Fuente Ovejuna

by

Lope De Vega

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Mengo Character Analysis

Mengo is one of the villagers in Fuente Ovejuna. Even though Mengo is somewhat foolish (he cannot read and often makes nonsensical arguments), he is nevertheless one of the play’s honorable men. He defends Jacinta from the Commander’s lustful advances, and for this, Mengo is brutally whipped until his whole body is black and blue. Though Mengo is hesitant to rise up against the Commander because of his beating, he ultimately joins with the other townspeople. And even though the judge and the other villagers expect that Mengo will be the person who cracks under torture, Mengo remains in solidarity with the other villagers and says that Fuente Ovejuna is to blame for overthrowing and killing the Commander. Hearing this, the villagers praise Mengo for his bravery, and the judge grows tired of torturing the villagers. This emphasizes the power of collective action as well as the importance of every individual voice in that collective action.

Mengo Quotes in Fuente Ovejuna

The Fuente Ovejuna quotes below are all either spoken by Mengo or refer to Mengo. 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:
Tyranny vs. Collectivism Theme Icon
).
Act 1 Quotes

Be constant and they call you boring,
Polite and you’re a flatterer;
Be kind and you’re a hypocrite,
A Christian’s someone seeking favour.
If you’ve got talent, that’s just lucky,
You tell the truth, that’s impudence;
Put up with things and you’re a coward,
When things go wrong, it’s your come-uppance.
A modest woman is a fool,
Pretty but chaste, she’s into seduction;
If she’s virtuous, she’s…no, no,
That’s it, end of demonstration!

Related Characters: Laurencia (speaker), Frondoso, Mengo, Pascuala, Barrildo
Page Number: 1.252-1.263
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2 Quotes

FLORES: These village scum defy us!
You’d do well to raze their village to
The ground. They are nothing but trouble.

MENGO: My lord, I beg you. Punish these men
For what they try to do to us.
In your name they would take this girl
Away with them, despite the fact
She’s married and has honourable parents.
I ask for leave to take her home.

COMMANDER: I give them leave to take revenge
On you. Hand over the sling at once!

Related Characters: Commander Fernán Gómez de Guzmán (speaker), Mengo (speaker), Flores (speaker), Jacinta, Ortuño
Page Number: 2.294-2.303
Explanation and Analysis:

COMMANDER: Why run away? Would you prefer
A yokel to a man of my
Great rank?

JACINTA: They offended my honour.
To take me for yourself is not
The way to give it back to me.

COMMANDER: To take you for myself?

JACINTA: My father is
An honourable man. Not of
Such noble birth as you, my lord,
But nobler in his deeds and actions.

COMMANDER: You think these peasant insults will
Dispel my anger? Come!

Related Characters: Commander Fernán Gómez de Guzmán (speaker), Jacinta (speaker), Mengo, Flores, Ortuño
Page Number: 2.320-2.331
Explanation and Analysis:

You must
Have seen a fellow making fritters.
He throws great lumps of dough into
A pan of boiling oil until it’s full.
Some come out swollen, some deformed,
Some totally misshapen, some
Are fine, others not, some burnt to death,
Some soggy. And that’s your poetry too.
The subject matter is the poet’s dough.
He throws it in the pan, which is
His paper, and after it spoonfuls
Of honey to cover up the taste
And make it sweeter.

Related Characters: Mengo (speaker), Laurencia, Frondoso, Barrildo
Page Number: 2.520-2.532
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3 Quotes

MENGO: No more, no more! I’ll tell you.

JUDGE: Who killed the Commander?

MENGO: Fuente Ovejuna! Our little town!

JUDGE: Who ever saw such scoundrels! They mock
Their pain. The very one I thought
Would crack is most defiant. Release them!
This has become most tiresome.

Related Characters: Mengo (speaker), Judge (speaker), Commander Fernán Gómez de Guzmán, Laurencia, Frondoso
Page Number: 3.508-3.514
Explanation and Analysis:
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Fuente Ovejuna PDF

Mengo Quotes in Fuente Ovejuna

The Fuente Ovejuna quotes below are all either spoken by Mengo or refer to Mengo. 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:
Tyranny vs. Collectivism Theme Icon
).
Act 1 Quotes

Be constant and they call you boring,
Polite and you’re a flatterer;
Be kind and you’re a hypocrite,
A Christian’s someone seeking favour.
If you’ve got talent, that’s just lucky,
You tell the truth, that’s impudence;
Put up with things and you’re a coward,
When things go wrong, it’s your come-uppance.
A modest woman is a fool,
Pretty but chaste, she’s into seduction;
If she’s virtuous, she’s…no, no,
That’s it, end of demonstration!

Related Characters: Laurencia (speaker), Frondoso, Mengo, Pascuala, Barrildo
Page Number: 1.252-1.263
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2 Quotes

FLORES: These village scum defy us!
You’d do well to raze their village to
The ground. They are nothing but trouble.

MENGO: My lord, I beg you. Punish these men
For what they try to do to us.
In your name they would take this girl
Away with them, despite the fact
She’s married and has honourable parents.
I ask for leave to take her home.

COMMANDER: I give them leave to take revenge
On you. Hand over the sling at once!

Related Characters: Commander Fernán Gómez de Guzmán (speaker), Mengo (speaker), Flores (speaker), Jacinta, Ortuño
Page Number: 2.294-2.303
Explanation and Analysis:

COMMANDER: Why run away? Would you prefer
A yokel to a man of my
Great rank?

JACINTA: They offended my honour.
To take me for yourself is not
The way to give it back to me.

COMMANDER: To take you for myself?

JACINTA: My father is
An honourable man. Not of
Such noble birth as you, my lord,
But nobler in his deeds and actions.

COMMANDER: You think these peasant insults will
Dispel my anger? Come!

Related Characters: Commander Fernán Gómez de Guzmán (speaker), Jacinta (speaker), Mengo, Flores, Ortuño
Page Number: 2.320-2.331
Explanation and Analysis:

You must
Have seen a fellow making fritters.
He throws great lumps of dough into
A pan of boiling oil until it’s full.
Some come out swollen, some deformed,
Some totally misshapen, some
Are fine, others not, some burnt to death,
Some soggy. And that’s your poetry too.
The subject matter is the poet’s dough.
He throws it in the pan, which is
His paper, and after it spoonfuls
Of honey to cover up the taste
And make it sweeter.

Related Characters: Mengo (speaker), Laurencia, Frondoso, Barrildo
Page Number: 2.520-2.532
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3 Quotes

MENGO: No more, no more! I’ll tell you.

JUDGE: Who killed the Commander?

MENGO: Fuente Ovejuna! Our little town!

JUDGE: Who ever saw such scoundrels! They mock
Their pain. The very one I thought
Would crack is most defiant. Release them!
This has become most tiresome.

Related Characters: Mengo (speaker), Judge (speaker), Commander Fernán Gómez de Guzmán, Laurencia, Frondoso
Page Number: 3.508-3.514
Explanation and Analysis: