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Cf. the «anticlimactic» final act in Realidad, which springs directly from the ethical center of the play. Galdós' relativistic conception of the honor theme -the core of his play- made the «extra» act obligatory. Thus the aesthetic superstructure of the play -its form- is determined by its inner contentthe theme. Because Galdós approached his theme with a modern ethical view, the form of his play had to evolve accordingly.

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For a description of the campaigns against Doña Perfecta while on tour, see Emilio Mario's letters to Galdós in Soledad Ortega, Cartas a Galdós (Madrid: Revista de Occidente, 1964), pp. 392-396.