In the end, the story of this play is extremely simple - what matters is the experience of feeling locked in the world of the daughters. This mind map is a summary of the main features of this marvellous play by Federico Garca Lorca written 1936. . And it is more timely than ever. Alhambra. According to this notion, the definition of feminism is gender loyalty: women supporting other women, no matter what. Don Quixote and the Real World. El Capricho. Velzquez (1599-1660). La Mezquita. Mientras por competir Analysis. Pepe pays proper court to Angustias, visiting her at her window. Agrarian Reform June 1931-November 1933. Cantigas Gallego-Portugesas. 15th Century. Encima del duro suelo. She demands family silence on the matter and insists that Adela died a virgin. Transition to Provisional Government. Bernarda, five daughters -Angustias, Magdalena, Amelia, Martirio and Adela-, her deranged mother (Mara Josefa), and two servants, La Poncia and the other called simply Criada (i. e. Maid). Antoni Gaud 1852-1926. Bernarda is the main oppressor Social expectations of genders especially in mourning the effect of absence males Women are punished for the transgressions of men Adela Paca la Roseta THe sins of the father carry thrpugh to the women of the family Adela Act 1 "rompiendo a llora con ira" No me acostumbrare fQuotations: For example, Adelaidas fianc would not let her as far as the doorstep let alone attend the funeral of Bernardas second husband (Act I, 135). In a perverse way, Bernarda thinks she is doing the right thing for her daughters she understands that the world represses and punishes women for their sexuality and that the only way to be successful is to show the strength of a man. Spanish Civil War. Charles Vs Palace in the Alhambra. Summary Act I. Lorca: The House of Bernarda Alba. Noteworthy, too, is a simple but highly effective device which Lorca uses to heighten the effects he wants to convey. LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA. Travel 2013. When the lights emulate sunset or sunrise, elongated bar shadows are projected onto the stage floor. As a queer man, Lorca knew the torture of imposed silence too well. Lorca. Bernarda affirms that a womans place is to be in the home and that servants are supposed to be dutiful and unquestioning in relation to their masters. And yet to call Lorca's play feminist is perhaps to subscribe too political a vision to it. Bernardas obsession with honour obeys a social attitude that stretches back centuries and finds fertile ground in Spains Golden Age (approx. The House of Bernarda Alba, three-act tragedy by Federico Garca Lorca, published in 1936 as La casa de Bernarda Alba: drama de mujeres en los pueblos de Espaa (subtitled "Drama of Women in the Villages of Spain"). Temptation of St. Jerome. She makes it clear, both when talking to the other servants and through her animosity when speaking with Bernarda, that she is affected by class resentment. History of the Jews in Spain.14th-Century. Sonnet 1. The House of Bernarda Alba is an extraordinary portrait of imposed silence and female misogyny Melita Jurisic as the mother who confines her four daughters to their house for eight weeks of. Or the scandal of the daughter of La Librada (a local widow), who had given birth to a child by an unknown father and killed it to cover her shame and left it buried under some stones (Act II, 175). Though Pepe is, like the other men of the village, never seen onstage, his presence looms as a major character. As Bernarda's daughters they are repressed and protected to defend their honour and maintain their respectability. Traditionally, the defence of honour and status fell to the men of the family, but Bernarda is twice widowed and has no sons or other male members to take on that responsibility. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Don Quixote and the Real World. Don Quixote. Upon her second husband's death, domineering matriarch Bernarda Alba imposes an eight-year mourning period on her household in accordance with her family tradition. [The Alba household is made up entirely of women, nine in all. She was, rather, the exceptional woman, the woman who did patriarchy better than men did. Argoos. Her claim to this title and to her complete authority over every member of the household is rooted in the hierarchical family structure of the time. However, where her sisters internalize their lust and it turns to bitterness, Adela forces it outwards and risks the shame and potential harm of a public affair with Pepe. [14] The adaptation was staged at the Fairfax Studio, and featured Candy Bowers as Martirio (renamed "Marti"), Peta Brady as Angustias (renamed "Angela"), Julie Forsyth as Poncia (renamed "Penelope"), Bessie Holland as Magdalena (renamed "Magda"), Sue Jones as Maria Josefa, Melita Jurisic as Bernarda Alba (renamed "Bernadette"), and Emily Milledge as Adela (renamed "Adele").[15][16]. "Yo no quiero estar encarcerrada" - Adela Act 1. Angustias accuses Adela of being the , With family honour threatened by Adelas shameful behaviour and suicide, Bernarda now finds herself in a situation that she condemned in others and hastens to mount damage control. She demands silence claiming at the same time that Adela died a virgin. Theres a common misconception that feminism is all about unquestioning sisterhood. What is it about? Cornelius and Cceres succeed in bringing Lorca to a contemporary Australian context by taking his universal message and filling it with ordinary, relatable situations and conflicts. ', Bernarda insisting that her daughters must not marry below their family (Reputation), 'quiero buena fachada y armona familiar', Bernarda outlining how she expects her daughters to behave (Reputation), 'en cuanto las dejes sueltas se te subirn al tejado', La Poncia warning Bernarda about the consequences of keeping her daughters locked in the house (Repression vs Liberty), Bernarda telling her daughters that Adela's relationship with Pepe must not be known to others following her death, '(Adela arrebata un bastn a su madre y lo parte en dos. Suffering from poor health, 39-year-old Angela is the only heiress to the familys fortune, which leads to other deeply human themes: envy, social injustice, hypocrisy. 09:00-14:00, .st0{fill:#8499A3;} Regional Autonomy. However, she is thirty-nine-years-old, sickly (Act I, 139), and unattractive (Act I, 121) whereas Pepe is a handsome twenty-five-year-old (Act I, 140). What she represents is freedom, a freedom that finds its outlet in imagined sexuality. An Oriental, Gothic Fantasy. Lorca: The House of Bernarda Alba. The Church June 1931-November 1933. Worst of all, she seems to reinforce the very forces that repress all women in her society. Vision of St. John. Romances of Chivalry. All rights reserved. Zurbarn 1598-1664. According to this notion, the definition of feminism is gender loyalty: women supporting other women, no matter what. The House of Bernarda Alba (BA) (La Casa de Bernarda Alba) was written in 1936, a few months before the death of its author Federico Garca Lorca.BA is a tragedy of three acts and depicts the lives of those who live within the walls of Bernarda Albas' house. Bernarda stating her belief that her daughters' actions are caused by her leniency (Repression vs Liberty), *Eventually these will reference the positioning of these quotes, Bernarda's description of poorer people (Social Injustice). He even seemed to foresee the long dictatorship that would oppress Spanish women and men starting in 1939. The House of Bernarda Alba. When Pepe el Romano rides off to escape being shot, it is not difficult to imagine that the cycle will start over. GRANADA Spain from the 16th to 20th Century. Its unsurprising that, like Tennessee Williams, he often wrote about the oppression of women: his tortured relationship with his own sexuality gave him a unique insight into the mutilations that patriarchy inflicts on the feminine psyche. Cornelius has moved the action from a rural Spanish village to the outback of Western Australia, where the family of a wealthy mining magnate have returned from his funeral. La Casa de Bernarda Alba is a Spanish play written by Federico Garca Lorca in the 1940s. Analysis. Bernarda forces her back into her room. Architecture as Cultural Signpost in Spain. Bernarda, her five unmarried daughters Angustias, Magdalena, Amelia, Martirio and Adela, her deranged mother (Maria Josefa), and two servants, La Poncia and the other called simply Criada (i. e. The play was first performed on 8 March 1945 at the Avenida Theatre in Buenos Aires. Day 17 Sos and Leyre Monastery, Travel 2013 Day 18. The House of Bernarda Alba holds many themes in regards to the realms of social/political position, authority and sexual behavior. Distressed, Adela threatens to run into the streets in her green dress, but her sisters manage to stop her. This is an urgent matter for Bernarda, because otherwise Adelas behaviour will become the object of village gossip very much like the disgraceful conduct of Paca la Roseta (a married woman who willingly accompanied the village men on horseback with her breasts exposed while her husband was tied up to a manger (Act I, 132), which Bernarda had listened to avidly as La Poncia described it. Hispanic Journal is devoted to the research and criticism in the areas of Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque and Portuguese literatures and cultures, and Spanish and Portuguese linguistics. After a mourning ritual at the family home, eldest daughter Angustias enters, having been absent while the guests were there. And in these societies, women are often seen to be as determined as men in advocating severe punishment on other women.]. As the weeks go by, the heat and tension escalate, due largely to the daughters sexual repression. Life and Fame. It is not easy to defend the tyrant Bernarda as sympathetic. Maid).] Analysis. It will unconditionally squander the time. New Epic or Novel? In 1936, Lorca was tortured and executed by fascist troops. Adela dies unrepentant, and it now remains for Bernarda to do her best to cover up the disgrace brought upon the family. They have freedom of movement and are free from punishment for their misbehavior. Santillana to Oviedo. Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a leading public, doctoral/research university, strongly committed to undergraduate and graduate instruction, scholarship, and public service. Died a virgin protected to defend their honour and maintain their respectability the same time that Adela died a.. A summary of the main features of this marvellous play by Federico Garca Lorca written 1936. other,! A social attitude that stretches back centuries and finds fertile ground in Spains Golden Age (.. 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