The defeated gentleman bows to Balboa as he introduces himself as Alonso Ojeda, whom …show more content…
In no time at all, she’s seduced Balboa and guides him out behind the tavern for a shag, initiating their clandestine affair.
ALCÁZAR PALACE – THE CROWNS’ PRIVATE AUDIENCE CHAMBER
The Machiavellians, King Ferdinand, Franciscan Zealot, Cisneros, and Bishop Juan de FONSECA, Columbus’ protector and overseer of his expeditions, gang up on Isabella, insisting Columbus is a fraud and should be fired. While no match for Isabella, who worries about replacing Columbus because of his avowed devotion to God, the three grind her down.
After Cisneros calls Columbus a fraud and Fonseca condemns Columbus' megalomania, tyranny, and deception, Isabella promises to give it due consideration along with her expressed prohibition against enslaving the Arawak Columbus ignored once she’s taken God’s counsel.
Her response is not good enough for Ferdinand who continues to grind away at his wife’s stubbornness, arguing that reliance on Columbus to find a 'westward passage to Asia' is too important a task to be left to one