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• Marta the Divine : ACT ONE Scene Three , End of ACT TWO

Marta the Divine, translated by Harley Erdman

ACT ONE Scene Three

Context:

Marta is very surprised to learn of her father's plans for her to marry the Captain. She is secretly in love with Felipe, who is looking on in this scene, dressed as a sailor. To avoid the engagement to the Captain she announces she has a holy calling and cannot marry any man, as she wishes to remain a virgin to pursue her religious life. Please note that in Erdman's translation, the suitors Diego and Juan have been changed to 'Sancho' and 'Pancho'.

Sample text

Illescas. Captain Urbina’s house. Night.

(Enter MARTA, LUCÍA, the ENSIGN, URBINA, DON GÓMEZ, and INÉS.)

DON GÓMEZ:

Daughter, your bloom of youth obliges me
to find you a groom whose bounteous love will flow
your way with boundless generosity.
Marta, step forward. I could speak, you know,

forever of the treasures of Captain Urbina,
but there’s one gift above all he gives the world.

MARTA: (Aside.)

So I’m the one. His only gift is his nephew.

ENSIGN: (Aside.)

She’s eyeing me. There’s something about that girl.

Look at her sigh. Lucía, how I’ll miss you!

LUCÍA: (Aside.)

All my dreams of Felipe are about to come true:
Father’s giving Marta away. O heaven!

DON GÓMEZ:

Captain Urbina has just returned from Peru

with this dashing nephew who stands before you.

MARTA: (Aside.)

I’m scared to look his way lest one brief glance
condemns me to forget Felipe forever.

ENSIGN: (Aside.)

She’s definitely looking my way. What a dance

of curious eyes! Intriguing. But I’m still yearning
for beautiful Lucía. Well, whatever.
I’m a loyal nephew, and follow my uncle’s will.
Convenience is more important than pleasure.

DON GÓMEZ:

This great venture must be contracted tonight,
thus linking the good name of Urbina to our
good will, forever and ever.

(Enter FELIPE and PASTRANA, spying. FELIPE is dressed as a soldier.)

FELIPE: (to Pastrana.)

We’re just in time.

She doesn’t see me. Oh God, do you feel her power?

PASTRANA:

Not yet.

FELIPE:

Marta!

MARTA:

Felipe?

FELIPE:

I love you.

PASTRANA:

Look at him back at the scene of his crime.

MARTA:

Be careful.

FELIPE: (Aloud.)

Long live General Don Luis Fajardo!

DON GÓMEZ:

Who’s that drunken soldier?

LUCÍA:

Felipe!

FELIPE: (Hushing.)

Lucía…

(Enter SANCHO and PANCHO, spying.)

SANCHO:

There are the sisters.

SANCHO, PANCHO:

Luscious.

PANCHO:

Oh, God, I’m dying.

SANCHO:

And there’s that insolent soldier again.

FELIPE:

Huzzah!

SANCHO:

He’s drunk.

PANCHO:

Quiet or they’ll see we’re spying.

FELIPE:

Huzzah!

GÓMEZ:

Don’t let carousing from a solider
of our Majesty’s brave army be a distraction.

FELIPE:

Huzzah!

DON GOMEZ:

Let your feelings be known, daughter.

URBINA:

Fulfill our desires.

DON GÓMEZ:

We wait upon your reaction.

MARTA:

Although the Ensign’s a man of great renown,
and his uncle bequeaths him a most illustrious name.,
and a rich and honorable list of noble deeds,
I fear—

DON GÓMEZ:

What that’s?—

MARTA:

I’m not—

DON GÓMEZ:

You’re not?—

FELIPE:

Hooray!

DON GÓMEZ:

What does his nephew have to do with who’s
to master your tender love, and crown your jewel?
The Ensign’s a stream that feeds a mighty river.

URBINA:

I am the man who means to marry you.

DON GOMEZ:

A daughter does a father’s will. Answer.

MARTA:

You put me in a difficult position, father.

FELIPE:

Huzzah!

MARTA:

Will somebody call a constable?
That drunken soldier’s getting to be a bother!
(to Felipe)

Quiet, and let me handle this myself.

URBINA:

I await the sweet “yes” from your honeyed lips.

MARTA:

Captain, I thank you for your generous offer.
It’s clear you are a man of many gifts,

but I will not marry.

FELIPE:

Long live the Empire!

DON GÓMEZ:

Outrage! You will marry or you will die.

MARTA:

Wait, father. I beg you, as my señor,,
to hear the words of your loving daughter.

Yes, be my witnesses, one and all,
for God above supports my cause.
I am a woman of my word,
and as a woman I keep my vows,

for I’m heir father, to your good blood.
I would gladly marry the Captain.
He’s a man of great estate.
Without money, love is worth nothing:

every woman knows this truth.
Yes, I’d marry a thousand times over,
I’d kiss the Captain every night
before we went each to our chambers.

He’s a beautiful man in his own way.
But my calling is virtuous.
I’ve long kept it a secret from you,
but now that you suddenly insist

upon my marriage to this great man,
dear father, I must declare before
you all my true intentions or risk
the wrath of the highest Lord.

I have a holy calling. I must
renounce this world and its weary ways.
No more finery, no more fiestas,
no more bullfights—I must make

this sacrifice. Earthly vanity
is no more for me. I’ve sworn before
the Lord above. I’ve taken a vow
of chastity. Yes, I abjure

any behavior less than holy.
I am a maid, and a maid I’ll remain
until the day my ancient body
is laid in virgin earth. Amen.

DON GÓMEZ:

This is a serious matter.

URBINA:

Señora?

MARTA:

Please don’t touch me. I am pure.

DON GÓMEZ:

Is this some whim?

MARTA:

It’s the will of God

URBINA:

Maybe you should ask if she’s sure?

MARTA:

Do you doubt the power of my faith?

DON GÓMEZ:

I have friends who are theologians—
I’ll consult them—they’ll advise me.
They know how to scour the conscience.

URBINA:

Yes. No use rushing into a decision.

DON GÓMEZ:

Call the servants! Draw up the carriage!

URBINA:

Won’t you even spend the night?

DON GOMEZ:

Since there’s not going to be a marriage,

we’re going back home this moment!

ENSIGN: (Aside.)

A stroke from heaven!

LUCIA: (Aside.)

God heard my prayers!

ENSIGN: (Aside.)

I am rewarded for my faith!

LUCÍA: (Aside.)

Sweet Felipe!

ENSIGN: (Aside.)

Sweet Lucía!

LUCÍA: (Aside.)

I’m not sure what’s up with Marta
but either way Felipe’s mine.

SANCHO:

This conversion is pure confusion.

PANCHO:

At least it buys us a little time.

FELIPE:

Long live God!
(Aside to Marta.)

Did you really mean it?

MARTA: (Aside to Felipe.)

Now is not the time for doubt.

FELIPE: (Aside to Marta.)

Is this for me or for love of God?

MARTA:

You’ll soon see how I keep my vows.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation Marta the Divine by Harley Erdman is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

End of ACT TWO

Context:

Felipe dresses up as a poor student of Canon Law, and Marta convinces her father to take him into their house, on the condition that he will teach her Latin if she helps him to recover from a sudden attack of the heart. Gómez, believing this act of ‘charity’, attributes this to her ‘calling’ and leaves the couple alone together.

Sample text

(Enter FELIPE, in a cassock, in miserable condition.)

FELIPE:

Alms! Alms! O for a home!
Charity, please. Is there no one

who’ll alleviate the woeful
suffering of a friar, a prayerful
man devoted to Canon Law,
whose raging illness stands in the way

of noble pursuits? Alms, alms,
if charity be the outward sign
of a family’s noble bloodline.

MARTA, LUCÍA: (Aside.)

Felipe!

FELIPE: (Aside.)

Shhh…Alms, alms.

MARTA:

Father, take pity on this soul.
I see him, and compassion parts
the very fibers of my heart.
It’s God’s will: we must help him.

DON GÓMEZ:

Give him a coin and bid him go.
We have enough of these wandering poor
here in Madrid.

MARTA:

You’d refuse him, señor?
You might as well as kill him with

your own unforgiving hand.
You can take him away from me,
but I will give him everything
that’s in my soul. O poor darling,

I open my arms. Come to Marta!

(She embraces Felipe.)

FELIPE: (Aside to Marta.)

I am your martyr.

MARTA:

Such a weak
and humble body but such a sleek
and resplendent soul! My sweetie!

DON GÓMEZ:

You embrace him?

LUCÍA:

I’d like to give him
a hug as well.

DON GÓMEZ:

Wait one minute.
What’s your illness?

FELIPE:

A touch of jaundice.

DON GÓMEZ:

Could be worse.

FELIPE:

I have discomfort

in my head and in my bowels.
My molars ache. I’ve got the mange,
and a bit of ringworm of the waist
and scalp. Lately, I’ve been plagued

with scabies, and on my face,
you’ll see I’ve got the oozing pox..
My jaw tends to get locked,
and as you can see by how I walk,

I seem to have that vicious palsy
that’s going round. O how it hurts.
I need constant succor, support,
and attention. And did I mention

this gnawing pain inside my heart?
Will no one help this ravaged shepherd
of the lord?

MARTA:

I will be his nurse.
It’s a test of faith.

DON GÓMEZ:

I don’t like the sight

of your squeezing him like that.

LUCÍA:

Can I help too?

MARTA:

Look at his weak state.
There’s only so much affection he can take.

DON GÓMEZ:

I agree. Enough of this hugging.

MARTA:

Tell me, father. Do you love me?

DON GÓMEZ:

Of course.

MARTA:

Then let me cure his woes.

DON GÓMEZ:

Cure him? How?

MARTA:

Right here at home.
I want to make a difference, father.

I want these hands of mine to be
the hands that nurse him back to health.

DON GÓMEZ:

A happy home become a sickhouse?
Who’s ever heard of such a thing?

MARTA:

Don’t you see his life is dangling
by a thread? I beg you, please.
Do this act of charity for me.
My soul is hanging in the balance.

LUCÍA:

I agree. We must take him in.

DON GÓMEZ:

You as well? Now we’re a hospital,
and you’re sisters of mercy? I’m ill.

FELIPE:

If I should live, I’ll teach her Latin.

MARTA:

He can show me how to pray.
This is God’s gift.

LUCÍA:

Show us your heart.

MARTA: (Embracing him.)

Nothing will ever keep us apart!

FELIPE: (Pushing her away.)

No, no. It’s not possible,

Ad hoc, pro bono, que será, será...
I cherish the sympathy you lavish
on this forlorn, scorned, and ravished
mendicant of the Lord, but master’s

a good man, and master won’t allow it.
I take my leave. Oww, my leg!
The jaundice acting up again.
Go with God.

DON GÓMEZ:

Enough. Come back.

MARTA:

What?

LUCÍA:

What?

DON GÓMEZ:

My house is yours.

MARTA, LUCÍA, FELIPE:

Thank you, father/señor!

MARTA:

You are a saint.

FELIPE:

You are noble.

DON GÓMEZ:

What’s your name?

FELIPE:

I am…

DON GÓMEZ:

I can’t hear you.

FELIPE:

Lockjaw.

They call me…Friar Berrio.

DON GÓMEZ:

Friar Berrio? You look familiar.
Have we met somewhere before?

FELIPE:

They say all we wandering scholars

of Canon law look the same.

DON GÓMEZ:

You’ll make yourself useful?

FELIPE:

If I may,
I’ll teach her how to conjugate.

MARTA:

I’ve been craving a lesson for months.

FELIPE:

Count on me to fulfill your desires.

LUCÍA:

I’d like to learn too.

DON GÓMEZ:

One at a time.
Patience, Lucía, is never a crime.
Besides, the last I heard him speak,

the Ensign was quite eloquent
in our humble vernacular.
You’ll find him spectacular
when he speaks of his great feats.

Let the Latin lessons commence!
No one can say I’m not a good father.

(Exit DON GÓMEZ.)

INÉS: (To Lucía.)

Shall we be going?

LUCÍA:

Going? Where?
Lunch is served.

LUCÍA:

We already ate.

INÉS:

Then, señora, it’s time for supper.

LUCÍA: (To Marta.)

I’m going to find out what’s going on,
so help me God.

MARTA:

So help you God.

LUCÍA:

My appetite has just been piqued.

(Exit INÉS and LUCÍA, the former whisking the latter out of the room.)

MARTA:

My damnation! How clever.

FELIPE:

Wait.
Vague misgivings assault my heart.
Jealousy hangs like ice in my spirit,
chilling my soul and breeding doubt,

leaving me weak and sick to death
on your account. Who do you love?
I’m a dying man.

MARTA:

Heat restores health,
desire sets the blood ablaze,

and all our limping, coughing doubts
vanish in the flame of passion.
Let me melt you with compassion.
Come, be healed in the fire of love.

(They embrace. Enter DON GÓMEZ.)

DON GÓMEZ:

Did you see those papers?

MARTA:

Oh my God!

DON GÓMEZ:

What’s this?

FELIPE:

(As if he’s fainted in her arms.)

My heart.

MARTA:

His heart.
It’s stopped beating! It won’t start.
He’s fading!

DON GÓMEZ:

Can you get a pulse?

FELIPE:

Ahhh! I die.

DON GÓMEZ:

Hold him, Marta.
Don’t let him fall.

MARTA:

I’m sure he’s dead.
Help me get him to a bed.

DON GÓMEZ:

Don’t let him put any weight

on those feet.

MARTA:

He’s getting colder.

DON GÓMEZ:

Keep him warm. Grip him nice and tight.

MARTA:

It may be time for his last rites.

DON GÓMEZ:

Who wouldn’t love such a daughter?

FELIPE:

Ahhhh!

DON GÓMEZ:

He lives!

MARTA:

You saved him, father.

DON GÓMEZ:

Then I leave him to you.

MARTA:

You musn’t.

DON GÓMEZ:

I must.
Daughter, you have my total trust.
I’m going out for some fresh air.

(Exit DON GÓMEZ.)

MARTA:

How’s your palsy, Friar Berrio?

FELIPE:

In need of your cure. And how’s that vow
of chastity? Are you still devout?

MARTA:

There’s only one way to find out.

(MARTA and FELIPE share a leisurely embrace. SANCHO and PANCHO appear, spying through the window. The brothers nod to each other in confirmation.)

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation Marta the Divine by Harley Erdman is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Entry written by Kathleen Jeffs. Last updated on 4 October 2010.

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