The Greatest Crown

The Greatest Crown by Félix Lope de Vega is a profound drama that explores the moral and spiritual dilemmas in the lives of its varied characters, especially that of King Leovigildo and the heretical Bishop Orosio. The play delves into a rich tapestry of emotions and moral dilemmas, presenting a mirror to the complexities of life and morality.
Leovigildo, the king, is a complex character whose decisions reflect the inherent challenges of power and authority. His role is crucial for understanding the tension between personal ambition and public responsibilities that arise in a position of leadership. His interactions with other characters like Hermenegildo and Recaredo, his sons, as well as with Orosio, add layers of complexity to his character and to the play as a whole.
For his part, Orosio, the heretical bishop, is a brilliant representation of the ideological and theological struggles of the time. His character and actions serve to question the foundations of morality and faith, making him a fascinating counterpoint to Leovigildo. The dynamic between these two characters forms the ethical and philosophical core of the play, forcing the audience to confront difficult questions about good, evil, and everything in between.
The secondary cast of The Greatest Crown, which includes characters like Ingunda, Lísipa, and the lackey Cardillo, among others, enriches the narrative and adds additional dimensions to the moral debate unfolding in the play. The presence of celestial figures such as an Angel and a Child also adds a spiritual dimension that elevates the work beyond simple human drama.
As for the structure and style of The Greatest Crown, Lope de Vega combines sharp dialogues with a deep understanding of human psychology, making every character, from the protagonists to the musicians and lackeys, vital for the development of the story and the themes it addresses.

Day one

(Ormindo and Teosindo and Rodulfo, gallants, come out.)

Teosindo: What will this madness come to?

Ormindo: In choosing a woman who punishes him.

Theosindo: Barbara submission!

Rodulfo: No beauty
in so many that please him and that obliges him.

Ormindo: Well, what does the father seek?

Rodulfo: The king seeks,
In the discreet attempt he notices,
that comes to be, Ormindo, some of them
reciprocal choice of stars.

Theosindo: Princesses of different nations
admire Betis on its sacred shore;
some so perfect and excellent,
that by high deity Seville sees them.

Ormindo: Bravo rigor!

Rodulfo: From the prince, what do you feel?

Theosindo: May his lukewarmness to the world wonder;
that if so many beauties resist
in default of mood consists.

Ormindo: Twelve are with the two that enter agora
those who have come to Spain.

Rodulfo: Strange thing!
How a woman falls in love!

Theosindo: He is the glorious successor of Spain,
the Sun that is born in its pink aurora
When the father in the sea is amazed and bathed.

Rodulfo: If you are so afraid of women,
he left the kingdom to his brother Reccared.

Ormindo: They say, if astrology speaks truth,
that a woman is to cause his death,
taking away the sacred monarchy;
And it’s not much that I fear of that fate.

Teosindo: There are no stars without God!

Rodulfo: They are harmony
by whom man his greatness warns,
that the sky sings, in clauses of stars,
the eternal power he put in them.

Teosindo: Beautiful Lysipa must arrive,
for the prince comes out to the royal throne.

Rodulf: If this deity chooses for wife
The past follies I forgive him.

Teosindo: Music in the sound airs
the Sun is lost in flattering throne.

Fragment of the work