• Overview
• Staging information
• Translations
• Sample translations
• Production history

• The Three Judgements in One : From ACT TWO, II. 1652-1795, The Three Judgements in One , From ACT TWO, II. 1869-1920, The Three Judgements in One

The Three Judgements in One , translated by Kathleen Jeffs (née Mountjoy)

From ACT TWO, II. 1652-1795, The Three Judgements in One

Context:

In this scene, Lope Jr. and Violante express their affection for one another. However, Lope Jr. has come on behalf of his friend Guillén who also loves Violante, and has to ask of her feelings for him as well. In doing so he skilfully reveals his own feelings, which Violante returns, and she informs him of her scorn for Guillén. Unfortunately for Guillén, who has been eavesdropping, he has to hide in the middle of her response to Lope’s question about her feelings, and so he misunderstands her declaration of love as intended for himself instead of Lope. This leads the two men to a swordfight which will be the ultimate cause of the tragedy in the play. Lope’s father intervenes, Lope strikes him, and this dishonour causes Lope Sr. to seek his son’s death as due justice. In this sense, the scene here between Violante, Guillén and Lope Jr. is the catalyst for the tragic events of the ending.

Sample text

LOPE JR.:

Knowing that it pleases you,
I’ll take care in telling you.
Don Guillén, well …

Enter GUILLÉN, listening without being seen.

GUILLÉN: [Aside.]

He’s talking about me!
I came back just at the right time.

LOPE JR.:

… he came to Aragon from Italy,
and is your sunflower,
turning towards the clear sunlight
of your love, as if he were a flower,
but a rational one. He has asked me to
tell you of his feelings for you,
knowing how close we are.

GUILLÉN: [Aside.]

What a fine, loyal friend!
Damn, someone’s coming,
I’ll have to hide,
though I hate to miss her answer!

GUILLÉN hides out of sight.

VIOLANTE:

Lope, your new style of deference
does not excuse your earlier impertinence.
You have offended me twice today.
I suppose I could forgive you
for one fault, but not two.

LOPE JR.:

Then I must know for which I am not forgiven,
so I can seek absolution.
For my desire, my lady,
is so intricate an enigma
that I don’t know how to explain it.

VIOLANTE:

Well I know exactly how to start.
You tell Guillén that he can stop
with his sweet words, because he knows
that I never listen to anything he says,
and his hopes are founded on nothing
firmer than whispers in the wind.

LOPE JR.:

As for me, what sort of answer shall I give myself?

VIOLANTE:

You show yourself ignorant of the case.
If a judge must decide the fate of two men,
and he determines one of them to be guilty,
then it is clear that he will say of the other one …

LOPE JR.:

What?

VIOLANTE:

… the exact opposite. Because if he was going to
say that both were guilty,
he would have sentenced them at the same time,
rather than separating the verdicts.

LOPE JR.:

That’s right; my soul has been
hanging on by a thread
until you explained yourself.

Enter GUILLÉN, who listens again without being seen.

GUILLÉN: [Aside.]

That man has gone: now I can
see what she is saying about me.

VIOLANTE:

I can only say this:
while in the past I may have been hard as
diamond, bronze, like a statue
that resists the sharp awl, firm as steel
in my resistance and defence,
but that has all come to an end.
For the diamond can be cut from the rock,
bronze can be heated and worked,
and even marble can be shaped.

GUILLÉN: [Aside.]

Boon from the heavens! Violante
speaks of me with such kindness,
with a sweet, soulful response!

LOPE JR.:

For bestowing so many favours upon me,
I kiss your snow-white hands.

GUILLÉN: [Aside.]

What a loyal friend! He acts as if
he himself were the favoured one!

LOPE JR.:

You would honour me still more
by providing me with a sign of your favour.

VIOLANTE:

Don Lope, take this flower.
It will bear witness to my hopes,
as it is the very colour of hope itself.

She goes.

LOPE JR.:

It will live and stay beautiful forever,
and will not suffer the cold north winds of Cierço,
nor the fierce African winds of Abrego.
He is a happy man who wears this!

Enter GUILLÉN.

GUILLÉN:

But even happier is the man who awaits it,
as it comes from her,
and is so thoughtfully delivered by you.
But before you give it to me,
I throw myself at your feet …

VICENTE: [Aside.]

This is some special delivery!

GUILLÉN:

… because my thanks are due to you
on two accounts: one to you, Lope,
for showing such exemplary friendship,
and the other, for this emerald-coloured
flower, which I find myself
scarcely worthy even to touch.

LOPE JR.:

Rise, Guillén. For if you are brought
to such extremes by the colour
of this flower, I fear what may happen
to you when the wind changes.

GUILLÉN:

What do you mean?

VICENTE: [Aside.]

What will happen to him
when his green flower stops singing
out to him of hope, but instead
croaks with the green of envy?

LOPE JR.:

I mean that although this flower is
from Violante, and though I hold it,
I am not holding it for you.

GUILLÉN:

Did I not hear you speak of me
to her in the finest terms?

LOPE JR.:

Yes.

GUILLÉN:

And then, although a man came by
and I had to hide, did I not hear, (oh, God!)
that although she has been fierce
and ungrateful up to now, she sent this
as a witness of how
marble can be worked,
mountains can crumble,
and even diamonds can be shaped?

LOPE JR.:

I’m afraid you have been let down
by not listening to the whole story.

GUILLÉN:

What?

LOPE JR.:

What’s happened is you have only heard
what you wanted to hear,
filtering out the good and ignoring the bad.
Violante’s response to you
was that she is tired of your love.

GUILLÉN:

But, then, who else could Violante
have spoken of, when I’m sure she was speaking of me,
when she said she is becoming more tender …

LOPE JR.:

Me.

VICENTE: [Aside.]

This will kill him.

GUILLÉN:

You?

LOPE JR.:

Yes.

GUILLÉN:

Look, Don Lope, these may be your words,
but they are causing me to doubt
the strength of our friendship.

LOPE JR.:

He who doubts my word
dares to insult me.

GUILLÉN:

Enough of this jesting,
the price of the joke is too high.
Just give me the flower.

LOPE JR.:

It is mine. I will not part with it.

GUILLÉN:

It belongs to its owner,
and as that is me, I must have it.

LOPE JR.:

And how are you going to do that?

GUILLÉN:

Meet me outside the house,
and bring that with you,
for I will punish such false friendship
and avenge my jealousy with my sword.

He goes.

LOPE JR.:

Off you go then, I’ll follow.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Three Judgements in One by Kathleen Jeffs (née Mountjoy) is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

From ACT TWO, II. 1869-1920, The Three Judgements in One

Context:

This is only a short while after the previous excerpt, during which time Guillén and Lope Jr. have begun swordfighting to the great distress of Violante, Blanca and the household, who have all come outside. Even Lope Sr. ventures to follow the din of the fighting, and he attempts to quell the young gentlemen’s anger by intervening. His noble and aged presence alone should be enough to stop the boys from fighting dishonourably in the street, but young Lope is undeterred.

Sample text

Enter GUILLÉN and LOPE JR. fighting, with others in the middle of the fray, including LOPE SR.

LOPE SR.:

Wait, Lope. Don Guillén …

BYSTANDER:

We’ve only just arrived,
and we’re right in the middle of the fight.

GUILLÉN:

False friend.

LOPE JR.:

The false one is he who …

LOPE SR.:

Now that I am here, you ingrate,
will you not control yourself?

LOPE JR.:

I control only my honour,
as I’ve always done, no thanks to you.

LOPE SR.:

By God, you’ve lost any honour
you may have had from me long ago.
And since you seem to have no respect
for me in my old age, you shall,
Guillén, because I can at least expect
you to be more sensible than my son.

GUILLÉN:

You expect correctly.
I respect your venerable age,
and you will see these two
young gentlemen sheathe their swords
and settle their differences
at a more appropriate time and place.

LOPE JR.:

That’s a fine way of hiding your fear.

GUILLÉN:

My fear?

They fight again.

LOPE SR.:

Mad boy, how can you?
My presence should be enough,
even your friend respects me,
yet you show me so little regard!
By God, you will see
whether I have any valour left!

LOPE JR.:

Stop, and watch you don’t raise
your stick against me,
or I’ll have to punish you as well.

LOPE SR.:

Does your friend’s example
hold no sway over you, upstart?

LOPE JR.:

No, he shows respect
out of mere cowardice;
I cannot turn his fear
into virtue just by calling it such.

GUILLÉN:

No one has ever thought,
let alone said, that I was a coward …

LOPE SR.:

He lied. I will own it,
there’s no need for you to say it.

LOPE JR.:

It doesn’t matter who says it,
I’ll seek satisfaction from anyone
who calls me a liar.

He strikes him.

That includes you, old man.

VICENTE:

What have you done?

LOPE SR.:

May the heavens fall on your head!
God is the first witness
that you have crossed the line.

ALL:

We’ll help you. Death to the son
who offends his father!

Exit all, threatening LOPE JR.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Three Judgements in One by Kathleen Jeffs (née Mountjoy) is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Entry written by Kathleen Jeffs. Last updated on 7 March 2011.

Post a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment. Please log in or sign up for a free account.