Bel-Imperia first introduces the idea of revenge to the play. As soon as she finds out that Andrea is dead she vows to kill his murderer. She demands, "revenge [for the] death of my beloved" (I.IV.65). She immediately vows that Balthazar shall "reap long repentance for his murderous deed".Following the death of Don Andrea, Bel-Imperia’s relationship with other men, particularly Horatio, again dominates the action of the play. Horatio, Bel-Imperia’s suitor, is the son of Hieronimo, a civil servant; Lorenzo is the son of the Duke of Castile, and Balthazar is the Prince of Portugal. Once Lorenzo and Balthazar discover that Horatio is Bel-Imperia's suitor, Balthazar comments, "Ambitious villain, how his boldness grows!" (II. ii. 41) indicative also of the reigning justice of the ruling class. Horatio is viewed as trying to attain status beyond his station in life and hereby gains the spite of Lorenzo and Balthazar. This coupled with Balthazar's desire for Bel-imperia drive them to murder Horatio. Bel-imperia pleads for his life, claiming that she bore him no love, to which Balthazar replies, "But Balthazar loves Bel-imperia" (II. iv. 59) with a simplicity that implies that his mere desire for Bel-Imperia is reason enough for the death of Horatio.These events trigger a number of events, including the murder of Balthazar at the hand of Bel-Imperia. Her mere presence in the play, acts as a vehicle for the forward momentum that follows. But it is the very character of Bel-Imperia, a woman, that exacts final revenge by taking Balthazar’s life, and finally her own life so that she may no longer be manipulated by the men surrounding her.When Hieronimo asks, "what's a play without a woman in it?" he suggests that a woman’s role in a play is primarily as a lover, due to the fact that each of the other roles that we find, primarily that of the avenger could be, and are, played by men. In presenting her in this way o...
