Harlan: Moreto’s “El desden” 
37 
tells him all about it and makes him swear secrecy. Sirena 
and Diana appear, and the former tells Cesar that he will 
have to choose between her and Carlos, and that a sign of his 
love for her will be to give up his friendship for Carlos. Cesar 
gets word of the death of his nephew, making him Duque de 
Milan. When Sirena hears this, she decides to make him 
jealous, saying “que celos causa le den de amarme mas”, for 
she does not want people to think she favors him because of 
his new fortune. For this purpose she decides on the “necio 
presumido” Marco Antonio, and sends her congratulations to 
Cesar by him, giving him a “banda de diamantes”, which had 
been Cesar’s, to wear. She tells him, in the presence of Gas- 
con, Cesar’s servant, that she congratulates Cesar simply to 
be polite. 
Cesar, at the suggestion of Carlos, after Marco Antonio has 
come with the message from Sirena and said that he was her 
lover, decides that only those who love go to the trouble of 
making people jealous, and he decides to ask Narcisa to pre- 
tend to be his lady. Narcisa is in love with Alejandro, but 
having at the time a little disagreement with him, she agrees 
to help Cesar when he tells her his story. While he is at her 
house Sirena comes. Cesar’s greeting is most formal, and he 
leaves with Alejandro. Narcisa tells Sirena of her new love 
and shows her a diamond which Cesar gave her which had 
been Sirena’s, and the latter expresses her despair to her 
cousin, Diana. 
In the third act, we find Sirena telling Narcisa that Cesar’s 
new love can’t be real, that he is seeking alleviation from his 
love for her, and that such artificial alleviation never satis- 
fies. Narcisa asks her why she is so concerned and Sirena 
retorts that Narcisa is taking what she won’t have. Gascon 
comes to announce the coming of Cesar and Carlos. Sirena 
decides to have him locked up so that Cesar cannot know she 
is there, and then to hide and listen to the conversation be- 
tween Narcisa and Cesar, which she is sure will confirm her 
suspicion that their love affair is only pretense. Narcisa feels 
envious of Sirena as does Cesar of Alejandro. Their conver- 
sation makes Sirena overcome her suspicions and come out 
of hiding to tell Cesar that she has only been trying his love 
for her and did not intend for it to go so far. He is unmoved 
by her pleas. Sirena now intends to marry Marco Antonio 
