Yerma: A Tragic Tale of Infertility and Desperation

Posted on Aug 1, 2024 in Language

Abstract:

Yerma, a young woman, is distraught because she cannot conceive a child. Her husband, John, shows no interest in having a child, leading Yerma to worry and overthink.

Topic: Yerma’s anguish over her inability to have a baby.

Structure:

Part 1:

  • Dialogue between Yerma and her husband John about their desire for a child.

Part 2:

  • Song sung by Yerma while stitching, reflecting her hopeful anticipation of motherhood.

Part 3:

  • Mary arrives and announces her pregnancy.

Part 4:

  • Victor appears and encourages Yerma to talk to her husband about having a daughter.

Table Two:

Summary: Yerma takes food to her husband. On the road, she meets an old woman who wants to introduce her to Victor. After the encounter, Yerma hallucinates about Victor, expressing her growing obsession with having children.

Topic: Yerma’s intense desire for children.

Structure:

Part 1:

  • Conversation between Yerma and the old woman, revealing Yerma’s concerns and uncertainties.

Part 2:

  • Yerma meets two girls, highlighting her obsession with children and their care.

Part 3:

  • Yerma hallucinates about Victor, underscoring her growing obsession that extends beyond dreams.

Part 4:

  • John arrives and sends Yerma home, telling her not to expect him.

Second Act:

First Table:

Summary:

  • The Washerwomen gossip about Yerma, questioning her loyalty and the decline of her marriage to John.

Topic: The significance of public perception in people’s lives.

Structure:

Part 1:

  • The Washerwomen talk about Yerma.

Part 2:

  • They sing with irony.

Second Table:

Summary:

  • Due to rumors of Yerma’s infidelity, John brings his two sisters home to guard her. Lack of trust leads to disputes between John and Yerma, who decides to consult a healer. Victor also leaves town.

Topic: Yerma’s control by her family.

Structure:

Part 1:

  • Dispute between John and Yerma.

Part 2:

  • Dialogue between Mary and Yerma.

Part 3:

  • The second girl appears to inform Yerma that the healer is waiting.

Part 4:

  • Victor arrives and announces his departure from town.

Part 5:

  • The second girl takes Yerma to her sisters.

Act Three:

First Table:

Summary:

  • Yerma visits the healer’s house. She vents her desperation and observes the rituals performed. John arrives with his sisters, leading to a heated argument in front of everyone.

Topic: The intense confrontation between Yerma and John.

Structure:

Part 1:

  • Yerma is at the healer’s house and releases her emotions through rituals.

Part 2:

  • John arrives, argues fiercely with Yerma, and they leave.

Second Table:

Summary:

  • Yerma participates in a ritual during a pilgrimage to invoke her motherhood, despite John’s opposition. It is during the pilgrimage that she discovers John’s unwillingness to have children, leading to her despair, anger, and eventual madness that results in her strangling her husband.

Topic: Yerma’s wrath.

Structure:

Part 1:

  • The pilgrimage, songs, and rituals.

Part 2:

  • Dialogue with the old woman.

Part 3:

  • Discussion with John.

Part 4:

  • Outcome and strangling of John.

Main Idea: The consequences of marrying the wrong person and the suffering it can bring throughout one’s life.

Formal Analysis:

Symbols:

First Act:

  • Rainwater: Fertility
  • Rock: Indifference, resistance, and avoidance (represented by John)
  • Hedge mustard: Childhood and joy that would result
  • Joy: Happiness and fulfillment

Second Act:

  • Breezes, rain, fountain, bushes, stream: Fertility
  • Dry, sand: Sterility
  • Water, blood, basket of flowers, fresh water: Fertility
  • Stone: Sterility
  • Milk: Maternity
  • Flowers: Happiness in motherhood
  • Snails and horns: Possible infidelity with Victor

Third Act:

  • Wall: Impediment to fertility
  • Shadow: Infertility
  • Rose: Joy in motherhood -“Water cannot go back nor the moon is at noo”: Yerma’s inability to leave her husband

Review:

Overall, the play is well-written and engaging. It explores themes of infertility, desperation, and the consequences of unhappy marriages. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the plot is suspenseful and tragic. The use of symbolism adds depth and complexity to the story.