The Changeling

De Flores—interpreted to mean “deflower”—is the play’s main antagonist and a love interest for Beatrice. De Flores was born a gentleman, but his life’s circumstances forced him to become Vermandero’s servant. This social fall foreshadows De Flores’s corrupting nature. He’s characterized by an ugly face likened to “poison” (1.1.114), which sets Beatrice ill at ease. Beatrice describes her involvement with De Flores as having “stroked a serpent” (5.3.66), drawing comparison to the devil/serpent in the Garden of Eden. De Flores “deflowers” Beatrice sexually by taking her virginity, and morally by committing murder on her behalf.

De Flores’s place in society is complicated. Beatrice notes De Flores is a “gentleman / In good respect with my father” (1.1.136-37), and he’s viewed as an honorable and honest servant. However, De Flores is secretly consumed with an obsessive desire for Beatrice that highlights his contemptuous social status. De Flores describes his desire as uncontrollable, although Beatrice’s hatred humiliates him. He finds her treatment unjust since he was born a gentleman. Even still, De Flores stoops to degrading interactions with Beatrice—accepting the glove she hatefully throws at him and committing murder to win her virginity—since his lower social status makes him beneath Beatrice. Like Beatrice, his circumstances and ambitions are at odds: he’s caught between a gentleman’s proclivities and obsessive lust forbidden by his social status. De Flores is offended when Beatrice offers him money for Alonzo’s murder: “Do you place me in the verminous fellows / To destroy things for wages? Offer gold / For the life blood of man!” (3.4.64-66). De Flores believes his conscience is honorable, though he braves corruption for the reward of Beatrice’s virginity. De Flores is not bloodthirsty by nature but driven to madness by his desire for Beatrice. He experiences deep guilt for Alonzo’s murder, especially when he’s around Tomazo. However, his pleasure from being with Beatrice keeps the guilt at bay and drives him to commit further crimes for her. Both Beatrice and De Flores are corrupted by their romantic desires and ambition beyond their societal circumstance.

De Flores’s possessive behavior toward Beatrice proves fatal for them both. De Flores threatens to take Beatrice down with him if she does not sleep with him: “She that in life and love refuses me, / In death and shame my partner she shall be” (3.4.153-54). This prediction comes true at the play’s conclusion. De Flores kills them both once their crimes become known. While Beatrice tries to salvage her morals by asking for forgiveness, De Flores dies without apology or regret. For De Flores, his time with Beatrice was worth his tragic and sinful fate.

Alsemero is a nobleman from Valencia and one of Beatrice’s love interests. He stops in Alicante during his travels, where he sees Beatrice in a church and instantly falls in love. He’s trusting and romantic toward Beatrice, and he wins respect from Vermandero with his honorable parentage and good actions. He marries Beatrice with Vermandero’s blessing after Alonzo disappears.

Alsemero serves as a moral compass, and his monologues frame the tragic play with noble sentiment: The play begins with Alsemero’s speech depicting Beatrice’s virtuous beauty and Alsemero’s respectable intention to marry her. Alsemero ends the play with a monologue promising to act as a brother to Tomazo and son to Vermandero, to comfort the grieving men. Alsemero is a man of science and moral responsibility, believing it his duty to expose Beatrice and De Flores’s crimes and take care of those affected by the tragedy. Alsemero studies physics and has a closet of potions and mixtures, including a virginity test. This shows Alsemero is ruled by reason and precision rather than passion. It also shows Alsemero’s desire to police Beatrice’s moral behavior by giving him the power to test Beatrice’s faithfulness and discover her adulterous crimes. However, Beatrice successfully outwits Alsemero until the play’s conclusion. Her tricks against the moral Alsemero—by pretending to pass the virginity test and performing the bed trick with Diaphanta—is another allusion to Beatrice as a representation of Eve. As Alsemero’s first love, Beatrice tempts Alsemero toward romantic passion, then fools him with her sinful behavior.

Vermandero is a nobleman and Beatrice’s father. He owns the castle where the tragedy unfolds. As Beatrice’s father, Vermandero controls whom Beatrice marries. This causes Beatrice to feel trapped in her betrothal to Alonzo and seek murder as the alternative. Vermandero, a respectable man, is horrified by the scandal and tragedy. He tries to find Alonzo’s murderer to clear his own name of guilt and accuses Antonio and Franciscus.

Diaphanta is Beatrice’s waiting-woman, and Jasperino is Alsemero’s friend. They help arrange meetings between Beatrice and Alsemero and are privy to their secrets. Diaphanta and Jasperino are romantically involved, although Diaphanta remains a virgin. Jasperino overhears Beatrice and De Flores while waiting to meet Diaphanta and grows suspicious of the two.

Beatrice employs Diaphanta in a bed trick: Since Diaphanta is a virgin and Beatrice is not, Beatrice swaps places with Diaphanta on Beatrice’s wedding night. Beatrice hopes this swap will stop Alsemero from realizing Beatrice is sleeping with De Flores. Diaphanta is delighted to receive money as well as Beatrice’s “first night’s pleasure” (4.1.85). However, Diaphanta goes too far and stays with Alsemero longer than planned. Consequently, Diaphanta is killed by De Flores.

Alonzo and Tomazo are brothers and noblemen. Alonzo is betrothed to Beatrice at the start of the play. As Beatrice falls in love with Alsemero, Alonzo becomes an obstacle to her desire. This leads to his murder. Alonzo is honorable and loves Beatrice. Tomazo warns his brother to be wary of Beatrice’s romantic intentions, but this only offends Alonzo, as he believes Beatrice is faithful. Alonzo also trusts De Flores and views him as a helpful servant, lending to the irony of Alonzo’s murder by De Flores at Beatrice’s behest. Afterward, Alonzo’s ghost occasionally haunts De Flores and Beatrice, stirring their conscience and ominously reminding them of their crimes.

After Alonzo dies, Tomazo spends the rest of the play seeking revenge. Tomazo’s presence and thirst for revenge heighten the suspense as he questions everyone’s honesty except that of “Honest De Flores” (4.2.37). When Tomazo eventually attacks De Flores, it’s out of desperation for violence rather than real suspicion of De Flores. De Flores ironically—and comically—walks away from the attack. In the end, Tomazo plays no part in extracting revenge, as De Flores kills himself and Beatrice after their crimes are found out.