The Disenchantments of Love

In the 5th story, the character of dona Ines is virtually powerless. She is completely at the will of those around here. Any action she attempts to take is ignored, thwarted, or otherwise fruitless. She is first victimized by don Diego who serenades and attempts to court her despite her status as a married woman. She is further victimized by the scheming neighbor and her recruited harlot. She does have status, however, as the Mayor comes to her aid in witnessing her confrontation with don Diego after the incident in the church, and then exiling the vile neighbor for her wrong doings. She then falls prey to the Moor's magic, but is exculpated as the Mayor and officers of the peace discover the magic and its effect on her. Still, she is victim of the wrath of her brother, sister in law, and husband, who refuse to accept her innocence over the insult to their collective honor.

I interpret this as a protest that a woman has no standing or chance at respect, no matter how good or pure she is, if she is surrounded by those who are of lesser character or seek to blemish her for their own gain or merely her loss. This good woman has done absolutely nothing wrong, yet is condemned to six years in hellish confinement by those who are supposed to be her protectors and providers. Essentially, woman is powerless. But I fail to see how this is a good case for women. At the end, it is proclaimed that "the most abominable vice there can be... is the failure to value, honor, and praise women, the good ones because they are good and the bad ones for the sake of the good ones." In the stories we have been provided, most women are indeed morally devoid and corrupt. Yet we are supposed to praise them all because of the few good ones we have been provided? In the 5th story alone, we have the neighbor, the harlot, and the sister in law all plotting in one way or another the demise of dona Ines, for their own gain, or in the case of the latter, simply because it is her nature. If not for their evil doing, dona Ines would not be a victim but would have lived happily as a noble and faithful wife of her husband. Don Diego is by no means innocent, but the treacherous neighbor served as enabler of his fantasy, and as a conspirator is just as guilty as he in defaming her. If one judges by intent and not consequence, her actions are indeed far worse. He only wanted to love her, she wished to ruin her and deceive him in the process, all for financial gain and a simple exercise in wickedness.

If De Zayas wishes that we do not judge all women as evil on account of the actions of evil women, she has not given us much of a chance to do so with the characters she has provided. The 4th story is equally as hopeless, as don Jaime is victimized both by the random will of his Lady Suitor and the deceit of his slave. He is an inexcusably horrible person, as he didn't even give his wife and cousin a chance to defend themselves before putting blind faith into the words of a slave, but it is a woman's lie that put him in this rage in the first place. The "bad" women in this book have acted just as terribly as the men it seeks to put on trial, yet we are supposed to praise them simply for being women while chastising all men?