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Born in America in the early eighteen hundreds to wealthy Diego de le Vega, a California Don, and his much younger and pretty wife Esperanza, Elena de le Vega never knew her parents. The wicked Raphael Montero, Governor of California, who had been in love with Esperanza since boyhood, discovered that Diego was his sworn enemy, the mysterious masked man dressed in black... known as Zorro.
When Elena was only a few months old, Montero stormed the Diego hacienda and arrested Diego. Esperanza was accidentally killed by a bullet meant for her husband, and Montero took Elena with him to Spain to raise as his own daughter. He was forced from California by Santa Anna, the Mexican soldier who took over Texas and other states during the eighteen thirties.
Twenty years later, Elena returns with Montero to California, and becomes a very prominent character in the story. Memories begin to surface, even something as faint as the sound of Diego's voice, or the scent of a Romania flower, which Diego would hang over her crib when she was little.
Elena is passionate, determined, and beautiful, whether it's verbally battling with Alejandro over the dinner table, or challenging young Zorro to a fencing match. Little does she know what tragedy and excitement her future holds. But she's ready to meet it with open arms.
Unfortunately, Esperanza's character doesn't have a lot of screen time, and therefore we cannot see her develop. We do know that she is very pretty, and cares for her husband a great deal. Involved with Raphael Montero before she met Diego, Esperanza has respect but also hatred for the wicked Governor of California. She is killed accidentally by one of Raphael's men while protecting her husband from the same fate.
Diego de le Vega is better known throughout California as Zorro, the Spanish translation for "Fox." While battling Raphael on every turn, he leads a wealthy life in his fairytale-like hacienda with his beautiful wife, Esperanza, until one day his world is shattered when she is "murdered before my very eyes, and my daughter was taken to be raised by my mortal enemy."
Diego spends the next twenty years in jail, something my mother didn't like much, but they go quickly (at least for the audience) and when he at last gains freedom, he seeks his revenge, but is stopped from murder by the appearance of Elena, who is now the most beautiful rose in all of California. Along the way he meets Alejandro, and begins to train him as an apprentice, to be the next Zorro.
His revenge may cost him his life, but he is determined to pay back Raphael for the wickedness he has done, and regain the life and love of his only daughter.
Alejandro lost his brother to Captain Love, who took the liberty of chopping the poor wretch's head off and keeping it in a jar. Now out for revenge, he meets Diego de le Vega who trains him in the ways of Zorro so that he might take over his place in California. What starts as a hunger for revenge ends in a hero's aim to save the people of California from Raphael's wicked plans, while winning the heart of Elena on the side.
A greedy and corrupt official forced from California by Santa Anna, Raphael has his revenge upon the man who has made his life miserable by stealing his daughter and taking her away to Spain. Little does he know that when he returns... Zorro will be waiting for him. Armed with his companion and friend Captain Love, he intends to buy back California from Santa Anna with gold stolen from his own land. And yet his plans are threatened by the masked man.
Little is known of him, save his lust for power and money, which may ultimately lead to his downfall. He likes Elena, flirts with her, but nothing serious is going on between them. Captain Love is a historical character, actually, and did keep Joaquin Murrieta's head and Three-Fingered Jack's hand in a jar. I don't know if he met an end at the hands of Zorro, though. That is probably a slight historical alteration. |
