The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd encompasses many themes and motifs. One particular theme that stands out to me are the influential Machiavellian lessons. Niccolo Machiavelli was an influential Italian philosopher who’s work The Prince lists many political lessons that should be studied by state leaders. In The Spanish Tragedy these lessons are applied and used by the characters.
The one character who embodies Machiavelli’s lessons is Lorenzo. In class we discussed Lorenzo’s similarities to Iago from Othello. We considered these type of characters to be Machiavellian Villains. Generally a Machiavellian Villain is one who uses coercion and persuasion to manipulate others. They also would rather be feared than loved by their subjects. Lorenzo embodies these qualities. He is extremely calculated and almost always gets his way in the play. He is deceitful and kills of those in his way. He uses his advanced verbal skills to manipulate everyone to further advance his closed minded aims.
When Balthazar declares his love for Bel Imperia, Lorenzo is extremely disinterested and seemingly just would like to arrange the marriage. His clear display of a lack of morals shows how he is just really interested in the ransom and not his sister’s possible new suitor. He was extremely quick to call out Pedringano for his role in Bel Imperia and Don Andrea’s relationship. Instead of reprimanding him he turns him into an asset to further his goals. By threatening to use force with Pedringano he creates a fear factor. Pedringano’s fear of Lorenzo forces him to go along with his plan. He then quickly betrays Pedringano with no hesitation and consideration.
Presently we view Machiavelli’s work as a positive masterpiece. But in the Elizabethan era the people actually felt the results of the writings. They experienced the coercion and fear. The audience would have been quick to identify Lorenzo as the Machiavellian enemy.
I like your tags; coercion is a useful idea that we can return to in later reading. Check out the meaning of disinterested; it means to be impartial. Uninterested doesn’t seem right, either–I think you want to suggest that Lorenzo simply doesn’t care about Bel-imperia’s emotional preferences as long as they suit his political aims.
I agree that Lorenzo is very determined in getting his way. He is ruthless and deceiving, proving to be a near perfect example of a Machiavellian Villain. However, the point that you make here brings the idea to my mind that Lorenzo and Hieronimo hold different values, but are similar in character in the sense of focus and finding a means to an end. Lorenzo does everything in his power to try and see that Bel-Imperia and Balthazar are wed, as Hieronimo does everything in his power to avenge the death of his son, Horatio. Hieronimo will accept nothing less than perfection in seeking justice and goes as far as to kill royalty of Spain and Portugal, and even bites out his own tongue to conceal a secret that he wishes to withhold. In a way, Lorenzo and Hieronimo are a strong example of similar characters in a power struggle of good vs. evil.