They Said, She Said: Making the Case for Rape in Fuenteovejuna

Despite the allegations of a number of literary critics to the contrary, textual and cultural evidence exists in Lope’s Fuenteovejuna to suggest that Laurencia was indeed raped. First, a consideration of her physical appearance is in order. Second, an overlooked comment by Jacinta evidences Laurencia’s rape. Third, the quality attributed to Laurencia, namely her virtue, should be understood within its socio-historical context during the early modern period, its understanding superseding an exclusively sexual meaning. Finally, this drama can be considered in light of its adherence to and subversion of what Wendy S. Hesford terms “rape scripts.” (SPA)