The Drama of the Reluctant Executioner

"The recent Spanish-Italian movie El Cautivo (The Captive) tells the tale of Miguel de Cervantes's five-year captivity in Algiers in the 1580s. Cervantes had been captured at sea, and he was held for ransom with other Spanish nobles and men of means. His captors fail to realize that no one would put up the ransom they ask, and so Cervantes languishes in the Qasbah- with a view of the Mediterranean Sea but no freedom. His attempts to escape fail."

"Gradually, Cervantes discovers his talent for storytelling. This brings him respect, but also jealousy, from fellow captives, and it attracts the attention of Hasan Bey, the Italian-born satrap of Sultan Murad III, his overlord in Constantinople. The key to the movie's appeal is the developing relationship between Miguel and Hasan, with the homoerotic element being disputed by some pedantic historians. Nonetheless, the men grow close, and Hasan tries to seduce Miguel with promises of luxuries and a curated form of freedom."

"Before continuing, let us not forget that the Cervantes episode is but a convenient illustration of a deeper and more general dilemma. A person (here: Hasan) may find himself pressured to don the mantle of a third-party punisher. If he fails to punish a malefactor, he himself may become the object of retribution or be made an example. This can happen to any Hasan-like character at the hands of fourth parties, such as a higher-up boss, an angry mob, or moral"

Miguel de Cervantes was captured at sea in the 1580s and held in Algiers for five years with other nobles, confined and unable to secure ransom. Repeated escape attempts failed while captivity provided a vantage of the Mediterranean but no freedom. Cervantes developed storytelling skills that earned respect and provoked jealousy among fellow captives, attracting Hasan Bey, the Italian-born satrap under Sultan Murad III. A close, contestedly homoerotic relationship formed as Hasan offered comforts and curated freedoms. After a betrayed escape attempt, Hasan faced whether to execute Cervantes or risk exposure to his sovereign, creating a third-party punishment dilemma where failure to punish can trigger reprisals by higher authorities or mobs.

Read at Psychology Today