Las Mocedades del Duque de Osuna

The Duke of Osuna escapes from prison and goes in pursuit of a famous swordsman, Afanador, to see how good a fighter he really is. Plays various pranks on his way, always rewarding his victims with double or three times the value of the damaged goods, meets a former lover and gathers some followers who join him on his trip to Flanders. The play ends with the duke and his friends being imprisoned at first and then pardoned and praised by the King of France who had witnessed a tumultuous clash between Spaniards and Frenchmen at a play performance, provoked by an insult to the dignity of the the King of Spain by one of the French actors. The French King admired the duke's nobility, his patriotism, courage , valor and extreme dedication and respect shown to his king. Trabajo en todos aspectos meritorio, esta magnífica obra del Profesor Manuel Barroca tiene la virtud de ofrecer al lector un lúcido análisis a una curiosa faceta de la obra de Don Cristobal Monroy, fecundo pero injustamente poco divulgado autor. -Eduardo Mayone Dias Professoe Emeritus Department of Spanish and Portuguese University of California at Los Angeles