The plot is labyrinthine, mainly because of the Plautine confusion over names and the masquerades adopted by the characters [reminiscent of the Roman playwright and actor Plautus]. It revolves around three women and their suitors. Marcela de Almendárez has two suitors, Don Silvestre de Almendárez (her cousin), and Cardenio, masquerading as Don Silvestre. Marcela Osorio (who never actually appears) also has two suitors, Don Antonio de Almendárez (the brother of Marcela), and Don Ambrosio. Cristina has three suitors: Ocaña, Quiñones and Torrente.
There are two central misunderstandings: firstly, Marcela de Almendárez thinks that her brother Don Antonio has incestuous designs on her, whereas he is actually pursuing Marcela de Osorio. Secondly, Don Ambrosio thinks that Cristina works for Marcela Osorio, while she is actually a kitchen maid to Marcela de Almendárez.
In the first act, Ocaña, a footman in the de Almendárez household in Madrid, is in love with Cristina the kitchen maid, and reproaches her for flirting with Quiñones the page, with whom he indulges in a mutual display of bravado. Don Antonio de Almendárez, in love with Marcela Osorio, complains of not knowing her whereabouts to his sister Marcela, in such a way as to provoke her into suspecting he has incestuous designs on her. The student Cardenio appears, complaining to servant Torrente that his amorous intentions towards Marcela de Almendárez appear doomed to failure. Marcela’s elderly servant Muñoz enters, and suggests that, in exchange for a new coat, he is prepared to help Cardenio gain access to Marcela by passing himself off as Don Silvestre, her cousin from Peru, who is to marry her. Dorotea, Marcela de Almendárez’s maid, is persuaded by Don Antonio’s behaviour that he is indeed harbouring incestuous feelings. Ocaña’s attempt to be promoted to the post of Don Antonio’sadviser is undermined by the excess of wine he has consumed. Don Ambrosio, mistakenly thinking that Cristina works for Marcela Osorio, whom he loves, enlists her help in trying to pass on a letter to her mistress. Quiñones’ jealousy is aroused by seeing Cristina with Don Ambrosio, and Ocaña’s jealousy is in turn provoked by seeing Cristina with Quiñones. Cardenio and Torrente, departing somewhat from Muñoz’s plan because of a lack of funds, appear dressed as pilgrims, and Torrente announces to Don Antonio that this is his cousin Don Silvestre, who has miraculously survived a shipwreck, and is now performing a pilgrimage of thanksgiving. The confidence trick is reinforced by a double bluff, since Cardenio feigns anger with Torrente for revealing his ‘true’ identity. Don Antonio welcomes the newcomers into his home
In the second act, Cristina laments the lot of kitchen maids to her mistress. Cardenio, posing as Don Silvestre, and pretending that he is undertaking a pilgrimage to give thanks for having been rescued from a shipwreck, enters to pay his respects to Marcela. Torrente is smitten by Cristina and flirts with her, thus provoking Ocaña’s jealousy. Torrente tries to allay Ocaña’s fears by announcing that he will not be a rival for Cristina’s affections. Having learned of the apparent arrival of Marcela’s cousin Don Silvestre through Cristina, and mistakenly taking him for a rival for Marcela Osorio’s affections, Don Ambrosio furiously confronts Cardenio, who fears that the former may have seen through his masquerade. Don Ambrosio then pleads his case to Don Antonio, whose friend Don Francisco realises that this is a matter of mistaken identity. They go off to find Marcela de Almendárez, leaving behind Cardenio, Torrente and Muñoz, relieved that their confidence trick has escaped discovery. Marcela has been confiding to Dorotea that she is unimpressed by Cardenio. On seeing her, Don Ambrosio realises his error, but in doing so arouses the jealousy of Don Antonio, who now realises he has a rival for Marcela Osorio’s affections. Now Marcela realises that her suspicions about her brother’s incestuous desires were unfounded. After urging Cardenio to be bolder in his advances to Marcela, Torrente pleads with Cristina to choose him instead of Ocaña. Cristina persuades him to give his rival a beating, but Ocaña has been eavesdropping. When he confronts Cristina she tries to excuse her behaviour by saying it was all a joke.
In the third and final act, Don Francisco informs the despairing Don Antonio that Don Pedro Osorio favours his marriage to his daughter Marcela. Marcela de Almendárez, on Cristina’s behalf, asks permission from her brother for the servants to put on an interlude. Don Antonio, in a happy mood because of the news he has received, accedes to the request. Ocaña and Torrente confront each other, but Ocaña convinces Torrente that Cristina is playing them off against each other and they resolve to patch up their quarrel over a drink. Cristina arrives and is amazed to find that they have not come to blows. Asked to indicate which of the two suitors she prefers, she answers equivocally by accepting Ocaña’s handkerchief but giving hers to Torrente. The interlude is performed but the demarcation lines between the action of the play and the play-within-the-play are left deliberately unclear! The real Don Silvestre de Almendárez arrives, accompanied by Clavijo, discovers that someone has been impersonating him, and then, without revealing his identity, has some fun by exposing Torrente’s complete ignorance of maritime matters. Don Ambrosio asks Don Antonio to congratulate him for having won Marcela Osorio’s promise to marry him. Don Pedro Osorio arrives to tell Don Antonio that he will grant him his daughter’s hand only to learn, to his great displeasure, that she has already pledged herself to Don Ambrosio. Don Antonio’s ardour is considerably cooled by the prospect of having to settle the matter through the courts. Torrente berates Cardenio for not having taken advantage of being inside the house by seducing Marcela de Almendárez. Don Silvestre and Clavijo arrive to unmask the imposters. Don Silvestre has been put off marrying Marcela de Almendaréz himself because of the aspersions that have been cast upon her character by Cardenio’s deception. Cristina chooses Quiñones as a husband only to be rejected by him, and is then spurned by Ocaña because he is piqued at being her second choice. Marcela dismisses Cardenio and Torrente and banishes Muñoz from her household. The play ends without anyone marrying.
Summary by John O'Neill, used with permission (less)
The plot is labyrinthine, mainly because of the Plautine confusion over names and the masquerades adopted by the characters [reminiscent of the Roman playwright and actor Plautus]. It r... (Read more...)
Like so many plays of the Spanish (and English) Renaissance La entretenida bears the imprint of the Roman playwright and actor Plautus. Indeed, as John O’Neill highlights, the plot is heavily influenced by the same two plays, Amphitryo and The Brothers Menaechmus, which inspired Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. It is plausible that La entretenida could be a reworking of an earlier play by Cervantes, which is now lost, La confusa. There are references to La Celestina and Ariosto. (less)
Like so many plays of the Spanish (and English) Renaissance La entretenida bears the imprint of the Roman playwright and actor Plautus. Indeed, as John O’Neill highlights, the plot is ... (Read more...)
La entretenida was published in 1615 as part of the Ocho comedias, y ocho entremeses nuevos, nunca representados (Eight New Plays and Interludes, Never Performed). It is not possible to date the play precisely, but most critics agree that it was one of Cervantes’ last. Indeed, as John O’Neill points out, at the end of Pedro de Urdemalas, the last play in the volume, Pedro refers to a play that they will be performed the next day ‘that does not end in marriage’, a description that fits The Diversion perfectly.
Characters are memorable and the lines are actor-friendly. Graciosos (comic servants) are not interchangeable from one to another nor could they go into another play, another argument that this is not an imitation of the Lopean model. (less)
La entretenida was published in 1615 as part of the Ocho comedias, y ocho entremeses nuevos, nunca representados (Eight New Plays and Interludes, Never Performed). It is not possible to... (Read more...)
La entretenida was published in 1615 as part of the Ocho comedias, y ocho entremeses nuevos, nunca representados (Eight New Plays and Interludes, Never Performed). It is not possible to date the play precisely, but most critics agree that it was one of Cervantes’ last. Indeed, as John O’Neill points out, at the end of Pedro de Urdemalas, the last play in the volume, Pedro refers to a play that they will be performed the next day ‘that does not end in marriage’, a description that fits The Diversion perfectly.
Characters are memorable and the lines are actor-friendly. Graciosos (comic servants) are not interchangeable from one to another nor could they go into another play, another argument that this is not an imitation of the Lopean model. (less)
La entretenida was published in 1615 as part of the Ocho comedias, y ocho entremeses nuevos, nunca representados (Eight New Plays and Interludes, Never Performed). It is not possible to... (Read more...)
