Where Paquita Can't Hide Her Feelings

When A Girl Says Yes by Leandro Fernández de Moratín
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this somewhat. I'm surprised it's considered a "great play," though there are things I like about it.

IMO, this three-act play could have been--and sort of is--a one-act play. There's a single set, and every scene is about how the young lady isn't showing much excitement about marrying the old man (and secretly likes someone else). Very straightforward--no subplots, nothing else of interest to shift the focus even for a minute. In fact, they run out of things to talk about. A lot of the dialogue ends up being redundant, enough so that I was thinking, yes, Paquita's mom, we know what you think...

That said, it's very readable and decently entertaining, though I think it's the theme that is most compelling. Poor Doña Paquita, trapped in a convent as a girl, is only being removed from that environment to marry old Don Diego, at the insistence of family. She actually loves her fiancé's son, Don Carlos, who found a way to visit her at night outside her room for several months, though they did nothing but talk. Keeping them apart, marrying her to a much older man, seems very unfair, even cruel, though we know many, many marriages were arranged in this way. Doña Paquita will do her duty to her family, but she is very unhappy and can't quite hide it.

In short, neither she nor her lover have actually done anything wrong, but their feelings are not being consulted, and they will be chastised for being normal young people. They're right for each other, and they've fallen in love, though they still respect their elders enough to do everything they're asked to do except be happy about it.

I grew to hate old Don Diego, but he ends up being a reasonable person, and expresses in clear language what a modern reader or theater-goer would think--that people should be allowed to choose for themselves who they marry:

"I could separate them forever and claim this lovable child for myself, but my conscience won't let me... He and your daughter were madly in love, while you and the aunts built castles in the air and filled my head with illusions that have vanished like a dream. This is the result of the abuse of authority, and the oppression our young people suffer. These are the assurances that parents and tutors give, and how far they should be trusted when a girl says yes... By accident I discovered my mistake in time. Woe to those who discover it too late!"

Abuse of authority. Oppression of young people. I agree with what he's saying.

So, a nice bit of melodrama with a happy ending. I like that.

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