House of Desires Synopsis

The aristocratic Doña Ana explains to her maidservant, Celia, that her brother, Don Pedro, has concocted a scheme to prevent the woman he adores, Doña Leonor, from eloping with her lover. Ana explains that a few of Pedro’s associates will engage the lover in a fight, while others, under the pretense of protecting Leonor’s honor, will whisk her away to the home of Ana and Pedro.

Ana then confesses that she is bored with her suitor, Don Juan, whom she once loved. Now, she loves someone new, Don Carlos. With amusement, Celia tells the audience that she has allowed the angry Don Juan into Ana’s room and that he awaits her there, to force her to explain her indifference. Pedro’s henchmen arrive with the distraught Leonor. She begs for sanctuary in Ana’s house and explains that she is of poor but noble blood and highly renowned for both her beauty and learning.

She then speaks passionately about the lover with whom she tried to flee that night — who is none other than Don Carlos, Ana’s love. Ana, spurred by competitive spirit, vows that she will make Carlos hers. Believing himself to be a wanted criminal for stabbing one of the men who accosted Leonor and him on the street, Carlos unwittingly stumbles upon Ana and Pedro’s home and begs sanctuary for himself and his comical servant, Castaño.

Ana, pleased, hides the pair. Meanwhile, Leonor’s father, Don Rodrigo, has learned of her absence from his manservant, Hernando, who suggests that Don Pedro, who had most ardently pursued Leonor, might be the culprit. Rodrigo determines that the only way to save his and Leonor’s honor is to make Pedro marry her at once.

Back at the home of Dona Ana, the love-crazed Don Juan mistakes Leonor for Ana in the darkness, and nearly attacks her. Don Carlos hears Leonor’s cries, but Ana tries to prevent him from investigating their source. They stumble into the dark room already occupied by Leonor and Juan, where Ana recognizes Juan’s voice, Leonor recognizes Carlos’s voice, and Carlos recognizes Leonor’s voice. In the midst of this confusion, Don Pedro arrives home. Ana hides all the visitors away in different rooms and receives her brother.

The next morning, Carlos tells Castaño he’s sure that Leonor is somewhere in the house. Celia asks the two men to hide, and Castaño falls in love with her. Leonor, concerned that Carlos’s presence in the house means he is having an affair with Ana, begs Ana to tell her the reason for his visit. Ana defl ects the question and introduces Pedro to Leonor, who is shocked to discover that her disliked suitor is her host.

In order to make Carlos doubt Leonor’s fidelity, Celia, at Ana’s bidding, makes sure that he sees Leonor sitting with Pedro during a private musical performance. Don Rodrigo arrives to convince Pedro to marry Leonor. Pedro is delighted but confused, and makes up a lie about how Leonor came into the house. Carlos overhears their conversation and is furious that Leonor is now promised to Pedro. Leonor hears as well and decides to become a nun rather than marry Pedro.

Carlos plans to confess to Rodrigo that it was he who tried to elope with Leonor, but, to protect himself, orders Castaño to take a letter explaining this to Rodrigo. Scared that he’ll be picked up as Carlos’ accomplice, Castaño disguises himself as a woman in order to deliver the letter unrecognized, but before he can get out of the house Pedro mistakes him for Leonor.

Trying to escape, the disguised Castaño promises to marry Pedro, who, not wanting to lose his “Leonor,” locks the disguised Castaño in a room. A swordfi ght between Juan and Carlos ensues, and Ana, thinking Juan to be Carlos, hides him away in her bedroom. Carlos, out of loyalty to his hostess Ana, wants to get her safely out of the room; instead, he inadvertently helps the cloaked Leonor, whom he hands over, disguised as Ana, to Rodrigo. Carlos returns to rescue Leonor, since he believes her to be still in danger. Rodrigo decides not to hand over “Ana” to her brother until he promises to marry Leonor.

When all the characters find their way onto the stage at the same time, it finally becomes clear that Carlos and Leonor love only each other, that Ana has accidentally hidden Juan in her room and now must marry him, and that Pedro’s “Leonor” is in fact Castaño, who winds up happily paired with Celia. — Margaret Inners, production dramaturg

Production Facts

A UMass Theater production like House of Desires typically involves undergraduate and graduate students, staff members, professors, and community members. Most of the actors are undergraduates ranging from firstyear students to seniors. Most are theater majors. The directors are usually professors or graduate students. In the case of House of Desires, the director is a second year graduate student.