She begins by feigning a relationship with Horatio to "spite the prince that wrought his end",[1] then joins forces with Hieronimo[2] to eventually murder Balthazar and complete her revenge mission.
Early dialogue in this essay suggests that Bel-imperia exemplifies the ancient feministic model; as she mourns the loss of the Andrea.
"A bold Bel-imperia leading Horatio on (partly by necessity, since her social rank is so much higher than his) and the love talk animated by gesture, in ways that the dialogue makes explicit.
"The would-be lover is stabbed at the height of his sexual ambition; the fruits of desire are wounds, a bloodletting that cools what is overheated, purges what is infected".
He believes "Bel-imperia is as imperious as her brother—she chooses her lovers, woos them, and sleeps with them regardless of their social position—but she reveals a depth of feeling that Lorenzo never shows.
"[6] Levin states that Bel-imperia adds depth to the play with the devotion and passion she ascribes to all activities, whether loving or avenging.
"[6] Bel-imperia's dedication to avenge is first hinted at in Act I, Scene II, when she begins the Horatio affair, and "she finishes with a passion so strong that we are forced to give her the benefit of the doubt.
"[7] Even though she is under surveillance, she still continues to avenge Don Andrea's death by sending the letter to Hieronimo "immediately, instinctively, without hesitation, doubt, or fear.
"[8] And, she completes her revenge quite successfully; "[i]t is Bel-imperia who scorns Andrea's slayer… and whose second love prompts the chain of events that enables her to avenge her first.
"[8] In contrast, Katharine Eisaman Maus portrays Bel-imperia as a victim of the various revenge plots, but also as a character defined by her social class.
Due to Lorenzo's Machiavellian revenge plot against Horatio, Bel-imperia "is forced into a dynastically advantageous wedding to a man she abhors.
"[9] Bel-imperia is further victimized when Lorenzo refuses to acknowledge her loyalty to Don Andrea when forming his Machiavellian revenge plots.
Maus discuses that Bel-imperia's intelligence and honesty are belittled when Hieronimo does not believe her letter is truthful,[10] and instead of taking immediate action, lets the revenge plots continue to progress.
Like Eisaman Maus, Steven Justice views Bel-imperia as a victim of the male protagonists, but does not focus on her social class.
"[16] Salkeld cites Act II, Scene IV to further his argument: "Horatio is mildly surprised yet pleased to discover that Bel-imperia is not only acquainted with the arts of enticement, but can take the initiative too.
"[16] He continues, "Bel-imperia's lead in these stichomythic courtesies, taking Horatio in her embrace, accords with the eroticism of the metaphor of a vine entwined around an elm.
"[16] However, the audience is well aware that Bel-imperia has no interest in Horatio, and is simply using him to complete her revenge plot because she is still loyal to Don Andrea.
After Horatio is murdered, "her sexual vitality becomes a joke between the Viceroy and Castile" as they insinuate that Lorenzo is victim to Bel-imperia's powerful allure.
"[16] Salkeld defines Bel-imperia as a sexual, female temptress who entices the male characters of the play in order to successfully execute her revenge plot.
[18] Voros says that it is Bel-imperia who gets the actions of the revenge plot started, and her character's presence is essential to the understanding of the play's political concepts.
There is a connection between seduction, women, and Bel-imperia in particular that supports the view of this darker purpose that the female role has in the play.
An analysis of these effects and methods has been done by Carol McGinnis Kay in, "Deception Through Words: A Reading of The Spanish Tragedy.
Being mistrusted does not pose any major threat to her integrity as her goal is to get the desired revenge, not to acquire external praise and glory.