Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

Act 1, Scene 1 alternates between a cockfight and the arrival of a ship at the harbor. Half-brothers Santiago and Chechy, at the cockfight, have been drinking but have not grown drunk. Eliades runs the betting at a steady rate. Santiago runs out of cash after several matches and carves an "S" into the sole of Chechy's shoe as a promissory note for $100, which he later raises to $300. Meanwhile, as the ship arrives at the harbor, Ofelia and her daughters Marela and Conchita eagerly await the arrival of a new lector to replace old Teodoro, who outlived his usefulness in this crucial job long before he died, three months before the play begins. Marela has used a spell to make sure the lector arrives. Juan Julian Rios is one of the last passengers to disembark.

Act 1, Scene 1 Analysis

The audience learns in the...