Fuente Ovejuna

Abstract

Fuenteovejuna is an historical play, based on an uprising in the village of Fuenteovejuna (North West of Córdoba) in 1476. It was composed probably between 1612 and 1614. The action of the play takes place in 1476, but with implications not just for the audience of the 17th century but for all ages: good governance, loyalty, justice, the meaning of honour, trust, true love, sacrifice. Is nobility restricted only to social rank? The main plot centres on the relationship between the noble, Fernán Gómez de Guzmán, Comendador (Knight Commander) of the Order of Calatrava, and the villagers of Fuenteovejuna; the subplot addresses the relationship between the Comendador and the Catholic Monarchs. In both, the Comendador creates disorder. For order and harmony to return, the Comendador must either recognise his error or be destroyed.