The King of Spain

The King of Spain by Oscar Wilde

The narrative unfolds in a Spanish palace where the melancholic King observes the festivities outside, reflecting on his deep sorrow over the death of his beloved Queen, who passed away shortly after giving birth to their daughter, the Infanta. The King is haunted by memories of his wife, whose body remains preserved in the palace chapel, and he visits her monthly, consumed by grief and regret. His love for her was intense, overshadowing his responsibilities as a monarch. The King recalls their betrothal in France and the subsequent marriage, which was marred by political turmoil and the execution of heretics. His obsession with her led to neglect of state affairs, ultimately contributing to her decline in health. After her death, he contemplated abdication but feared leaving the Infanta vulnerable to his cruel brother, Don Pedro, suspected of foul play in the Queen's demise. Despite the passage of time and the end of official mourning, the King remains steadfast in his devotion to his deceased wife, rejecting offers of new alliances, including a marriage proposal from the Emperor. He declares his eternal bond with sorrow, prioritizing it over potential beauty and happiness, which results in significant political losses for his kingdom. The story explores themes of love, loss, and the burdens of duty, illustrating how personal grief can overshadow public responsibility and lead to tragic consequences. The King's refusal to move on from his past ultimately shapes the fate of his realm and his daughter, entangled in the legacy of her parents' tragic love.

By Oscar Wilde · First published 1891 · Genre: Tragedy, Historical Fiction, Drama · 1,084 words

First lines

From a window in the palace the sad melancholy King watched them. Behind him stood his brother, Don Pedro of Aragon, whom he hated, and his confessor, the Grand Inquisitor of Granada, sat by his side. Sadder even than usual was the King, for as he looked at the Infanta bowing with childish gravity to the assembling counters, or laughing behind her fan at the grim Duchess of Albuquerque who always accompanied her, he thought of the young Queen, her mother, who but a short time before -- so it seemed to him -- had come from the gay country of France, and had withered away in the sombre splendour of the Spanish court, dying just six months after the birth of her child, and before she had seen the almonds blossom twice in the orchard, or plucked the second year's fruit from the old gnarled fig-tree that stood in the centre of the now grass-grown courtyard. So great had been his love for her that he had not suffered even the grave to hide her from him. She had been embalmed by a Moorish physician, who in return for this service had been granted his life, which for heresy and suspicion of magical practices had been already forfeited, men said, to the Holy Office, and her body was still lying on its tapestried bier in the black marble chapel of the Palace, just as the monks had borne her in on that windy March day nearly twelve years before. Once every month the King, wrapped in a dark cloak and with a muffled lantern in his hand, went in and knelt by her side calling out, '_Mi reina_! _Mi reina_! ' and sometimes breaking through the formal etiquette that in Spain governs every separate action of life, and sets limits even to the sorrow of a King, he would clutch at the pale jewelled hands in a wild agony of grief, and try to wake by his mad kisses the cold painted face.

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The King of Spain is listed on Textopian as a play by Oscar Wilde, dated 1891 CE.

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Satire · Comedy · Social Commentary · Royal Politics · Moral Allegory · Philosophical Fiction · Literary Satire · Absurdism · Dark Humor · Cynicism · Critique of Power · Commentary on Class

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