:: The Young Enthusiast ::

Plot Summary: Two factions, the Abencerrages (led by Abdelmelech) and the Zegrys (led by Zulema), are fighting for control of Granada. When a battle breaks out between the two factions within the city walls, Almanzor—an extremely powerful warrior—insisting that he doesn’t have time to decide which side’s cause is best, joins with the Abencerrages because they seem to be at a disadvantage. He is disarmed and taken prisoner, but when King Boabdelin’s entreaties to the two factions to stop fighting come to no end, Almanzor, by the sheer force of his will and the power of his voice, ends the skirmish. However, just as the two parties disperse, the Duke of Arcos arrives with a message saying that the monarchs of Castile and Aragon now claim King Boabdelin’s land as their own. The two factions unite and, with the help of Almanzor, defeat the Duke of Arcos’ army and settle their differences. Abdelmelech even engages to marry Lyndaraxa, Zulema’s sister, though Prince Abdalla, the King’s brother, is also in love with her. Lyndaraxa loves Abdelmelech, but when Abdalla addresses her, she informs him that she could overcome her attachment to Abdelmelech if Abdalla were to become king. Zulema convinces Abdalla to sieze the moment and capture the crown.

Meanwhile, Almanzor wants to set the Duke of Arcos free so that he may defeat him again, but King Boabdelin refuses. Abdalla takes advantage of the slight, recruits Almanzor to his cause and, with Almanzor’s help, easily wins the crown. However, during the battle Almanzor falls in love Almahide, the king’s mistress; Abdalla gives her to Almanzor as his own prisoner (Almanzor plans to set her free so that they can marry), but when Zulema hears of this he is enraged, as he had his own designs on Almahide. Abdalla sides with Zulema in the argument and Almanzor defects and rejoins Boabdelin. Since Boabdelin still controls one small piece of territory, Lyndaraxa refuses to marry Abdalla until he is the undisputed possessor of the crown. Now that Almanzor is part of his army, Boabdelin’s forces gain strength and he retakes the crown and Lyndaraxa abandons Abdalla when he is on the verge of total defeat. Almanzor again asks for Almahide’s hand as the reward for his bravery, and once again he is refused. Boabdelin imprisons him and intends to marry Almahide in Almanzor’s presence merely for spite before he is executed. However, Almahide threatens suicide if Almanzor is executed, so Boabdelin reluctantly sets him free on the promise that Almahide will marry him. Almanzor walks off into the sunset and the play ends with Boabdelin preparing he and Almahide’s nuptials as well as his plans to fully secure his crown.

Comments: Love, fortune and ambition are all described as antitheses to reason in the play.

Note Zulema’s speech in Act II, Scene I line 270- in which he argues against virtue and for Libertinism and Machiavellianism:

Zulema: If, when a crown and mistress are in place,
Virtue intrudes, with her lean holy face,
Virtue’s then mine, and not I virtue’s foe.
Why does she come where she has nought to do?
Let her wtih anchorites, not with lovers, lie;
Statemen and they keep better company.
Abdalla: Reason was giv’n to curb our headstrong will.
Zulema: Reason but shows a weak physician’s skill:
Gives nothing, while the raging fit does last,
But stays to cure it, when the worst is past.
Reason’s a staff for age, when nature’s gone;
But youth is strong enough to walk alone.

Zulema and Almanzor are mirror images of each other; ntoe how each talk about youth and age.

Compare the dialogue between Abdallah and Zulema with the one between the king and his son in “Absolom and Achitophel;” they’re virtually the same.

Lyndaraxa wants desperately to “live without control” (II.I.149); she cannot stand the idea of living while subject to someone else’s power.

Tags:
Fatal error: Call to undefined function: the_post_keytags() in /usr/home/deepfry/public_html/18cblog/wp-content/themes/desert_theme/index.php on line 22