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El mayordomo de la duquesa de Amalfi, a Tragedy by Lope Viewed from the Aristotelian Perspective
Cross-Cultural Studies
2019,
54(), pp.309-331
DOI : 10.21049/ccs.2019.54..309
Publisher : Center for Cross Culture Studies
Research Area : Literature
DOI : 10.21049/ccs.2019.54..309
Publisher : Center for Cross Culture Studies
Research Area : Literature
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Generally speaking, it is known that an Aristotelian tragedy is known for its 3 distinctive characteristics: 1) the highlighting of the main character’s unconditional destiny, 2) the use of hamartia as a specific method that realizes that unconditional destiny, 3) and the showing of the main character’s resistance based on their free will against that unconditional destiny. Lope based his cultural foundation on such an Aristotelianism theory. Accordingly, Lope’s representative tragedies such as El castigo sin venganza and El caballero de Olmedo, clearly reveal this type of distinctive characteristic as noted in an Aristotelian tragedy. El mayordomo de la duquesa de Amalfi, is a play by Lope examined in this study, and it is one of Lope’s early tragedies, which does not quite reflect the distinctive factors of an Aristotelian tragedy as explicitly as his other representative tragedies have shown the audiences. However, in this play, the characteristics of an Aristotelian tragedy are revealed to a certain extent, as made by the following points. Namely, the unconditional destiny that Camila, the Duchess of Amalfi, and Antonio, the butler of Amalfi, eventually die in a tragic end after sharing a treacherous love that transcends their differences of social status, is reflected throughout the play. The point that this unconditional destiny is realized as a result of a fatal mistake made by the servants of the main characters, and the point that the two main male/female character’s heartbreaking resistance for achieving impossible love against unreasonable social customs is portrayed, are expected to be considered characteristics similar to those of a Aristotelian tragedy.
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