Doubling Down on Stupid: Direction, Misdirection, and Miscommunication in El castigo del penséque

Abstract: In El castigo del penséque (The punishment of the “I thought that…”), Tirso de Molina makes use of a pattern of constant doubling to examine conflicts of love and social restraints, all the while foregrounding the historical reality of the conflict between Spain and the protestant German states in the early modern Low Countries. In this play Rodrigo, a poor Spaniard, is mistaken for the long-lost son of a minor noble. This initial doubling is repeated through disguise, mistaken identity and finally through language itself where the written and spoken work simultaneously support and contradict each other. Constant throughout the play is an awareness that words, social station, and the various identities of the characters are limiting and sometimes contradicting Rodrigo’s failure is a commentary on social custom, and Spanish politics.