The men hang Horatio from an arbour and stab him to death. Lorenzo and Balthazar enter the garden, along with a disguised Pedringano and Balthazar’s servant, Serberine. One evening, Bel-Imperia has her servant, Pedringano, guard the garden gates while she visits with Horatio, but Pedringano betrays her and alerts Lorenzo and Balthazar to the secret meeting. Lorenzo, however, encourages Balthazar, telling him Bel-Imperia will eventually come around and accept him. While Castile and the king are already considering a marriage between Bel-Imperia and Balthazar to unite Spain and Portugal, Bel-Imperia tells Balthazar in no uncertain terms that she is not interested in his advances. Bel-Imperia has fallen in love with Horatio, whom she calls her “second love,” and she considers loving him a sort of revenge against Balthazar, who has also professed his love for Bel-Imperia. Bel-Imperia knows the scarf well, as she gave it to Andrea before the war, and she asks Horatio to wear it in both her honor and Andrea’s. After capturing Balthazar, Horatio administered Andrea’s funeral rites and removed a scarf from his friend’s body, which he has vowed to wear in Andrea’s honor. Later, Bel-Imperia asks Horatio to tell her about Andrea’s death, and he relays the fight between Andrea and Balthazar, saying that Andrea was brave and courageous.

The king rewards them both-Horatio is promised Balthazar’s ransom and Lorenzo is given his horse and weapons-and orders Balthazar to be held at Castile’s estate. Horatio was the one to capture Balthazar however, Lorenzo insists on recognition for taking Balthazar’s horse and weapons. As the play begins, Balthazar is brought to the Spanish court as a prisoner by Lorenzo, Bel-Imperia’s brother and the son of the Duke of Castile, and Horatio, the son of Hieronimo, the Knight Marshall (or official judge) of Spain.

Once Andrea was finally allowed to cross the river Acheron into the afterlife, Proserpine-the goddess of fertility and agriculture and the queen of the underworld-ordered Andrea’s ghost to return with Revenge and observe the upcoming death of Balthazar at the hands of Bel-Imperia, Andrea’s grieving lover and the niece of the King of Spain.

In life, Don Andrea was a Spanish courtier, but he was killed in battle by Balthazar, the son of the Viceroy of Portugal.

The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd