Harlan: Moreto’s “El desden” 
43 
CHAPTER VIII 
LOS DESPRECIOS EN QUIEN AMA, Perez de Montalvan 
Los desprecios en quien ama, by Juan Perez de Montalvan 
(1602-1638) , 112 is found in the Comedias de los mas celebres 
autores, Amsterdam, 1726. 3 It was produced on October 
22, 1625. 114 
Klein 115 includes Los desprecios en quien ama among the 
“Vorlage-Stiicke von ahnlichem Motiv wie El desden con el 
desden”. 
Carolina Michaelis mentions the play among others dealing 
with the same subject as Moreto’s play. 116 
Alonso Cortes rejects the play as having no relation to El 
desden con el desden. 117 
In the first act 118 we find Alberto, Duke of Florence, ap- 
pointed guardian by her late father, of his cousin Claudia, and 
charged with finding her a husband. He is in love with her, 
but she, piqued at his authority over her, makes him stay 
away under pretext that his coming would cause gossip. In 
order to find out whether she has a lover, he disguises himself 
as Juan Manrique, appears at Claudia’s estate, representing 
himself as pursued by Alberto for having killed the traducer 
of his sister, is promised protection and appointed secretary to 
Claudia. Alberto is supposed to be in Florence where he 
wrote Claudia a letter asking her whether Federico, Duke of 
Ferrara, who seeks her hand, will be acceptable to her. 
Federico, in order to know whether she is as beautiful as re- 
port makes her, comes incognito to her estate and bribes 
Yepes, Alberto’s servant, into letting him be a lackey along 
with himself, under the name of Fabio. Laura, Claudia’s 
112 Fitzmaurice-Kelly, op. cit., p. 260. 
113 Barrera, op. cit., p. 268. 
114 Rennert, op. cit., p. 338. 
115 op. cit., Vol. XI, Part I, p. 412. 
118 op. cit., p. 258. 
117 op. cit., p. 21. 
118 Based on the text of Comedias de Juan Perez de Montalban, Valencia, 1782. Los 
desprecios en quien ama is No. 7 in the collection. There is also a volume of Perez de 
Montalban Comedias, con licencia, Sevilla, sin fecha, containing this play. Both volumes 
are in the Ticknor-Barton collection of the Boston Public Library. For another outline 
of the play consult: Bacon, G. W„ The life and dramatic works of doctor Juan P&rez 
de Montalban, Revue Hispomique, 1912, pp. 111-115. 
