The Spanish Tragedy

Daughter of Cyprian, Duke of Castile, Bel-Imperia is the play’s lead female character, who finds herself at the center of the play’s drama: She is the target of her brother Lorenzo’s plotting and the object of Prince Balthazar’s affections. Bel-Imperia had a secret affair with Don Andrea prior to the events of the play, much to the displeasure of her father. She truly loved Andrea, but this relationship was considered a dishonor because Andrea was of a lower social status. After learning that Balthazar killed Andrea, Bel-Imperia vows to avenge Andrea’s death. 

Caught in the middle of courtly gender dynamics, Bel-Imperia’s revenge depends on the ways the men in her life help or hinder her actions. Since the king has no heir, Bel-Imperia and Lorenzo are the dynasty’s only hope of succession. Bel-Imperia thus becomes a useful political tool for the king, as marrying her to Balthazar would cement the newfound alliance between Spain and Portugal, expanding the kingdom and preventing future war. Power-hungry Lorenzo recognizes his sister’s importance and prevents his sister’s relationship with Horatio. Lorenzo’s murder of Horatio gives her further cause for revenge. While Lorenzo thinks imprisoning Bel-Imperia for a time will make her more amenable to his designs, she remains defiant. While imprisoned, Bel-Imperia writes a letter to Hieronimo in her own blood, revealing his son’s killers. 

Bel-Imperia is adept at dissembling, concealing her true thoughts and intentions from her father, the king, and even Lorenzo. This skill makes her a valuable ally to Hieronimo. She plays Perseda in The Tragedy of Soliman and Perseda, in which she uses a real dagger to stab Balthazar to death before turning it upon herself and dying by suicide, using her death to reclaim the agency she was robbed of in life. In the final scene, the ghost of Andrea, granted the favor of judging the other characters, promises to lead Bel-Imperia to a peaceful rest in the afterlife, while punishing her persecutors.

Don Andrea was a Spanish knight who fought valiantly against the Portuguese, turning the tide in favor of the Spanish forces and enabling their victory. Balthazar, Prince of Portugal, then killed Andrea during the battle. Once his funerary services were conducted by his friend, Horatio, the judges of the underworld sent him to Pluto and Proserpine to be judged. Proserpine sends him back to the Spanish court, along with the spirit of Revenge, with the promise that he will watch his beloved Bel-Imperia avenge his death. 

Andrea’s presence adds a supernatural dimension to the story, linking the events on stage to the forces of fate and the afterlife. Andrea and Revenge serve as a chorus to the events of The Spanish Tragedy, commenting on the character’s actions and bearing witness to Horatio’s murder and Hieronimo’s revenge plot. 

While Andrea does not interact with the other characters, he and Revenge are a constant presence on stage. Andrea is frequently frustrated with the apparent sluggishness of Hieronimo’s revenge, becoming upset with Revenge when the spirit appears to fall asleep. Nonetheless, Andrea learns to have faith in the spirit when he sees his foes fall at the hands of Hieronimo and Bel-Imperia. By the end of The Spanish Tragedy, Andrea’s role transitions from passive observer to active participant in the fates of the other characters. Thanks to Proserpine and Revenge, Andrea can reward his friends and punish his foes in the afterlife.

Lorenzo is a central antagonist in The Spanish Tragedy, characterized by his cunning, ambition, and ruthless pursuit of power. As the son of the Duke of Castile and brother to Bel-Imperia, he occupies a prominent position in the Spanish court, which he uses to manipulate events to his own advantage. 

Lorenzo’s character is marked by his skillful use of dissimulation. He often conceals his true intentions behind a façade of loyalty and honor. This is evident in his involvement in Horatio’s murder, where he orchestrates the killing to eliminate his sister’s lover and protect his political interests, all while maintaining an outward appearance of innocence. Lorenzo fought in the same battle against the Portuguese in which Andrea died, and he assisted in the capture of Prince Balthazar. However, while Horatio defeated the prince in combat, Lorenzo merely seized his horse and possessions. Despite his lesser part in Balthazar’s defeat, Lorenzo quarrels with Horatio over the honor and ransom. Ultimately, the king allots the prince’s ransom to Horatio and his possessions to Balthazar. In addition, he gives Lorenzo the honor of hosting Balthazar in Cyprian’s household. Lorenzo’s actions reflect the play’s theme of The Dangers of Deception and expose the corrupt nature of aristocratic society, where power and privilege can be abused without consequence.

Lorenzo’s manipulative nature extends beyond Horatio’s murder, as he continues to eliminate potential threats to his secrecy. He orchestrates the deaths of Serberine and Pedringano to silence any witnesses who could expose him, demonstrating his willingness to sacrifice others to secure his position. His relationship with Balthazar further illustrates his ambition: While outwardly assisting Balthazar in his pursuit of Bel-Imperia, Lorenzo is more concerned with strengthening his own status through their alliance. 

Throughout the play, Lorenzo serves as a foil to Hieronimo’s quest for justice. Hieronimo plays to Lorenzo’s vanity by casting him as the tragic knight Erastus in The Tragedy of Soliman and Perseda, a role which allows Hieronimo to kill Lorenzo himself. At the end of the play, Andrea indicates that Lorenzo will replace Ixion of Greek mythology, chained for eternity to a burning, rotating wheel.

Balthazar is the son of the Viceroy of Portugal and heir apparent to the kingdom of Portugal. During the war between Spain and Portugal, Balthazar kills Don Andrea, setting off the cycle of revenge that forms the play’s central plot. During the decisive battle, Balthazar is defeated and captured by Horatio and brought back to Spain. Due to his important political status, Balthazar is treated as an honored guest in the Spanish court and is sent to live in the house of Don Cyprian as they await the viceroy and the ransom. There, he becomes friends with Lorenzo and falls in love with Bel-Imperia.

Balthazar’s love for Bel-Imperia makes Horatio his rival. Balthazar sees Horatio as his foil. Consequently, he is willing to go along with whatever Lorenzo suggests to get rid of him. While Balthazar’s love for Bel-Imperia appears genuine, his relentless pursuit of her, despite her obvious disdain, emphasizes Balthazar’s immense sense of entitlement. It is this arrogance that causes him not to question Bel-Imperia’s sudden change of heart when she dissimulates love for him. 

While Balthazar is arrogant and entitled, he is also prone to melancholy and is fairly incompetent without the help of others. In The Tragedy of Soliman and Perseda, Balthazar plays Soliman, allowing for Bel-Imperia to avenge Andrea’s death by killing him as Perseda. Andrea asks Revenge to hang Balthazar from a chimera’s neck to torment him in the afterlife.

Horatio is the only son of Hieronimo and Isabella. Only 19 years old, Horatio is the pride and joy of his household, representing his father’s hopes for the future. Hieronimo notes Horatio’s respectful attitude and virtuous conduct toward others. In many ways, Horatio is an ideal courtier. Horatio is a valiant knight, the hero of the decisive battle between Spain and Portugal prior to the beginning of the play. He demonstrates loyalty by providing his slain friend, Andrea, with a proper funeral, and mercy by capturing Prince Balthazar alive, which furthers his glory. Horatio preserves Andrea’s memory by carrying his scarf with him after the battle. He soon falls in love with Bel-Imperia after returning from the war. 

Horatio is unaware that he has a rival in Prince Balthazar, who falls in love with Bel-Imperia as well. Lorenzo, desiring this union and remembering the scandal that Bel-Imperia’s relationship with Andrea caused, decides to kill Horatio. Lorenzo and Balthazar, along with Lorenzo’s servants, Pedringano and Serberine, murder Horatio in Hieronimo’s garden. 

Though he is dead, Horatio becomes the impetus of the spiral of revenge and violence that consumes the Spanish Court. His parents are enraged by grief. The ghost of Andrea laments his friend’s death, compounding his own suffering while Revenge seems to be asleep. While his death is apparently known, none of the other courtiers, including the king, seem to care. Hieronimo uses his son’s corpse as a prop at the conclusion of his revenge play to explain the deaths of Lorenzo, Balthazar, and Bel-Imperia. His death avenged, Andrea promises to lead Horatio to a place of honor in the Elysian Fields.

Pedringano is a servant in Don Cyprian, the Duke of Castille’s household. Prior to the events depicted in the play, Pedringano was a confidant of Bel-Imperia, serving as a go-between for her and Don Andrea. 

In The Spanish Tragedy, Pedringano sides with Lorenzo, becoming a willing accomplice in Horatio’s murder and the subsequent cover-up. Pedringano is self-serving and disloyal, putting personal gain over loyalty. He agrees to murder his fellow servant, Serberine, in cold blood for a purse of gold. He even jokes with his executioner on his sentencing day, failing to realize the gravity of his situation due to his misplaced confidence in Lorenzo. For his betrayal of Bel-Imperia’s trust, the ghost of Andrea plans to have him dragged into the flames of the boiling Acheron, where he will spend eternity in agony—among the harshest punishments Andrea metes out.