Reality and Poetry in Lorca’s Work: Themes and Characters
Reality and Poetry Many features and notes are taken from reality. In the first act, a surprising conversation occurs where Poncia engages in an extremely vulgar and prosaic scene while eating bread and sausage. Other elements of a realistic character in this first act include the beggar who comes to beg, the tolling of the bells for the death of Bernarda’s husband, the arrival of the notary to read the will, and the story of the father of Adelaide, among others. In the second act, realistic details are reduced, but we can still see the image of women sewing, declarations of love, the visit of the man of the lace, the songs of the reapers, the sultry color, the episode of the portrait, and the lynching of the daughter of the pound. In the third act, realism loses strength. Realistic elements can be pointed out in the women’s dining scene, the horse being hit in the corral, or the barking of dogs. And, of course, reality is a reflection of society presented to us in the work: the strict morality based on appearances, the marginalization of women, and the noticeable classism. This work combines realism with poetry. In Act Three, elements of the magical, fantastic, and poetic are introduced: the starry night, the mysterious chase of the gloom from Adela, Martirio, and Maria Josefa, or the plasticity of the image of the old woman with the lamb in her arms. The work has been losing realism in favor of the poetic. Everything is seen from a poetic dimension: the hype, the abundance of metaphors and images in the speech of the characters, and the structure of the work on two levels—real and imagined—discussing the poetry of reality.
Main Issues and Secondary Themes The central theme of the play is the confrontation between a moral authoritarian, rigid, and conventional figure (Bernarda) and the desire for freedom. This usually appears because of a conflict, often stemming from an impossible love (in the case of three of the five daughters of Bernarda Alba), and the opposition between love and desire leading to frustration and unhappiness as a final outcome (Adela’s suicide). The author gives each character their individual problems, which reflect reality. The characters suffer from the social oppression in which they live. The work shows great concern for honor, reflects social injustice, develops the theme of sensual love and the pursuit of men, highlights the hatred and envy that preside over many relationships, and emphasizes the marginalization of women. Secondary issues include the eight-year mourning motivated by the father’s death and the absence of men throughout the work. Another side issue that Lorca critiques in his work is hypocrisy (concern for others’ opinions), honor, social injustice (throughout Lorca’s work, he denounces injustice and social differences, class consciousness, and the pride that heads cruel societal relations), and finally, the marginalization of women. He faces two female role models: one based on loose morals (Paca la Rosette, the prostitute who contracted the reapers and Pound’s daughter) and another based on a certain conception of decency (to which Bernarda subjected her daughters).