To what extent is “El médico de su honra” principally a play about honour?

Authors Avatar

To what extent is “El médico de su honra” principally a play about honour?

            Honour was one of the prominent issues in the Spanish Golden Age dramas of which Calderón and Lope de Vega were the main exponents. Indeed, the play is called a “drama de honor”.  The very fact that Calderón chose to include the word ‘honra’ in the title of the play ‘El Médico de su Honra’ indicates that indeed a certain element of honour must be present within. One must find out whether honour is the principal cause of the play or if other themes hold more importance.   

            In the “Diccionario de Autoridades” – the first dictionary of the Spanish language, “honor” is described as:

 

“Se toma muchas veces por reputación y lustre de alguna familia, acción u otra cosa…Se toma assimismo por obsequio, apláuso o celebridad de alguna cosa. Significa tambien la honestidad y recato en las mugéres.”

 

“Honra”, while interchangeable with “honor” in many regards, has been said to impart honour with a more interior connotation, as in “respect for personal worth”:

 

“Reverencia, acatamiento y veneración que se hace á la virtúd, autoridad ò mayoría de alguna persona…Significa tambien pundonór, estimacion y buena fama, que se halla en el sujeto y debe conservar…Se toma tambien por la integridad virginál en las mugéres .”

 

Despite using “honra” in the title, Calderón uses “honor” far more frequently in the play. In the first act, “honor” appears almost exclusively and mostly refers to the honours of the women Mencía and Leonor. In Act Two, Gutierre addresses his honour as if it were a person:

 

 “¡Ay honor! Mucho tenemos que // hablar a solas los dos” (1401)

 

In terms of the whole play however, “honra” is invoked with relative infrequency and usually as a synonym for “honor”. It is safe to say that Calderón used the former for variety and for purposes of rhyme and rhythm since “honra” is stressed on the first syllable and “honor” on the second.       

            Honour is often embodied, in ‘El Médico de su Honra’ as social reputation by those involved in it. The vast majority of the characters are of noble birth; the King Don Pedro I, the ‘Infante’ Don Enrique, Don Gutierre, Doña Mencía and Doña Leonor. Perhaps it is Doña Leonor who, early on, sets the climate which indicates the importance that honour will acquire. She shows that she is a slave to public opinion and her reputation. Thus arises her obsession to regain her honour which was put in jeopardy when her lover, D. Gutierre, failed to marry her “Diome palabra de que sería mi esposo” and thus dishonoured her because of his suspicions concerning her fidelity. Don Pedro, who is renowned for being just in matters concerning honour, knows that Doña Leonor’s grievance must surely be true, for she dares to tell him of her dishonour in public: “Hablad agora, porque si venisteis // de parte del honor, como dijisteis,//  indigna cosa fuera //  que en público el honor sus quejas diera”.

Join now!

 

Yet, despite her private desire for his ‘deshonra’, in public she keeps up appearances and defends his name when confronted about him by Don Arias by stating that he is “Un caballero que en todas las ocasiones con obrar y con decir, sabrá muy bien cumplir en sus obligaciones”. Importantly, it is seen via her actions and also through those of other characters, namely Don Gutierre and Doña Mencía that a passion for honour is more important than love itself.

 

Doña Mencía is an interesting character. Throughout the play she struggles against her desire to restart her love affair ...

This is a preview of the whole essay