26 
Indiana University Studies 
The similarity between these two plays consists in the meth- 
ods employed to make the ladies in question fall in love. But 
the latter have very little in common. Estela’s scorn comes 
from her great vanity from the very first, whereas Diana feels 
as she does after having thought it all out coldly. When their 
vanity is wounded, Diana's in a much subtler way than 
Estela's, they are very much the same. Estela, on learning 
that Ricardo thinks her ugly, decides to keep Julio, Ricardo's 
servant, to help her avenge herself on him. She says : 
Dejame, Celia, pensar 
Como le pueda obligar 
Para que me tenga amor; 
Que una vez enamorado, 
Con la risa y el desprecio 
Quedara de aqueste necio 
Mi sentimiento vengado. 
Que no hay venganza que sea 
Mas discreta y mas gustosa 
Que hacerle querer hermosa 
Quien le ha parecido fea. 
Asi de aqueste enemigo 
Vengarse mi agravio piensa, 
Porque de la misma ofensa 
Se ha de sacar el castigo . 78 
This is exactly Diana's purpose in making Carlos fall in 
love with her. But, whereas Diana is overcome in a fair 
struggle of disdain met with disdain, Estela is made to fall 
in love with Ricardo, not as the result of having been called 
“ugly" by him, but because, as Lauro, he pleases her. She 
is tricked, purely and simply, and the only reason that Ricardo 
wins her in the end is that she fell in love with him as Lauro. 
By no means does she fall in love with him for the very fact 
of his indifference, as is the case with Diana and Carlos. The 
psychological struggle and development of Diana is entirely 
lacking in Estela. 
Ricardo, as the counterpart of Carlos, is bolder and surer of 
himself thruout than is Carlos. Everything is on his side. 
He has Julio and Otavio to help him, and by representing him- 
self to Estela as someone else has a double advantage. He is 
always more desirous of making Estela fall in love with him 
than he is successful in convincing us of his love for her. His 
78 Le hermosa, Act I, scene iv. 
