GUZMAN EL BUENO. To a dramatist who manifested but mediocre powers in his other works is due the best scenic rendition of the tradition of Guzman el Bueno. The early chronicles have much to tell us about the un swerving loyalty of this doughty old Spanish warrior, who fought as a free-lance among the Moors and later became an able lieutenant of his liege lord, Sancho IV (1284-95), for whom he held the important fortress of Tarifa, after Sancho had wrested it from the Moors. Of these an army came over from Africa and, abetting the designs of King Sancho's treacher ous brother, Don Juan, laid siege to the strong hold. Summoned by Don Juan to surrender the place, Guzman refused and persisted in his refusal, despite the threat of Don Juan to slay Guzman's son, who was in his power. Ac cording to chronicle and legend, the agonized father not only allowed his loved child to be murdered before his eyes, rather than betray his trust, but he even cast his own dagger from the walls to the recreant Don Juan, requesting him to have at least the decency to kill the youth with an honest man's weapon.
Two noted Spanish men of letters had treated this moving story before Antonio Gil y Zarate (1796-1861), for Nkolis Fernandez de Moratin had based upon it his drama, 'Guzman el Bueno) (1777), which remains relatively true to the chronicle account, and Quintana (1772-1857) had made it the subject of one of the historical essays in his (Vidas de los Espanales celebres.> The tragedy of the Elder Moratin lacks the spirit which informs the soul-gripping 'Guzman el Bueno' (c. 1843) of Gil y Zarate, who does not hesitate to modify the historical and legendary data in certain details, which, as changed by him, lend dramatic intensity to the plot and emphasize its great conflict of love and duty and the triumph of this latter force over all other considerations. Even while Gil y Zarate preserves the heroic coloring of the an dent legend, he succeeds in making his per sonages living creatures, and he invests his noble verse play with all naturalness of char acter and action.