In Act IV scene I, in the drama, Balthazar has requested Heironimo to arrange some kind of entertainment for hid father, the Portuguese viceroy, who is on a visit to the Spanish court. Heironimo says that a long time back he had written a tragic drama about Persada and Soliman and that he would gladly present the tragic drama on the stage for Balthazar’s father. Heironimo wants that both Balthazar and Lorenjo agree to act certain parts in his drama and that Belimperia should also be prevailed upon to accept a role. At first Belathazar does not think it dignified for his and Lorenjo’s part to act on the stage. He is also in the opinion that a comedy not a tragedy should be presented for the entertainment of his father. However at Heironimo’s insistence they all agree to act certain roles in the play to be presented and Balthazar even agrees to a tragedy being enacted.
Heironimo then assigns the role of Soliman to Balthazar, the role of Erastro to Lorenjo and the role of Persada to Belimperia. Heironimo himself will play the role of Bashaw or Pasha. The proposed drama requires that Bashaw should stab Erastro and Persada should stab Soliman. However, in the presentation of any drama on the stage, the stabbings are supposed to be fake and never actual. Heironimo’s plan is that the person concerned, namely himself and Bel-imperia, will actually stab Erastro played by Lorenjo and Soliman played by Balthazar, respectively, thought the audience will be under the impression that the stabbings are only fake actions performed in the conventional manner on the stage.
When all preparations have been made for the staging of the play, Heironimo strengthen his own determination for revenge by recalling the murder of his son Horatio and also by recalling the suicide of his wife Isabella.
“Behoves, thee then, Heironimo to be revenged
The plot is laid of dire revenge”--
Heironimo then presents his ‘Drama’ on the stage. The Spanish King, the Portuguese Viceroy, the Duke of Castille and others are present to witness the performance in which Balthazar, Lorenjo, Bel-imperia and Heironimo are to act in the leading roles. In the course of the performance Heironimo in the role of Bashaw actually stabs to death Lorenjo (in the role of Erastro) and Bel-imperia in the role of Persada actually stabs to death Balthazar (in the role of Soliman) and Bel-imperia stabs herself also. The audience is under the impression that the stabbings are only an illusion. After the killing Heironimo appears on the stage with the dead body of his murdered son Horatio. He makes a long speech narrating the whole story of the murder of Horatio and the revenge that he has been contemplating and that he has at last taken.
There is plenty of irony in the scene in which Heironimo presents his dramatic performance on the stage. The King, the Viceroy, the Duke and others are all under the impression that the dramatic performance is meant to entertain them. But we know that Heironimo’s real intention is to avenge his son’s murder.
In ‘The Spanish Tragedy’, the climax of terror is reached towards the end of the play when we witness ‘the play within the play’. Several murders are committed on the stage before the full view of the audience. Here we have true massacre of human beings, carried out according to plan. In ‘the play within the play’ horrors are piled on horrors. According to the critics, such blood-curdling scene could not have failed to hold the attention of the Elizabethan audience. This ‘play within the play’ with an interesting story and so many exciting situations make us spell-bound.
@ Ferdous Nigar Hossain
