Doña María: A Deep Dive into a Complex Character

Doña María: A Complex Character

Doña María is a character of high drama, tracing the complex nature and the various aspects it presents. At first, she may fool the viewer by awakening pity, because she appears as a mother concerned about the upkeep of her home and her three daughters. Then, she reveals the full force of her dictatorship, her tyrannical rule, the despotic authority that she wields over her daughters. Finally, we see that her essential feature is an atrocious selfishness that leads to cruelty, and that the basis of her whole personality is weakness, an inability to stand on her own, and the fear of being alone and helpless. Her hypocrisy is cleverly marked on the stage, as the author continually makes her attitude change according to her convenience, which also shows her calculating character. Her value is dominated by a practical and utilitarian mentality. Her religion is ignorant superstition. All these features give internal consistency to the character and a rich, complex profile that transcends mere generic type. So, as said before, she has a dramatic stature.

The Daughters

Carmen is the most important character, but her layout is much simpler than that of Doña María. The conflict is between her moral integrity, her haughty sense of dignity, and the opposing counsel of her mother. She undergoes a psychological development ranging from initial submission to rebellion and final release. It is well-graded and well-motivated. She is the antagonist of Doña María: both represent the two poles between which the action unfolds.

Her sisters, Pepa and Manuela, are a dramatic spring to give more volume to Carmen’s personality because of the profound differences between them. They are generic types, but well designed: Pepa is the unattractive girl, resentful at the lack of suitors, with bitter and harsh reactions. Manuela is a hollow and superficial girl who passes out on the balcony waiting for any candidate. However, the author clearly differentiates them along the work: Pepa softens and becomes more human approaching Rocamora, and in the end, she will move away like Carmen in search of her freedom and her own destiny. Manuela instead reaffirms her moral duplicity by accepting to spy on Carmen. She is the only one of the daughters that does not free herself from the breast splint.

Morales and Linares

They are two parallel characters, but Morales is more developed, although Linares plays a greater role in the action. They bear witness to the situation where the Barranco family lives, and both are in favor of Carmen. Both are educated and have advanced ideas, and through them, the author’s voice is often expressed. Psychological characterization is minimal, mainly because they act as springs of action: Linares is an agent of change for Carmen and triggers the outcome, and Morales is a witness and interpreter of the various situations.

Rocamora and Castro Barroso

These suitors make up the gallery operated by Doña María. Rocamora is the most important character and acts as a spring of action: the typical wealthy and materialistic man who believes he can buy Carmen’s feelings by force of gifts and overcome her resistance with a rude assault. He lacks sensitivity, and the material is in the first place in his scale of values.

Barroso, a dentist, is the most pronounced caricature character, with his tics and his permanent and unmotivated smile. He is stupid and therefore easy prey for the tangles and deceptions of Doña María. Both he and Castro, the rent collector, even more blurred, are used to add picturesque notes and give volume to the table manners. The pair enrich the action with their presence, resulting in a series of minor incidents, and complete the courtship centered on Rocamora.

Petrona and Perez

They are secondary characters: Petrona, parallel to the daughters, and Perez, to Carmen’s suitors. Their function is to qualify the action and accentuate, through repetition, the conduct of Doña María.