LA LEALTAD CONTRA LA ENVIDIA

LealCE

Escena:  En Medina y en Perú (Cuzco y sus cercanías).

REPARTO

Los dos judíos del reparto probablemente son indios.

I

Recently returned from Peru, Fernando Pizarro is performing in a bullfight when a fire breaks out and the bleachers collapse. A bull escapes and heads toward Doña Isabel, who is in a sedan chair. Her servants flee as the bull approaches, but Fernando valiantly rescues her and at the same time realizes that he is in love with her. Doña Isabel and Doña Francisca are sisters of Don Alonso Mercado, and are well into marriageable age. Alonso is very grateful to Fernando for having saved Isabel. Meanwhile, Don Gonzalo Vivero loves Isabel and suspects that Fernando may love her, too. Accordingly, he asks Fernando which one of the sisters he loves better, but Fernando refuses to tell him and advises him not to act hastily without finding out the truth.

Both Isabel and Francisca are very fond of Fernando, and each thinks that he is in love with her. He tells them and Alonso that he must return to Peru but that he will return in two years to marry one of them, but he refuses to say which one because he does not want to hurt the other.

Gonzalo has Padilla give Fernando a letter, pretending that he thinks he is delivering it to Gonzalo, in which Isabel asks the recipient to come to her window as usual. Fernando (who is being observed by Gonzalo) becomes despondent, thinking that Isabel is in love with Gonzalo. Upon hearing Fernando's laments, Gonzalo, of course, knows which of the sisters is Fernando's choice. He approaches Fernando, who offers to step out of the picture, in the belief that Gonzalo and Isabel are in love. Gonzalo admits that the letter was just a trick and volunteers to go to the New World with Fernando because he admires him so much. They are to leave immediately, to the disappointment of Alonso and his sisters, who had hoped they would remain in Spain a little longer.

II

In Peru the Pizarro brothers, along with Gonzalo Vivero and other Spaniards are fighting the Indians, who outnumber them greatly. In the midst of the battle Santiago, mounted on a white horse, descends from a cloud, frightening away the Indians. His appearance is followed by that of the Virgin, who puts out the fires that the Indians have set to rout the Spaniards from Cuzco, which they had captured from the Indians. The Spaniards win the day, but Juan Pizarro is wounded and killed during the struggle.

Guaica, an Indian girl, asks Castillo to intercede for her captured lover, promising him one hundred gold bars which she has hidden in a well, but when he looks into the well to see the "treasure," she pushes him into the cavern. Peñafiel, Chacón and Granero appear, however, and the others lower Chacón into the well, where he has hidden a chest full of gold and silver. As Chacón descends into the hole, clinging to a rope, he becomes fearful, thinking of spirits that might be in the depths, and he is terrified when the mud-covered Castillo grabs him. In response to his shouts, Peñafiel and Granero pull out Chacón, who has rescued the chest, and Castillo, who is still hanging on to Chacón. Still believing Castillo to be a devil, the others flee, leaving him with the treasure.

In the meantime, Gonzalo Pizarro laments the injustice of the fact that they do all the work while the King rewards Almagro. Fernando points out to his brother that they do not expect rewards, but rather serve because they want to. At this point, Gonzalo Vivero arrives with the news that Almagro, accompanied by five hundred men, has made an agreement with Inga to join forces in order to drive the Pizarros out of Cuzco. Fernando, however, refuses to believe that Almagro would do such thing, remaining confident of Almagro's ultimate loyalty.

Elsewhere, Juan de Rada, a Spanish soldier, brings to Inga a letter from Almagro in which the letter offers to join forces with the Indians against the Pizarros. An Indian girl, Piurisa, chides the Indians for retreating when they so outnumber the Spaniards. A messenger then arrives and informs Inga that Almagro has entered Cuzco as Pizarro's friend, but then took possession of the city and captured Fernando, while Gonzalo Pizarro managed to flee. Almagro now wishes to marry Inga's sister and to share the territory, thus ensuring domination by the combined Spanish-Indian line of succession.

In Cuzco Fernando plays dice with Juan de Rada and loses heavily. Juan asks Almagro to spare Fernando's life so that the latter can pay off his gambling debt. Almagro's rule in Cuzco is soon threatened, however, by the appearances of the Marqués, Francisco Pizarro (another of the brothers, apparently informed of the situation in Cuzco by Gonzalo Pizarro), and a large army of Spaniards, who have come to Fernando's aid. Almagro and the Marqués make a truce, about which some are skeptical, and a conflict is avoided for the moment.

III

Back in Spain now, Fernando is a prisoner of Felipe II, kept in Medina, and guarded by Alonso de Mercado. After Almagro had pledged friendship, he turned on Fernando, but was defeated by the latter, who had Almagro killed. The King, unaware of what had really happened, thought that Fernando was disloyal to the crown and therefore had him imprisoned. Gonzalo Pizarro, likewise, is in trouble with the King, because he has been fighting against the Viceroy in Peru, although Gonzalo has many sympathizers in this disagreement. Francisco Pizarro, meanwhile, has been killed in Peru by Almagro's son in revenge for his father's death at the hands of the Pizarros.

Isabel leaves Medina to go to live in a convent in Trujillo, after bidding farewell to Fernando, her esposo. She tells him that she will die before he does. Francisca, who is still in love with Fernando, has a key made from a wax imprint so that he can escape, and she throws the key and a paper to him, but he tears up the paper without reading it and throws the key away.

Alonso de Mercado brings both good and bad news to Fernando. Isabel has died, after bearing Fernando's child, a girl whom Alonso will raise. Gonzalo Pizarro has been killed in Peru, but Felipe II has freed Fernando; and Francisco Pizarro's daughter, Francisca, is coming to marry him. Thus the Pizarro line will continue. Fernando gives Alonso's daughter Francisca to Gonzalo Vivero in marriage, and Alonso explains that when envious people pursue one it is necessary to keep in mind that loyalty always conquers envy.