La casa de Bernarda Alba

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La casa de Bernarda Alba ('The House of Bernarda Alba') is a play by the Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca. Along with Bodas de sangre and Yerma it forms Lorca's Rural Trilogy. It was written in 1936, and first performed in 1945, several years after Lorca's death. The play centers on the events of an Andalusian house, in which the title character (age 60) wields total control over her five daughters Angustias (39 years old), Magdalena (30), Amelia (27), Martirio, (24), and Adela (20). The housekeeper (La Poncia) and Bernarda's mother (Maria Josefa) also live there. The deliberate exclusion of any male character from the action is highly significant as it helps to build up the high level of sexual tension that is present throughout the play. Pepe "el Romano", the love interest of Bernarda's daughters, never actually appears on stage.

The play explores themes of repression, passion, and conformity, and inspects the effects of men upon women. Bernarda's cruel tyranny over her daughters foreshadows the stifling nature of Franco's fascist regime, which was to arrive just a few weeks after Lorca finished writing his play. Lorca's association with a number of intellectuals who belonged to the Communist Party of Spain such as Rafael Alberti was to result in his assassination shortly after the outbreak of Civil War in July 1936.

Two adaptations to film are worth mentioning: "La casa de Bernarda Alba" (1987) and its English made-for-tv movie counterpart, "The House of Bernarda Alba" (1991).

In 2006, the play was adapted into musical form by Michael John LaChiusa. Under the title Bernarda Alba, it opened at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse theatre on March 6, 2006, starring Phylicia Rashad in the title role, with a cast that also included Daphne Rubin-Vega.

1 Summary
2 Characters in the play
3 Themes
4 Symbols
5 Sources
6 External links

[edit] Summary

After the death of her second husband, Bernarda Alba becomes very strict with her five daughters who have hardly ever had any contact with the opposite sex. She imposes an eight-year mourning that will keep them enclosed since their class will not allow them to mix with the villagers. When the eldest daughter (Angustias) inherits her father's fortune, she attracts a suitor (Pepe el Romano). Passion and jealousy between the daughters unravels and ends in tragedy. Adela, the youngest, does not want to submit to her mother's will and secretly maintains a sexual relationship with Pepe.

[edit] Characters in the play

Bernarda - A mother and widow. She represents everything negative within the play. She also is a sort of dictator within the house, reinforced by the image of her cane (power).
Angustias - She is planning on getting married because of her inheritance. Although she is aware of this, she seems to not care. The only thing she wants is to leave her mother's house and power. However, at 39 years old, she has already been worn down by her mother and has no hope for happiness.
Magdalena and Amelia - The two most submissive. They willingly accept the power of their mother.
Martirio - The most complex person in the play. Her mother thwarted her wedding, and she is very jealous of Adela.
Adela - The youngest daughter and the rebel. She never gives in to her mother's tyranny. In a world of bitterness, she finds happiness. She challenges the moral standards, even though it leads to her tragic end.
Poncia - The maid. She actually manages to give some advice to Bernarda when Bernarda is not bringing up the social differences between them.
María Josefa - The crazy mother of Bernarda whom they keep locked up. She also functions as the comic relief of the play. Her words are crazy, but true. She expresses what the other daughters won't dare express: her desire for freedom, love, and motherhood.
Pepe el Romano - He doesn't actually appear in the play although his actions create most of the drama within the play.

[edit] Themes

Tragic destiny - Adela rebels against the tyranny of her mother and pays with her life.
Oppression of women - Lorca feels compassion for less-fortunate individuals (those oppressed by society), and identifies with them.
Conservative society - Obsession with virginity, religion, obervance of class...
Classism - We see the disrespect and ignorance associated with classism through the way in which Bernarda treats everyone who enters her house, especially towards her daughters and Poncia.
Appearance - In other words, the idea that appearance is all that really matters. Bernarda is obsessed with how her family appears to the outside world. She is not actually concerned with their actions. Appearance is also related to beauty which is a theme that comes up throughout the work. Adela's beauty, in particular, is one which becomes a constant theme. Ultimately her beauty becomes corrupted in the eyes of Lorca.
Authoritarianism - The cruel and irrational treatment of Bernarda's household. This is also symbolized by Bernarda's cane. She uses it to command respect in the house.

[edit] Symbols

Water/Thirst - is normally a reference to sexual desire. At one point, Adela rushes downstairs to meet her lover when she is spotted by Poncia. She explains by saying that she is thirsty and needs a drink of water. The horse (pinned up) kicks when it is thirsty. The town doesn't have rivers, only wells. The wells are a symbol of death since they are often contain poisons while river water and the sea are seen as pure.
Black and white - The common Western connotations. Black represents everything bad (death, mourn, oppresion, being closed in...) while white represents all things good (the truth, life, freedom). Black is mainly associated with Bernarda and all the daughters who wear black throughout the play, except Adela. White is mainly shown through María Josefa who appears dressed in a wedding gown. As is already said above, in her craziness she says what all the girls won't dare to say.
Green - The symbol of vibrancy and sexuality... mainly seen through Adela's green dress.
The cane - Symbolizes the power and sovereignty of Bernarda over her daughters. Adela finally breaks it near the end of the play.
The characters' names -
- Martirio - Suggests 'martyr'
- Angustias - Suggests 'anguish' or 'torment'
- Bernarda - Suggests 'bear' (from the name Bernard which means: "Bold as a Bear")
- Alba - Perhaps a criticism of the family of the Duke of Alba. Lorca's political viewpoint was totally opposed to the elitist views of the Duke, and indeed, the Duke was to play a large role in Franco's Spain. In Spanish, "Alba" means also "Sunrise" and "White", who may link to the purity theme.