The House of Bernarda Alba: A Deep Dive into Lorca’s Masterpiece
The House of Bernarda Alba: Main Themes and Character Analysis
Main Themes of the Work
- Death: Bernarda’s husband’s death and the funeral held at home deeply impact her daughters.
- Bernarda’s Character: Bernarda possesses an authoritarian nature, keeping her daughters locked up at home. Her greed is evident when she orders her servants to refuse a beggar scraps from the house.
- Inheritance: Angustias, the eldest daughter, stands to inherit the most, sparking jealousy among her sisters.
- Adela’s Discomfort and Her Sisters’ Concerns: Adela grapples with guilt over her secret affair with Pepe. Her discomfort is compounded by the early signs of pregnancy and the knowledge that her actions are considered wrong.
- Martyrdom: Martirio is secretly in love with Pepe. While only she knows the extent of her feelings, Poncia grows suspicious after discovering Pepe’s portrait hidden by Martirio.
- Angustias’s Wedding to Pepe el Romano: The family discusses wedding preparations, including the ring, furniture, and Bernarda’s advice on handling Pepe after marriage.
- The Love of Martirio and Adela for Pepe: Adela’s love for Pepe is revealed during a confrontation with Martirio, where she demands that Martirio stop seeing him.
Character Customization
- Bernarda: The 60-year-old matriarch and mother to the daughters, Bernarda represents authority and control.
- Maria Josefa: Bernarda’s 80-year-old mother, Maria Josefa, symbolizes oppression and confinement.
- Angustias: At 39, the eldest daughter, Angustias, represents the complexities of luck and misfortune as the heir. She is engaged to Pepe el Romano.
- Magdalena: The 30-year-old Magdalena embodies resignation and acceptance.
- Amelia: As the peacemaker, 27-year-old Amelia represents a sense of harmlessness.
- Martirio: Driven by envy, 24-year-old Martirio symbolizes malice and desire. She secretly yearns for Pepe and even takes Angustias’s portrait of him.
- Adela: The 20-year-old Adela embodies innocence and compassion. Deeply in love with Pepe, she believes he loves her back.
- Poncia: At 60, Poncia, one of Bernarda’s maids, represents directness and challenges hypocrisy.
- Maid: Another of Bernarda’s maids, she is 50 years old and symbolizes the potential for cruelty.
- Pepe el Romano: The object of desire for several of Bernarda’s daughters, 25-year-old Pepe remains unattainable.
Plot Summary of The House of Bernarda Alba
Act 1
The play opens in the stifling silence of Bernarda’s house, shortly after her husband’s funeral. Bernarda meticulously directs her daughters in preparing for the mourners’ return. The daughters, confined within the house, whisper amongst themselves, highlighting the oppressive atmosphere. After the mourners leave, the daughters discuss their father’s inheritance, revealing Angustias’s advantageous position as the eldest and her engagement to Pepe el Romano, the most desirable young man in town. This sparks envy and tension among the sisters.
Act 2
The second act focuses on the simmering tensions within the household. The daughters, except for Adela, are sewing Angustias’s wedding linens. Their conversation revolves around Adela’s unusual behavior, Pepe’s late-night departure, and the possibility of a secret relationship between him and one of the sisters. The discovery of Pepe’s hidden portrait further fuels suspicion and rivalry. Poncia, suspecting Adela’s involvement with Pepe, confronts her, uncovering the truth about their affair. The act concludes with news of a young woman from the village who killed her illegitimate child, highlighting the societal consequences of defying social norms.
Act 3
The final act opens with Bernarda and her neighbor, Prudencia, discussing their lives and families. The conversation shifts to Adela and Martirio’s escalating conflict over Pepe. A heated argument erupts between Adela and Bernarda, culminating in Bernarda firing a gun at Pepe, who is outside. While he is unharmed, Adela, believing him dead, collapses. The play ends with Adela’s death, implied to be a suicide, and Bernarda’s insistence on maintaining appearances, declaring that Adela died a virgin.
About the Author: Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca (1898-1936), a prominent Spanish poet and playwright, is considered one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. His tragic assassination during the Spanish Civil War cemented his status as a martyr and brought international attention to his work. Lorca’s writing is characterized by its lyrical beauty, exploration of universal themes like love, death, and social injustice, and its deep connection to Spanish folklore and culture.
Socio-Historical Context of The House of Bernarda Alba
Written in 1936, against the backdrop of a deeply divided Spain on the verge of civil war,”The House of Bernarda Alb” reflects the oppressive social climate of the time. The play explores themes of authoritarianism, repression, and the consequences of societal constraints, particularly for women. Lorca masterfully uses the confined setting of Bernarda’s house as a microcosm of the larger societal restrictions and the struggle for freedom and individual expression.
The play’s exploration of themes such as female agency, sexual desire, and the suffocating nature of tradition continues to resonate with audiences worldwide, solidifying its place as a timeless masterpiece of world literature.