Where They Give the People What They Want

The great Galeoto; a drama in three acts and a prologue by José Echegaray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought I was liking this play, but it took a turn. It's well written enough--Spanish plays have ridiculously long speeches that I don't love--but the ending was very annoying. It was making a point, which took it from entertainment to sermon, and it wasn't a pleasure to read. And I pretty much only read for pleasure, so...

[I agreed with the sermon, though. Gossip is stupid, it's stupid to care about gossip, it's hurtful for everyone, and judging people when you don't know the truth is serious BS. I agree with all that.]

Also, it has a pointless prologue. No reason for it to be there, IMO.

Ernesto (I forget, is he about 20?) his lived for some time with a friend of his father's because his father, before his death, did the friend (Don Julian) a service. He's respectful toward Don Julian and grateful and lives happily with him and his young wife. He's very considerate of her and enjoys her company, but there is no secret affair. Nevertheless, neighbors claim that there is. Don Julian's brother tells him the neighbors all talk, and after that he starts to believe it. Ernesto moves out, hears gossip in a bar, and challenges the guy to a duel. His sorta-dad finds out, fights the duel in his place, believing Ernesto really was having an affair with his wife. And his wife, meanwhile, is asking Ernesto not to go through with the duel because it will look like she's guilty. When she's found in his home, it confirms everyone's wrong impression.

Don Julian won't believe her, and [spoiler, sorry] dies not believing her. His brother wouldn't let Teodora enter the room to try to set him straight before he died, and after he was gone insisted she and Ernesto both leave. She faints and Ernesto takes her up, saying society forced them together and it's society's fault that their lies became the truth at the end.

Interesting. Not terribly fun. I kinda thought they would work it out. It felt a little like Othello, where the jealous husband could have been happy if he had just believed his virtuous wife. Society was Iago, pouring poison in his ear.

Tragedies are not my jam. I liked some of this, and it is mildly thought-provoking, but I won't seek out more examples of it. I offer a slight recommendation for those curious about it. Not a demanding read in translation.

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