Harlan: Moreto’s “El desden” 
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inheres and has nothing in common with the desden of Diana, 
and it is this latter quality which is punished in her in the 
end. In both plays there are three suitors, but in Lope’s play 
they are held at bay for mercenary reasons alone, and for no 
reason such as Diana gives. In both plays there is a father 
desirous of having his daughter marry, but he plays a most 
incidental part in El desden vengado . Tomin is an excellent 
buffoon and has a lot of worldly wisdom, but it is Leonardo 
who assumes the responsibility which is given Polilla in the 
Moreto play. No episodes of the two plays are at all alike. 
The plan of both is different, and the only situation in com- 
mon is the fact that Lucindo and Carlos, in the beginning of 
the plays, are in love with women who do not favor them, 
altho the reasons for the disfavor in each case are most diver- 
gent. Celia, being in love with no one at any time in the play, 
disdains Lucindo because he is poor, whereas Diana disdains 
Carlos along with all the rest because of conscientious scruples. 
It is only the initial situation that is common to the two plays. 
Once started, they each go their own way. 
It seems impossible to agree with Sehora Michaelis even to 
the extent that El desden vengado and El desden con el desden 
are on the same subject, as quoted above. As already sug- 
gested, the gist of the Lope play is to show the reward of con- 
stancy as opposed to mercenariness. There is nothing of the 
matching of intellect nor the playing off of one character 
against the other, such as we find in the Moreto play. The 
two plays have nothing at all essential in common. 
