The crime for which Frondoso was accused and arrested in
the middle of his wedding was for threatening a high Commander, don Fernán Gómez de
Guzmán, with a crossbow.
During the times of Fernando and
Isabel, the Catholic Kings of Spain, it was common for higher powers to raid and destroy
smaller villages for the sake of ransack it and keep the territory as part of a higher
conquest. When FuenteOvejuna was attacked, the villagers were abused severely and it was
also a common thing to expect the soldiers (such as Gomez) to take the village
women.
When Gomez tryed to rape Laurencia, Frondoso cooly
waited until Gomez put down his crossbow, and took it to use it against Gomez. However,
he really did not threaten him verbally, but by putting the weapon straight in front of
his face. This was considered an insult, and a sign of high treason, even though it was
Gomez who was in the wrong.
In the end, Gomez was killed by
the villagers who, instead of naming who did it when pressed to answer, choose to join
in and declare that Fuenteovejuna, not just a few people, did the crime. This was a sign
of strength and community that defied even the Kings and attempted to return them of
their dignity.
No comments:
Post a Comment