Eugenio Arrieta

Eugenio Arrieta is Francisco de Goya's friend and physician. In Marion Peter Holt's translation of The Sleep of Reason, Buero Vallejo describes Arrieta as "between fifty-five and sixty. He is vigorous but gaunt. His blond hair is turning gray; he hides his incipient baldness by combing his hair forward; he has a large cranium and the sharp features of an ascetic; he has a gentle and melancholy look." Arrieta is Goya's loyal friend, risking his safety by associating with Goya, and by urging Father Duaso, the king's chaplain, to provide asylum for Goya. Arrieta, though verbally careful, shows dissatisfaction with Ferdinand's repressive practices, especially censorship.

Francisco de Goya

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) (also called Francho) is one of the world's great painters and the play's main character. Depicted as a genius beyond the understanding of those around him, Goya is thought by his mistress, Leocadia, to be going...