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Queen Isabel
Rodrigo is the 17-year-old Master of the Order of Calatrava. Following the death of the Master’s uncle, the Commander reminds the Master that his family is loyal to Alonso, not Queen Isabel and King Fernando. The Commander, appealing to the fact that the Master should earn glory by proving himself in battle, instigates the Master to attack the Ciudad Real. The Master is able to conquer the city, but Isabel and Fernando’s army quickly retakes it. When the Master hears about the Commander’s death in Fuente Ovejuna, he declares that he would raze the city to the ground if it were up to him—in contrast with Fernando, who launches a careful investigation and ultimately pardons the citizens. This demonstrates how the Master is motivated by vengeance and self-interest, in contrast to the King, who pursues justice and mercy. Ultimately, the Master asks Fernando and Isabel for forgiveness for his treachery, vowing humility and loyalty to them to regain his honor. They accept his plea, once again reinforcing the play’s idea that leaders should act with mercy and justice, not vengeance, self-interest, or the pursuit of glory.
Master Rodrigo Téllez Girón Quotes in Fuente Ovejuna
The Fuente Ovejuna quotes below are all either spoken by Master Rodrigo Téllez Girón or refer to Master Rodrigo Téllez Girón. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1 Quotes
COMMANDER: Respect’s the key
To men’s good will; discourtesy merely
Makes enemies.
ORTUÑO: If such men knew
How everyone detests them and longs
To see them grovel, they’d sooner die.
FLORES: Such people are so hard to take!
Such surliness and lack of manners.
Amongst equals it’s pure folly;
Towards inferiors sheer tyranny.
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Take your sword, so far unstained
By blood, and turn it red as the Cross
Upon your breast. How else can I
Address you as Master of the Cross
If the one is red and not the other?
Let both of them be crimson, and you,
Worthy Girón, crown the immortal temple of
Your famous ancestors.
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Act 3 Quotes
I come to seek
Forgiveness, knowing that I was
Deceived and ill-advised in causing you
Displeasure. I was misled both by
Fernán Gómez and my self-interest.
I humbly beg that you forgive me.
If I am worthy of such favour,
I swear that from this moment on
I am your loyal and obedient servant.
The great campaign you plan against
Granada…I promise you you’ll see
The valour of my sword.
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Master Rodrigo Téllez Girón Character Timeline in Fuente Ovejuna
The timeline below shows where the character Master Rodrigo Téllez Girón appears in Fuente Ovejuna. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1
...flanked by his two servants Flores and Ortuño. The Commander asks his servants if the Master of Calatrava, Rodrigo Téllez Girón, knows that the Commander has arrived. It is disrespectful to...
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...disrespecting inferiors is sheer tyranny. But Flores and Ortuño also assure the Commander that the Master is young, and so he doesn’t know any better. The Commander counters, explaining that becoming...
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The Master enters, apologizing to the Commander and explaining that he was only just told of the...
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The Master asks for news of the war, but the Commander provides the Master’s backstory instead: the...
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The Commander urges the Master to call upon the Knights of Calatrava to take Ciudad Real, a key stronghold between...
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The Master asks if the Commander has soldiers that he can provide from his town, Fuente Ovejuna....
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...he’s just come from the battle at Ciudad Real, and he describes the scene: the Master was a splendid sight on a mighty stallion, and the Commander sat at his side....
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Flores concludes that the Master has been generous to everyone, including the Commander—he gave the Commander many gifts taken from...
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.../ Castile.” The man explains that they enjoyed being the King’s subjects, but now the Master has conquered their city. They fought as best they could, but they were no match...
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Act 2
...enters and informs the Commander that Isabel’s armies have surrounded Ciudad Real, which means the Master is in danger of losing the city, which they shed so much blood to obtain....
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Back in Ciudad Real, the Master, the Commander, Flores, and Ortuño are discussing their defeat. The Master laments that the city...
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...forgive Frondoso. The Commander says that Frondoso’s crime—pointing a bow at the Commander—was against the Master, the Order, and its sacred honor. The punishment is therefore out of the Commander’s hands.
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Act 3
The scene shifts to the Master and a soldier discussing what happened in Fuente Ovejuna. The Master is shocked that the...
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...that everything is calm in Castile—that they have brought peace. Just then, Manrique brings the Master of Calatrava to speak to the King and Queen. The Master seeks their forgiveness, explaining...
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...also reports that the judge who went to Fuente Ovejuna has returned. Hearing this, the Master says the murderers should get what they deserve, but the King states that the matter...
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