La ilustre fregona

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La ilustre fregona ( The noble maid ) is a novella by Miguel de Cervantes .

The title of the novella

The title of the novella "La ilustre fregona" is translated as "The noble kitchen maid", "The illustrious scrub maid" or "The noble maid". It can be understood as an antithesis or an oxymoron , since the ideas “elegant” and “kitchen maid” are mutually exclusive, especially in Cervantes' time. The term “noble” contains on the one hand the idea of ​​modesty and virtue, on the other hand one also associates a high social position, fame and recognition. It is through this effect of opposites that Cervantes arouses the reader's attention and interest. He also uses this technique when giving titles to other novels, e.g. B. “La española inglesa” ( The Spanish Englishwoman ).

Table of contents

The novella “La ilustre fregona” begins in Burgos . The main characters are called Carriazo and Avedaño and are the sons of two distinguished, wealthy noblemen. At thirteen, Carriazo discovered his tendency to be a tramp and ran away. He learns the crooks trade and travels all over Spain. Eventually he ends up in the “Zahara tuna fisheries”, the stronghold and paradise of all criminals. He spends three years there, which he enjoys to the full.

When Carriazo returned to his homeland, he became very close friends with Avedaño. Carriazo feels a great longing to return to the tuna fishery and convinces Avedaño to go with him. They tell their parents that they want to go to Salamanca to study. Well dressed by their families, they set off. Using a ruse, they detach the servants and the court master, who was sent with them to look after them, and set off for Zahara.

On their journey they hear two donkey drivers talking. This is the turning point in history, as Costanza, the distinguished kitchen maid, is mentioned for the first time. Avedaño and Carriazo hear of their unearthly beauty and go to Toledo to the tavern where Costanza works, because Avedaño wants to see them at all costs. Carriazo is reluctant to accept this detour, but he accompanies his friend. When Avedaño sees Costanza, he feels "blinded and stunned" by her beauty and although she has a harsh and sober manner about her, he falls in love with her and the friends stay for the time being. They are looking for work in the inn, Avedaño as a house servant, Carriazo as a water carrier. Carriazo gets involved in a brawl and injures his opponent so badly that he has to go to jail. Fortunately, Avedaño succeeds in buying him out.

They spend some time in Toledo, but since Costanza is so modest, Avedaño has no way of approaching her. Finally the landlord finds a love poem that Avedaño wrote for Costanza and decides to watch him carefully from now on. After almost a month in the tavern, Avedaño finally has the opportunity to confess his love to Costanza. He slips her a letter in which he describes the background to his true origins and asks her to become his wife. Costanza tears up the letter, but does not inform the landlord, so that Avedaño is allowed to stay in the inn and therefore close to her. This gives him tremendous comfort.

One day the chief judge, whose son is one of Costanza's numerous admirers, enters the inn and the story of her true ancestry is revealed. Fifteen years ago a well-to-do noble lady was staying in the inn. Having a dishonorable pregnancy, she gave birth to her child, Costanza, in secret. She left part of a gold chain and a piece of parchment as a sign of identification and asked that Costanza be looked after until her return. But she did not come back and so the host waited.

A day later, two rich nobles stay in the inn. It quickly turns out that they are the fathers of Carriazo and Avedaño. They didn't come to get their sons, but to get Costanza. Don Diego, the father of Carriazo, clears up the remaining details of Costanza's origin. The father of Carriazo is also the father of Costanza, whose mother he impregnated against her will. So basically she had not lost any of its modesty and honor. Only now, thirteen years after the death of Costanza's mother, had Don Diego found out about the girl and set out to fetch his daughter.

At the same time, Carriazo is arrested for beating someone to death who mocked him. He is brought before the chief judge, who is sitting in a room with the fathers. Don Diego recognizes the son and they embrace. Don Juan, Avedaño's father, is also delighted to have found the prodigal son. Costanza is handed over to her father, who has the correct identification marks, and everyone goes to the chief judge, Don Juan's cousin, to celebrate there. The Chief Justice, Don Diego and Don Juan decide that Avedaño Costanza should marry. Carriazo should marry the daughter of the head judge and the son of the head judge should have Avedaño's sister as a wife. So in the end everyone is happy.

Central themes

Origin and origin, honor or loss of honor and the idealization of love can be named as central themes of the story.

origin

Cervantes opens his novella by introducing the protagonists, emphasizing their origins and social position. The image of the non-nobility is portrayed as underprivileged, ugly and of inferior character. The author describes the lower classes as a "mostly [...] bad, slanderous and malicious people ...". The nobility, to which the protagonists of the novel can also be assigned, is, however, described in a very positive way.

Carriazo's noble disposition, which results from his origins, cannot be changed even by his lower living conditions: “But although misery and need are closely connected with such a lifestyle, Carriazo proved to be a true nobleman in everything he touched . At a rifle range one recognized his noble origins by a thousand details, because he was always generous and generous towards his comrades. ”The reader is suggested that character and personality are closely linked to ancestry and social rank of a person. Through his love for Costanza, Avedaño has an idealized image of her and cannot believe that the woman to whom he has such strong feelings should be a simple worker: “Love has the low figure of this kitchen maid, as you call her, in my eyes ennobled and so high that I see them and yet do not see them, know them and yet do not recognize them. Even if I wanted to, I could not for a moment consider the so-called lowness of their class. "

honor

As in all “Novelas ejemplares”, the concept of honor is of central importance, in keeping with the spirit of the times. Costanza is portrayed as a decent, honest, religious, virtuous and honorable girl. Avedaño and the Chief Justice's son are also said to have honorable intentions towards Costanza. Carriazo and Don Diego are rather problematic characters when it comes to honesty. Carriazo gives himself up to the life of a pícaro, he learns the crooks trade, comes into conflict with the police, even ends up in prison and is ridiculed by the lowly people. Nevertheless, he suffers no loss of honor, as his behavior is viewed as a youthful escapade. Don Diego rapes Costanza's mother.

The portrayal of the rape is extremely strange for today, as Don Diego does not seem to fear a loss of honor, he even threatens Costanza's mother with the loss of her honor: “Now don't scream, most beautiful woman, because every scream you utter becomes one Be herald of your shame. Nobody saw me step into your room; for my good star, who wanted to give me this pleasure, has dripped sleep into the eyes of your servants. If they rush to your calls now, they can steal my life, but they will find me in your arms, and my death will not be able to save your reputation either. ”Costanza's mother was desperate and humiliated because of her lost honor.

Idealization of love

Avedaño's Platonic love for Costanza also occupies an important position in the novella. He falls in love with Costanza at first sight. Although she doesn't return his love and completely ignores him, his feelings keep getting stronger. When he speaks of her, he uses heavenly and god motifs to describe her beauty and modesty. Avedaño himself describes his feelings for Costanza as follows: “... in such pure love that I want nothing more than to serve her, and my striving is only directed towards being loved again by her, so that she will allow me to be honored what my moral desires ask of her ”.

Recurring motifs

Some of the themes that appear in “La ilustre fregona” can be found in almost all of the other eleven novellas, such as: B. the motive of beauty and adoration, friendship between men and corruption.

beauty

Costanza, the female lead in the story, is exceptionally beautiful. Regarding her appearance, she can be compared with Preciosa from “La gitanilla” or Leonisa from “El amante liberal”. Costanza is known everywhere because of its attractiveness. She is mentioned for the first time in history when two strange donkey drivers talk about her and her remarkable looks. In the novella it is described that many men only visit the inn to look at Costanza. The enthusiasm she arouses in her admirers almost borders on adoration. Most of the women who appear in the story react to them with jealousy. What is striking about Costanza's description is the superficial examination of her character. Her appearance is described in detail and is of central importance in the novella, but she herself remains silent and passive. She speaks eight sentences in total.

Male friendship

As in “Rinconete y Cortadillo”, “el amante liberal” or “la gitanilla”, a close friendship with men forms. Avedaño and Carriazo become very close friends who stand up for one another. When Carriazo returns from the tuna fishery, Avedaño cannot bear that his friend is so unhappy: “When Avedaño, his friend, often saw him so gloomy and pensive, he dared to ask him why, trusting in their friendship, and made an offer himself to help him if he could, yes, if he had to, with the commitment of his own life. ”Carriazo also turns out to be a very good friend when he gives up his beloved tuna fisheries to stay with Avedaño at the inn.

corruption

Another topic that appears in many of the novellas is corruption. In the novella, for example, it is written: “There must also be bribes for all servants of justice, because if they are not well lubricated, they creak worse than an ox cart”. The problem of corruption is only mentioned in passing, but it illustrates the social criticism practiced by Cervantes.

Exemplary finale

The end of the novella can be described as an exemplary finale. The story of the distinguished kitchen maid concludes with the restoration of order. On the one hand this order is created by the marriage of the protagonists, on the other hand by Costanza's return to her true social position. The end of Avedaños and Carriazos adventures is highlighted by their marriages. Their youthful urge for freedom is replaced by respectable social adjustment.

At the end of the story, Avedaño and Carriazo return to Burgos as respected, honorable nobles. Even so, Carriazo often thinks back in secret dread of the ridicule he had to endure. So he cannot completely escape the consequences of his past. Finally, discovering Costanza's true origins resolves the paradox of the title. Their beauty and virtue always corresponded to their social origins; by uncovering this, normality finally returns to her life and she finds her place in the social hierarchy.