

ACT TWO.

Night. The women enter, silent and sad. Behind them, the men prepare for a meeting. All the village characters -except Frondoso and Laurencia -gather for the meeting, subdued, in silence.

ALL
Welcome to Fuente Ovejuna -

F2
The silent village.

F6
The village that disappeared

F3
The village that died.

F4
We pray to God for guidance.

F5
And all we can hear is our own heart's frantic beating.

ALL FEMALE VILLAGERS
So we turn and pray to the giants.

ALL MALE VILLAGERS
We pray to the Grand Master to deliver us from the evil of his servants. The effigy of the Grand Master turns away.

ALL MALE VILLAGERS
We pray to King Ferdinand, To bring his cleansing sovereign sword to us.

M3
To shine his light on our darkness. The effigy of the King turns away.

ALL FEMALE VILLAGERS
We pray as women to Queen Isabella, to share our suffering and bring us merciful relief.

The effigy of the Queen turns away. Those who are manipulating the effigies rejoin the rest of the villagers.

F2
But the answer is always the same.

ALL
Shh. The voices of the giants are silent now.

ALL MALE VILLAGERS
No news from the outside world at all.

M3
No news of Cuidad Real.

F6
No news of Ferdinand and Isabella.

F3
Our world is now reduced to this square mile.

M4
Our God is now a Commander, battle scarred, world weary.

F5
A hater of life, a despoiler of the innocent.

M3
Our women no longer venture out in daylight.

F4
Our children have forgotten how to laugh.

M4
Our crops are left untended.

ALL MALE VILLAGERS
And one by one, the men move at night, to meet under cover of darkness.

ALL FEMALE VILLAGERS
The hunted make their plans below.

F2
While above, Frondoso sits, waiting for death.

F3
And Laurencia has learned that there are worse things ...

Extract 6

LAURENCIA
Nobody's child! Nobody's wife! Nothing!

DON ROJO
He's your father.

LAURENCIA He's not my father! A father loves his child; a father protects his child! A father fights for his child!

M2
That's not fair!

LAURENCIA
Where were you? When I needed you, where were you?

ESTEBAN
I tried ...

BARRILDO
It's not Esteban's fault - they beat him ...

LAURENCIA
And you? Did they beat you? Or you? Or you? You abandoned me. You stood and watched while they took Frondoso, you bowed your heads and turned away when they took me. They ripped the heart right out of my body and scattered it to the four winds. He took my secret soul last night and trampled it into the dirt - and you stood and watched him do it and never said a word. And still you stand silent ... still Is it my shame you cannot bear or is it your own? [Picking out various villagers.] You - you had a daughter; she was stolen from you. What did you say? - Nothing. You - you had a wife; you gave her away. What did you do? Nothing. Enjoy your silence. Say nothing. Just listen - listen carefully and on the wind you'll hear the sound of distant laughter. The Commander is laughing and he's laughing at you - the world is laughing at you. You call yourselves men? Listen ... they're laughing at the very thought of it.

M3
How dare you?

LAURENCIA How dare you speak out now. How dare you watch your women degraded, your pride destroyed, your honour despoiled, then burn with anger at a few little words! You don't fight with iron; you don't fight with steel - you fight with your heart's inner fire, with your living soul, your spirit. But you - you were dead long ago. You're empty shells. You call yourselves men but you're nothing of the sort - you're sheep! No, you're worse than sheep - even the ram will protect his flock. You're stones - cold, marble stones, lying in a wasteland of your own making. And still you say nothing! Sweet Jesus, what does it take to move you? What water trickles through your veins? What is it that freezes your tongues? Is it the same shame that stops your hearts from beating? Well, don't worry any longer. I'll take away the cause of your embarrassment. [She turns to go.]

ARRILDO
Where are you going?

LAURENCIA
To find the women of this village. We're living in a world turned upside down; maybe I'll find warriors amongst the women of Fuente Ovejuna. Our hearts are still alive; the fire still burns in our breast. Give us your weapons; we'll do your job for you. We'll kill the Commander and his men. Better to live one day as a tiger than a thousand years as a sheep. [She takes Barrildo's knife.]

DON ROJO
What about us? What are we supposed to do?

LAURENCIA
You can hide behind our skirts; you can cook and clean for us while we go out to fight. And wherever you go the world will point at you and say, 'There go the halfmen of Fuente Ovejuna. There go the cowards. There go the bearded women. There go the pretty nursemaids.' And you will bow your heads in silence and turn away.

Sample Pages from Production Notes

PRODUCTION NOTES + TECHNICAL CUES etc.

N.B. These notes are suggestions only. You may find them helpful to follow; or they may act as a springboard for your own ideas; or you can choose to ignore them entirely!

INTRODUCTION: THEMES, THE PLAY'S INTENTION.

The play is serious and passionate in its tone. It is the story of an oppressed village which, under the heel of a tyrannical Commander, who rapes the women and abuses the village's good nature at every opportunity, finally rises up against him and kills him. Its added power comes from the way the disparate characters in the village - cowards, jokers, hotheads, sober older men, women and children - all finally pull together to take collective responsibility for the murder. They throw themselves on the mercy of the rulers of Spain who, faced with the combined guilt of the whole town, are forced to recognise the injustices the Commander had committed and the justice of the village's revenge.

Added political spice is added through the cynical comments of the narrator/ town buffoon, Mengo. He it is that points out that nothing changes for the poor, whoever rules them. It is power itself that corrupts.

Though the intention of the play is serious and powerful - an effect achieved by a combination of strong characters, fiery speeches and sections of heightened language accompanied by physical theatre - there is light relief too. Mengo is a comic character and the repartee between the young men and women of the town is humorous.

The love theme within the play acts as alleviation to the horror. The love between Frondoso and Laurencia is a strong thread, though it is tested harshly. Most of the `love' within the play is sullied by the Commander and his soldiers' multiple rapes. This stands in stark contrast to the warmth, courage and honour of the main characters.

In fact, honour and lack of it is another major theme of the play. It is not the upper class characters who are honourable. Most of them are brutal and cruel and even the mercy shown by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in the end has little effect - the rulers are simply too aloof to have any real understanding of the plight of their subjects. This is emphasised by the device of having effigies of these rulers who brood from on high over the whole play, causing pain and bloodshed on a whim, though they prove to be mere empty shells when it comes to any real help.

CHARACTERS

MENGO
He is one of the young men about town, a bit of a buffoon, who is often the source of the comedy in the play. The fact that his character is light-weight, with a quick joke always ready on his lips, serves to emphasise the change as the play progresses and the increasing horror of the town under the Commander. After Mengo is whipped, he changes. There are no more smiles and jokes. His character becomes rather pathetic. His former cynicism and the fact that he always said that there was nothing that he believed in enough - not love or honour - to be prepared to risk his life for it - becomes a pivotal source of tension towards the end of the play. Will Mengo stand firm and back up the rest of the village by stating that all are equally guilty in the murder of the Commander - or will he follow his previously asserted philosophy and save himself by giving way under torture? He stands firm so that, by finding his courage and his honour, he can again, at the end of the play become the cynical buffoon - loved by all but still clear-headed enough to recognise the similarities inherent in the new rule of Don Manrique.

He may have joined the human race by learning self-respect, but that doesn't mean he is not still the cynic. The cynical nature of his speeches makes him the natural link between the town and the audience - often he acts as narrator and go between. His songs act as a commentary to the action and/or a mood-setter. Whoever plays him, must be able to sing and play the guitar. It would help if the actor was a little over-weight too - his weight is often alluded to. Gestures must be large and jokey, with a bright loud voice. A large acting range - able to show that the stuffing has been knocked out of him as well as the joking loud side - is demanded of this actor. FRONDOSO At first he seems interchangeable with the other young lads of the town, but he turns into the romantic and heroic lead. Even when joking with the others, it is clear that he has set his heart on Laurencia. He is intelligent - able to play with words - and quick. His main function is to show heroism and courage when Laurencia is threatened by the Commander; in fact it is that courage that swings Laurencia to giving in to his suit and agreeing to marry him; she had previously despised all the men of her acquaintance because they preferred to keep a low profile around the tyrants rather than stand up for themselves. It is made clear that his courage is fuelled by the strength of his love - which is a constant theme in the play. The actor playing him needs to be good-looking and nimble, physically and verbally.

BARRILDO
is a young lad about town. He has studied law, so is educated, and is a close friend to Frondoso. He seems to be also a member of the town council, perhaps because of his law studies. In the second half, he tries to promote active rebellion - killing the soldiers. He needs to be quite strong and assertive in voice and gestures.

LAURENCIA
is young girl of the town, fiercely independent, who doesn't hesitate to speak her mind both publicly and privately. She is clearly also very intelligent and able to swap word games with the men in quite a sophisticated way, despite calling herself a country girl. She denies love, saying she doesn't want it, prizing courage, honour and honesty above all. She clearly has feelings for Frondoso at the beginning, despite her air of cynical unconcern - witness her entrance to the secret meeting-place on page 17 excitedly, only masked when Frondoso enters. Her independence causes her to rebel against a marriage to Frondoso which has been assumed for years by the rest of the village but she still shows some feelings when she seeks to protect him from the Commander. Frondoso's heroic stance brings Laurencia's love out into the open - she had previously lumped all the village men together as cowards, unprepared to stand up to the Commander and soldiers. Her rape turns her into a spirit of vengeance with a scathing tongue - it releases all the anger in her heart and it is her example that turns the rest of the village to follow her example. She also has the courage to beg for forgiveness from the King and Queen - and the intelligence to point out how mercy can be achieved.

This is a very strong and demanding role, needing a wide vocal range and physical control.

JACINTA
is a young girl of the town who can be foolish and act without thinking, but who is also open to reason - as shown by her relinquishing of the shawl early on in the play. She should be shown as a pretty innocent until she is raped by the Commander's soldiers. This she endures, not given to moaning and complaining, but we should see that something lovely has been sullied.

PASCUALA
is another young girl of the town, who should be a contrast to Jacinta and Arbella. She is sensible, down-to-earth, with a wry sense of humour. She could also be played as perhaps a little coarse, with a loud raucous laugh and a flirtatious manner. She should be a big girl, strapping and physically strong [she knocks Ortuno down]. She is also hard drinking - she outdrinks the men of the village. She is one of the fiercest women in the end, a veritable Maenad.

ARBELLA
is younger than the other girls. She does not see the Commander for what he is for some time. I think she is best played as a Romantic idealist - like a star-struck pop-idol worshipper today, though an alternative view would be to play her as out for what she can get - trying to attract the Commander's attention because to be his woman would give her kudos amongst the others - or so she believes. Whatever you decide - and I favour the former approach - she admires the Commander and doesn't like being seen by him as a child, which offends her pride. Her song towards the end of Act 1 perhaps shows her heart-break over the Commander's rejection - and her romanticised view of love. Fiercest of them all in the end, she is the one whose final blow actually kills the Commander. Showing she also has courage, she is quite prepared to accept the responsibility too, to save the rest of the village. She should be played with passion, but also very young.

ESTEBAN
is Mayor, Chief Magistrate of the town and father of Laurencia. At first he is naive, believes that restitution will be made, and so on. He shows courage in facing the Commander and reprimanding him about respect. It is obvious that he is no wimp. The knife incident shakes him and reveals the depths the Commander will sink to. But when asked to condemn Frondoso as magistrate to death, he will not do it and finds his latent courage at last. It should be made clear that he is a reasonable man who has been pushed too far. He leads the village in the second half in an attempt to foster rebellion against the Commander and soldiery, proving a capable father and worthy leader of the community. Though called an old man, he is not really by today's standards. He should look worn, but he is by no means decrepit.

DON ROJO
a town councillor, follows Esteban's lead and shows courage to the Commander, but he is more timid than Laurencia's father. His advice is to keep a low profile and pray to God, hoping for vengeance from Him. However, once the outrages have become too much even for him, he is as supportive as anyone. It should look as though he has taken a great gulp and taken his courage in both hands - though it is against his pacifist and circumspect nature. he could be played as a 'character' - spectacles, a rather irritating mannerism perhaps - such as holding up an admonitory finger when he wants to speak - a dry, perhaps slightly stammering voice.

COMMANDER FERNANDO GOMEZ DE GUZMAN
is insincere and ruthless. He can talk flatteringly and pleasantly when it suits him - he is a courtier as well as a soldier - but he has no real respect for women. In fact he is a cruel womaniser and a bully. He manipulates situations - e.g. offering Esteban the knife to kill him, which shows the lengths to which his bullying will go. The scene with Arbella is revealing. It seems to show at first a softer side, but in fact it reveals more how he sees himself - the need to be a strong protector for the people - and his despising of the people he must protect. He does notice that Arbella is cold - perhaps there is a softness here, which Arbella responds to - his chosen course is lonely after all. He is filling his life with sexual gratification, but that is ultimately unsatisfying. His cruelty, after seeing Frondoso with Laurencia [because he sees Laurencia as the only one who could be a match for him?], becomes more and more revealed. But there is something to admire in his courage when faced by the mob. In fact, it seems more than courage - he seems to invite death ... as he did earlier with Esteban and the knife. Perhaps this could be a further clue to this complex character, who must not be played as a stereotypical 'baddie'.

FLORES
right hand man to the Commander, is, like him prepared to use violence if kind words don't work - even to women, e.g. knocking Jacinta down. There is some courtly veneer, as there is with the Commander, but both men are primarily men of war, hard and toughened by bloodshed. There is no real excuse for Flores enjoyment of cruelty; note the pleasure he gains in 'kicking' Frondoso - or at least the peasant they caught by mistake for Frondoso. Like his master, he is a bully - and can be played in a more stereotypical way.

ORTUNO
is another soldier, close to the Commander but lower in rank than Flores. Clues show that he is not so enamoured of the violence and lack of honour shown by his leader but he does what he's told. He is not particularly quick to understand when the Commander is being less than honourable - so perhaps he is not too bright, which could be how he is played. He saves Laurencia from the Commander's rape by protesting to Flores that Laurencia is the Mayor's daughter. But despite some good in him, at the end of the day he is too frightened of the Commander to disobey.

DON MANRIQUE
is a man of god - but of the scary kind that made up the Spanish Inquisition in those days. He seems righteous, austere and, though harsh, at least just - until the twist in the tail which reveals that he is subject to the same brutal instincts as his predecessor. Power corrupts and offers temptations that Don Manrique is too weak not to take up. He should be played as cold and upright, without a flicker of emotion crossing his face until the end - when it will be all the more shocking.

The MALE AND FEMALE VILLAGERS
act as Chorus and commentary throughout. Occasionally they are characterised, but only briefly. Nonetheless, they should behave as separate characters, except for those scenes where they are simply acting out the parts of soldiers or innocents dying, to the narration of others. There is enough in each part to build up quite solid characterisations and backgrounds.

KING FERDINAND, QUEEN ISABELLA and THE GRAND MASTER
are just ciphers really. They are rulers, distant and hardly touched by the sufferings of their people, as symbolised by the townsmen of Fuente Ovejuna. Their battle is for supreme power, the King and Queen of Spain with the rebel Grand Master and his Knights. Fuente Ovejuna has the misfortune of being the town closest to the strategic pass between Castile, where the King and Queen live, and the region where the Grand Master dominates. Whoever owns the pass will dominate that region of Spain. Whoever owns the pass - temporarily - places his man in charge of the town nestling at the foot of the mountain. Thus, for most of the play, after a mighty battle described at the start, the Grand Master has won the pass and therefore the region, setting his man, Commander de Guzman to 'rule' Fuente Oveja. Towards the end, the Grand Master is beaten, the Commander is killed by the villagers themselves, and the King and Queen send their own man to rule, Don Manrique.

It is significant then that these characters are played by large masked effigies, who brood over the whole play. They have no characters as such but are simply emblems of power.

Note - it is unclear why the King and Queen would be prepared to avenge the Commander's death, when he fought for the rebel Grand Master's side, but I assume it is because any peasant uprising against a member of the ruling classes is a potential rebellion against the King and Queen and as such must be quashed. pasants must not be allowed to take the law into their own hands; the guilt or innocence of the Commander should have been up to the King and Queen to decide.

SETTING

The play needs a setting that can easily be changed to create interiors or exteriors in and out of the village with the minimum of fuss.

I suggest a structure along the back of the stage, perhaps made from scaffolding, which indicates the tall shapes of mountains at the top along the back. The bottom part of the scaffolding structures can indicate the inside or outside walls of the town houses, as needed. A Spanish feel to these structures - simple outlines, white walls. Suggest two 'houses' [which can double as barracks and all sorts] if doors and walls only are indicated. One 'house' on each side with a gap between the two for entrances, and to suggest a street going somewhere. Would be nice if the street looks as if it curves round the back of the scaffolding, having the outlines of other buildings lining the way. Two platforms, not covering the whole structures on each side, act as a suggestion of `roofs' on the one hand and an extra level at times as well.

The well is placed in front of the centre `exit' street allowing plenty of room around the sides and behind it. This needs to be portable - a simple structure, easy to strike, with a bucket that is lowered down into it. Though portable, the sides of the well need to be solid enough to be leaned on and sat on, maybe even stood on. The well gives a useful other level to the stage. For ease, it could be on wheels with a brake lever, to wedge them.

This well is pushed down for the scene outside the village between Laurencia and Frondoso, into a downstage corner. Here it can be altered by draping a quantity of ivy over it, for instance. No other alterations will be needed for this scene, except for lighting, which will cut off the back of the stage with its structures. Later in the play, when the villagers are plotting in the town hall, the centre street can be blocked off by a wall with a practical door in it, fixed to the scaffolding.

The Commander's headquarters are downstage on the opposite side from 'outside' where Laurencia and Frondoso meet. Defined by light, all it needs is a heavy-looking polished desk, a chair behind it and another chair someway in front. All must look polished wood, period feel.

Where setting changes occur and how to do them, are indicated in the Production Notes.

TO MAKE

The well and additions [bucket, ivy, etc.]

The three giant-size effigies - large puppets, whose arms and heads are worked by a person inside wielding rods, which are hidden by flowing robes. These effigies need to tower over the platform height of the stuctures, reaching right up to the 'roof' of the stage. The cart with papier-mache food heaped onto it.