Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Spanish Tragedy, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Revenge and Justice
Class, Gender, and Society
Love and Madness
Betrayal
Summary
Analysis
The King of Spain enters with the Duke of Castile and the Portuguese Ambassador. The king asks Castile if his daughter, Bel-Imperia, is accepting of Balthazar’s love. Castile claims that Bel-Imperia is resistant but will bend in due time, as he has already informed her that to deny the prince’s love his to forgo her father’s love as well. The king turns to the ambassador and tells him to advise the Viceroy of Portugal of Bel-Imperia and Balthazar’s marriage. Bel-Imperia has a large dowry, and if she gives birth to Balthazar’s son, he will be the future king. As they exit, the king reminds the ambassador that even though Spain will pay Bel-Imperia’s dowry, Portingale is still responsible to pay Balthazar’s ransom. The ransom money, the king says, has been promised to Horatio.
This passage reflects what little power Bel-Imperia has in dictating the events of her own life. She is forced by the king and her father to accept Balthazar as her husband, and she has no agency over her own life or who she will marry. What’s worse, the Duke of Castile’s love for his daughter is dependent on her doing what he wants and marrying Balthazar, which also highlights Bel-Imperia’s powerlessness and oppression as a woman in the 16th century.
Themes
