The House of Bernarda Alba: A Deep Dive into Lorca’s Tragedy
Analysis of The House of Bernarda Alba
The House of Bernarda Alba is considered a tragedy by some critics and a drama by others, echoing Lorca’s own ambiguity. Many see it as the culmination of the playwright’s evolution from modernism to a stage of fulfillment. Lorca’s conception of theater is crucial. He rejected the bourgeois theater of Jacinto Benavente, deeming its sole purpose profit. He also disliked late-stage verse, not because he dismissed poetry in theater, but because he sought a more personalized approach. He favored popular and marginal forms like puppet shows and vaudeville.
Lorca’s views on theater are best clarified by his 1936 statement during a reading of The House of Bernarda Alba:
“The theater is poetry that rises from the book and becomes human. It talks, shouts, cries, and despairs. The theater needs characters who appear on stage wearing suits of poetry, revealing their bones and blood.”
These words highlight the human dimension of theater, emphasizing the importance of realistic portrayal to evoke empathy in the audience.
The Story’s Approach
After the death of her second husband, Antonio María Benavides, Bernarda Alba imposes a strict period of mourning on herself and her five daughters. The arrival of Pepe el Romano disrupts this mourning, intensifying the existing tensions. While based on a real custom, Lorca portrays this mourning period to suggest a documentary quality, highlighting the drama of women in rural Spain. The play opens with the maids gossiping about Bernarda’s despotism, which is immediately confirmed by her entrance and her harsh treatment of her daughters. When the eldest daughter inherits a fortune, attracting Pepe el Romano as a suitor, jealousy and passion erupt, culminating in Adela’s tragic suicide. Bernarda’s final concern is preserving social appearances, declaring that Adela died a virgin, prioritizing reputation over her daughter’s life.
Character Analysis
Lorca masterfully blends stereotypical figures with individual histories and emotions. The play focuses solely on women, highlighting their unique struggles within a patriarchal society.
- Bernarda (60): The central antagonistic force. Tyrannical, hypocritical, and despotic, she draws the most criticism. Her language and her symbolic cane represent her authority and the repressive Spanish order. Obsessed with maintaining a perfect reputation based on traditional values, she paradoxically becomes the most masculine figure, acting as a barrier between her daughters and men.
- Angustias (39): The eldest daughter from Bernarda’s first marriage. She is set to marry Pepe el Romano for his money, indifferent to him personally, desiring only to escape her mother’s control. At nearly 40, she lacks passion and joy.
- Magdalena (30): Bernarda’s second daughter, deeply affected by her father’s death. Resigned to never marrying, she wishes she were a man. She and Amelia accept their mother’s authority, admiring Adela’s defiance.
- Amelia (27): The timid and frightened third daughter. She believes in marrying for love, a naive ideal in this oppressive environment.
- Martirio (24): Perhaps the most complex character. Resentful and jealous of Adela, she suffers from her mother’s thwarted marriage plans and the lack of freedom. The smallest and “ugliest” sister, she is motivated by fear.
- Adela (20): The youngest daughter, full of vitality and unwilling to submit to her mother’s tyranny. She challenges the established order, even breaking her mother’s cane, but ultimately meets a tragic end.
- La Poncia (60): The maid, a childhood friend of Bernarda, yet separated by class. Bernarda’s confidante despite their mutual resentment, she uses colorful, popular speech. Her name evokes Pontius Pilate, suggesting a passive role in the unfolding tragedy. She believes a woman needs a man.
- María Josefa (80): Bernarda’s seemingly mad mother, whose words reveal poetic truths about freedom, love, and motherhood. Locked away by Bernarda, her references to the sea symbolize life’s origins.
- Women 1, 2, and 3: Gossiping townswomen who feign friendship with Bernarda.
- Pepe el Romano (25): Though never physically present, he is the catalyst for the play’s passions and conflicts.
- Prudencia (50): Bernarda’s friend.
- Maid (50): The second maid.