Dionysius and Paula: Love, Society, and Choices in a Spanish Play
Dionysius and Paula: Love, Society, and Choices
The thread of the argument revolves around the relationship between Dionysius and Paula. As Dionysius returns, preparing for marriage with his first (and only) girlfriend, Margarita, a 25-year-old woman described as unattractive, most virtuous, and wealthy. Dionysius was staying at a hotel where a group of dancers had arrived, among them Paula, a happy, beautiful, and carefree girl. Courtesy of bourgeois gentlemen, an evening party is organized, establishing a contrast between the bourgeois world and the bohemian world until they merge into one. Paula shows her love for Dionysius, and he, somewhat late and drunk, reciprocates. At this point, Dionysius becomes doubtful between a monotonous and boring life, as he had led until then, or a bohemian life that would break all his schemes. Finally, he succumbs to convention and goes to the wedding.
Characters
Dionysius
We are presented with an enthusiastic and amorous man who symbolizes liberation and the breakdown of inhibitions. During the play, the character is freed from the conventions with which he has lived, gets drunk, and feels love toward Paula. In the end, his weak personality returns to the hard and dull bourgeois life. His name may have some relation to the god Dionysus.
Don Sacramento
He is the father of Margarita, a traditional and exemplary father who shows how marriage is a sacred institution where coexistence should reign.
Paula
She is a ballet dancer in Buby Barton’s troupe, shown as a cheerful, beautiful, and carefree girl (she doesn’t even know her age). Buby has to endure and accept relations with “obnoxious gentlemen” (in this aspect, she is also a victim of society). In an attempt to change her world, she falls in love with Dionysius but ultimately realizes she cannot change. According to the author, she is the only one who is saved from everything around her and is the antithesis of Margarita and “virtuous young ladies.”
Buby Barton
He leads a group of dancers and is a black music hall performer. He has a short affair with Paula, which is broken by her. He is portrayed as envious and sometimes violent (beating Paula when she is with Dionysius). When he limits the work of the dancers to please the “gentlemen of the party,” he shows a hint of greed.
The Girls
They are Fanny, Madame Olga, Trudy, Carmela, and Sagra. They are the counterpoint of the bourgeois world but are themselves subject to it. The author presents them as fun, lively, and superficial, accepting the life that has been dealt to them.
Doña Rosario
She is the owner of the hostel where Dionysius is staying. As her name suggests, she always does things routinely and repetitively. She is pointless and boring but maintains a fatherly character due to the loss of her son in a well. She shows features of both worlds but is particularly driven by routine.
The Gentlemen
They are the ones who organize the festival. They take advantage of the girls in a grotesque manner but are deceived by them. All belong to the bourgeois world and are partakers of its hypocrisy. They have no names and are appointed by one of their qualities: the Odious Lord, the Cunning Hunter, the Ancient Military, the Cheerful Explorer, the Romantic Lover, and the Handsome Boy.