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The long-standing critical view that there is a collective protagonist in Fuenteovejuna is reexamined with the intention of proving that this viewpoint disregards important aspects of the play and the so-called sources. When such details are considered the evidence leads to the conclusion that Fernan Gomez de Guzman is the protagonist. Lope falsifies certain historical facts and expands upon some vague statements found in the "sources" in order to highlight the role of the comendador and the theme of peasant honor. The expression "Fuente Ovejuna lo hizo" is simply a ruse thought up after the revolt in order to ensure the failure of the king's investigation. In addition, the attribution of certain speeches during the peasant rebellion to Todos or Todas refers to specific people. Esteban decides to act alone to regain his lost honor and the other peasants join the revolt because of the affronts they had suffered. But it is Esteban who deals the death blow to the cowering comendador . The realization that there is a single protagonist also attests to Lope's skills as a playwright because the comendador generates all of the action in both plots, thus unifying them into a harmonious unit. Fernan Gomez de Guzman is a significant dramatic figure and not a transplant from a chronicle. He controls the action in both plots even after his death and when, at the end of the play, the king decides that he cannot punish the peasants he is accepting the concept of peasant honor and not rewarding them for protecting the monarchy. (MJR)

We introduce a wave-optics based simulation code written to model a complete free space laser communications link, including a detailed model of an adaptive optics compensation system. We present the results obtained by this model, where the phase of a communications laser beam is corrected, after it propagates through a turbulent atmosphere. The phase of the received laser beam is measured using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor, and the correction method utilizes a MEMS mirror. Strehl improvement and amount of power coupled to the receiving fiber results for both 1 km horizontal and 28 km slant paths will be presented.

The Tragedia de San Hermenegildo (1580) is one of the best examples of the Spanish Jesuit theatre in the Golden Age. This article studies the way in which the authors handle the historical source material relating to the life of Hermenegild. It is obvious from the comparison between history and the play that the authors were quite concerned about their artistry. They did not hesitate to change facts, add motives, invent rivalries and betrayals of all types. Nor did they hesitate to convey their religious bias in the way in which they developed the historical material. However, despite a seeming contradiction between art and lesson, these priests were able to produce a valid drama, a work of art, worthy of a place in the vast collection of plays in the period. Their ability to create and convey the inner character is of great importance in any understanding of the art of characterization seen later in the comedia . (MJR)