1. The Spanish Tragedy
Thomas Kyd (c. 1590)

2. 1. wilder, and more hard
This description of the object of Balthazar’s
desires hardly seems complimentary, but refers to
Bellimperia’s determination to shun him,
suggesting a certain passion in her behaviour.
The frustration of the rejected lover is what frames
this speech.

3. 2.
The list of comparisons adds to the melodrama of
his speech but is interesting to note the images
used; the freedom and natural beauty of the first
three contrast with the fixed and unmoveable
stony wall that ends the line. Perhaps Kyd uses
these images to suggest Bellimperia’s beauty and
the passion that cannot be contained.

4. 3. wherefore
The question beginning with wherefore (why)
suggests that Balthazar is aware that his
frustration is beginning to make him bitter.

5. 5.
This rather blunt statement could create sympathy
for Balthazar as he realizes that Bellimperia does
not find him attractive. It is telling, however, that
his first thought is of appearance, not of any
emotional or intellectual bond they may have.
What might this suggest?

6. 6. My words are rude
Even though he is a man of status, respected by
others, Balthazar realizes that his conversation
has no charm or subtlety to please Bellimperia.

7. 7. harsh and ill
These adjectives are striking, as they are a
complete contrast to the type of words we would
expect a suitor to send to his love; instead they
suggest that his anger and frustration are blighting
his ability to express his love. Kyd could perhaps
be using this idea to satirize the courtly love
process.

8. 8. Pan and Marsyas
Pan is a god in Greek mythology who is half-
goat, and Marsyas is a satyr, one of his
companions; both are noted for their musical skill.
This ironic and rather humorous comparison
suggests that Balthazar’s skills in writing about
love are the opposite of elegant and refined.

9. 9.
Continuing the extended list of reasons why
Balthazar cannot please, Kyd refers to the final
chance a suitor may have by emphasizing that not
even tokens of his affection in the form of gifts can
win Bellimperia’s heart, because they are not
costly enough.

10. 10. worthless
This suggests that Balthazar considers himself to
be a failure, consolidated by the reference to the
fact that his labour’s lost. Kyd again plays with
the audience’s relationship with Balthazar; do we
feel sympathy for him because he seems
defeated?

11. 11-20
Kyd uses a repetitive structure for the second part
of Balthazar’s speech. The lines are a series of
couplets with the first line of each starting with
Yet, posing a possible way in which Bellimperia
may fall in love with him; the second line in each
pair, beginning with Ay, but, shows his lament as
he recognizes another reason why she will not be
his. Each couplet echoes Balthazar’s desperation
but also illustrates the things he considers to be
the most important characteristics for a successful
suitor, which are all rather impersonal.

12. 11-12
This couplet shows Balthazar’s belief that his
bravery should make Bellimperia love him, if it
were not for the fact that, having been captured by
Horatio, his current position as prisoner
overshadows his success as a soldier.

13. 13-14
In line with courtly practice, Balthazar considers
the fact that Bellimperia should agree to be his
wife as it will please her father – then he
acknowledges that she can reason well and so
persuade her father he is not the right suitor.

14. 15-16
Perhaps a little more desperately, Balthazar here
considers his friendship with Bellimperia’s brother
to be a good reason for their match – only to
realize she is not interested in pleasing him. The
fact that Kyd makes two refs to family ties as
important factors in relationships highlights the
idea that marriage is not simply about two people
falling in love. Also interesting to note here is the
fact that Kyd is suggesting Bellimperia’s capacity
for independent thought: she can persuade her
father and reject her brother’s requests, quite
controversial moves for a woman in a patriarchal
society.

15. 17-18
Balthazar here believes that the status his wife
would enjoy should be a good enough reason to
marry. The response to this particular suggestion
is that Bellimperia may want someone of higher
status. He does not consider the idea that status
may not be something Bellimperia would see as
significant in choosing a husband.

16. 19-20
Concluding this speech with a rather damning
view, this couplet juxtaposes Balthazar’s love and
frustration. He believes Bellimperia should love
him as he is a slave to her beauty and dotes on
her, yet his conclusion is that she is not capable of
love.
Does it seem a little pathetic that he condemns
her in such a way merely because she does not
return his love, or is Kyd using this to create some
sympathy for him?