Alarcón's Licurgo: A Magnanimous Hero's Honorable Vengeance

Honor and vengeance are irrevocably joined in the comedia, portraying both a social code and a literary device. As an integral element of the Spanish honor code in Golden Age drama, vengeance must be viewed as more than spiteful retaliation. It must have the potential to be considered an honorable act of magnanimity. In Ruiz de Alarcón's El dueño de las estrellas (c. 1620) the protagonist Licurgo's magnanimity is reflected in his heroic constancy to uphold the ideals of the honor code—reputation, dignity, and virtue—particularly when exacting its required vengeance in the face of dishonor. Throughout the drama Licurgo is shown to be a hero in keeping with the humanistic view of Greco-Roman and traditional Spanish characteristics of magnanimity, civic responsibility, and fealty. More than merely participating in society's honor system, he internalizes the code. His ultimate suicide, an uncommon occurrence in seventeenth-century Spanish theater, dramatizes the depth and intensity of his magnanimous heroism. When faced with a crisis of honor, Licurgo concludes that the blood spilled to restore honor must be his own. With a single magnanimous act this hero eludes fate and restores his honor. But perhaps the greatest measure of Licurgo's valor is a persistent resolve to remain true to his convictions in matters of honor and dishonor, and to take action fulfilling his commitment to society and the code of honor. (DAD)