EL AQUILES

Aquil

Escena: En Grecia durante la época clásica.

 REPARTO

 I

Ulises does not want to go help Menelao fight for the Trojans because his wife Penélope is ill and he is afraid that she will die, or else that he will lose his honor while he is gone. He thinks he should worry about his own wife more than Menelao's. When Palamedes comes to urge him to go off to war, he pretends to be mad, acting as though he were a farmer sowing salt. Palamedes seizes Ulises's son Telémaco, however, and takes out his dagger, vowing to cut the son up and plant him, so Ulises agrees to go.

Aquiles, meanwhile, has grown up in the woods with Quirón and, in spite of Quirón's efforts to civilize him, he acts like a wild beast, and all the peasants of the area are afraid of him. Now his mother, Tetis, is worried about him because Quirón says that Ulises will search all over to find Aquiles to fight in the war against Troy. One day while out hunting, Deidamia, the daughter of King Licomedes, meets Aquiles, and he falls in love with her. She likes him, too, but her father has promised her to another. Aquiles leaves her with Garbón, one of the shepherds, and goes to chase away her hunting party so that they can be alone. While he is gone Quirón comes and gives her a horse, telling her to flee Aquiles, not realizing that Aquiles has changed since he met her. When Aquiles returns he is upset to find Deidamia gone, and in order to protect himself from Aquiles's ire, Garbón hides in a tree. Aquiles finds him, however, and he flees. When Tetis sees her son so perturbed over Deidamia's disappearance she promises to help him win her if he will do what she tells him.

II

As part of her plan for Aquiles to win Deidamia, Tetis has him dress up as a woman, although he is not very enthusiastic about this role and has a great deal of trouble curtsying and walking on high heeled shoes. They then go to the court of Licomedes, where Aquiles poses as Nereida, supposedly Tetis's daughter and thus his own sister. After their departure Ulises and Diomedes come to the woods looking for Aquiles, because the Oracle says the Greeks cannot win without him, and are told by Garbón that he saw Tetis and Aquiles go off, the latter dressed as a woman.

Meanwhile, Nereida (Aquiles) and Deidamia are sewing when in comes Lisandro, who is to marry Deidamia at her father's instigation. Deidamia is called away, and Lisandro begins to flirt with Nereida, saying that he is sure that Nereida must care for him because she shows so much jealousy of him and Deidamia. Nereida, however, rejects his overtures and finally sends him away by means of a sword. When Deidamia returns, Nereida tells her that if she were a man she would love Deidamia, and they decide to pretend that Nereida is a man. "She" takes the name Aquiles, and they talk to each other in loving phrases, Aquiles kisses her hand, and so forth. Deidamia sees a resemblance between Nereida and her hunting love. Finally Nereida tells her that it was Aquiles whom she met while hunting and that he is in love with her, but is upset that she is fickle and is to marry Lisandro. At this point Nereida leaves, then reappears as a man, confesses that he is Aquiles, explains his disguise, and they swear their love for each other.

III

Lisandro has just told Licomedes that Nereida and Deidamia are too friendly when Ulises and Diomedes arrive, disguised as merchants, with a plan to get Aquiles to fight for the Greeks. They say they have a captive who sings beautifully and they want Deidamia to hear, but not see, her. The voice sings about a man hiding from his responsibilities by dressing as a woman, saying that he is a coward and that he should answer the call to arms. Ulises then produces his wares -- a large mirror and many jewels, along with a sword and shield. Licomedes tells Deidamia and Nereida to choose the jewels that they want, but when Aquiles sees himself in the mirror he can stand it no longer and, seizing the lance and shield, reveals who he is. Deidamia is unhappy, because he had promised not to reveal himself until the war was over, but he goes off to fight Troy.

Deidamia appears, dressed as a man, outside the walls of Troy, where she has come looking for her lover. During a truce Casandra and Policena appear on the wall of Troy and are seen by Aquiles, who is enamored of Policena. Héctor then appears on the wall and challenges Aquiles, throwing him a glove. Policena throws her glove also, saying it is for good luck. Patroclo catches Héctor's glove and Deidamia, still disguised as a man, seizes Policena's, saying "he" has the right to it, and refuses to give it up or to reveal who "he" is, in spite of Aquiles' questioning, telling him only that he will know if he searches within himself. Deidamia leaves, and the play ends abruptly as Héctor and Patroclo are about to fight. Ulises promises the audience that they can see the second part of this drama "tomorrow"; however, this second part, if it was written, is not to be found among Tirso's works today.