Fuenteovejuna

To what extent is this a feminist play? While there are certainly moments that argue for equal status, other points appear to reinforce subservience. Is Lope de Vega arguing for equality, or is he using the Commander’s brutalization of women as a plot device?

To what extent does the play question traditional gender roles? Building on the reading of the play as a feminist work (or, not as a feminist work), discuss the play’s message regarding traditional gender roles. Does it subvert them? Ultimately uphold them? Something in between?

How historically accurate is the play? Research the original events that inspired the play and write an essay in which you examine the events of the play in conjunction with the historical reality. What is similar? What was changed? Why do you think Lope de Vega chose to represent the events in the way that he did?

To what extent is this a populist play? Some have argued that the townspeople, realizing they held the real power, used collective action in order to defeat those in power, while others have argued that their allegiance to Ferdinand and Isabella undermines this reading. Does the play suggest that true societal power lies with the people, or merely that tyrants can be overthrown?

What kinds of hierarchies exist within the play? In what ways are those hierarchies reinforced or subverted?

What role do Ferdinand and Isabella play in the plot? They, of course, ultimately pardon the town, and they were fundamental in the original events. However, in the play, their scenes are usually underdeveloped. Why might Lope de Vega have chosen to include them?

What statement does the play make about class structure and inequality? A central conflict in the play is between the haves and the have nots: those who come from money, and those who eke out a living, yet are forced to contribute what little they have to those in power. Does the play ultimately question this? Accept it? Something in between?

What is the relationship between the urban and the rural in the play? In an early scene, Laurencia and Frondoso mock the people of the city, and goodness seems to be aligned with those in the country. Is the message so straightforward, or is it more complex than this?