El médico de su honra and the Politics of Reading

El médico de su honra offers many possible readings to its audience, readings that do not end with the final curtain. Each character is not only a reader of the other characters but also a reader of himself or herself. While each admits the possibility of misreadings, each nonetheless believes his or her reading of himself or herself and of others to be correct. In judging whether Mencía is guilty or innocent, whether Gutiere acts prudently or viciously, or whether Pedro is cruel or just, critics have repeated what one or more of the characters have said about these questions. The play not only demands readings; it is, in effect, about reading itself. The politics of reading, in the broadest sense, involves a judgment, conditions of judgment, context, and point of view, all which merit careful consideration.