Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba Essay Example

the play.

The text explores the overarching theme of the desire to escape in Lorca's play, The House of Bernarda Alba. This desire, which leads to tragic outcomes, serves as a recurring motif throughout the play. Lorca skillfully uses metaphorical imagery to shape dialogue, foreshadow events, emphasize important information, and drive the narrative forward. The House of Bernarda Alba represents the pinnacle of Lorca's poetic drama, combining dark and lyrical tragedy with intense imagery and passionate emotions to create a seamless integration of theatricality and realism. It is worth noting that Lorca's rural trilogy adheres to many of the conventions seen in classical Greek theater.

The love triangle in this poetic and dramatic tale bears a striking resemblance to a Greek tragedy, where the specter of death looms throughout the entire narrative. Lorca's own life is imbued with central themes such as love, pride, passion, and violent demise. Just like in Greek tragedies, only a select few characters are present at any given moment, with their identities shaped by their interactions with the protagonist. Bernarda, the protagonist herself, shares many qualities with the formidable heroines of Greek tragedies such as Clytemnestra and Medea, who embody a malevolent queen in action akin to the Wicked Queen from the Grimm Brothers' tales.

At the beginning, the townspeople mourn the recent death of Bernarda Alba's husband, which sets in motion the events leading to personal destruction. Throughout the plot, Bernarda's eighty-year-old mother Maria Josefa, who is senile and closeted, acts as a perceptive figure. She is the only one in this stifled family who can see into the situation and predict the outcome.

The protagonist of the play voices the fears and

desires of the younger women, which they are afraid to express around Bernarda. Her cries reflect their deepest secrets. Furthermore, her escape from confinement and subsequent return hint at events that will occur later in the play. The setting of Thirties Spain is portrayed by Lorca as a thought-provoking place, with simmering hostility and a sense of impending tragedy. Lorca describes his work as a "photographic documentary", drawing a parallel between the drama and Bernarda's house and Spain on the verge of a rightist invasion.

Bernarda Alba, who has been widowed twice, resides in a destitute village that was previously the Moorish kingdom of Granada. The Alba family's situation is modest when viewed objectively, yet within the context of the village, they are considered quite prosperous. In its prime during the tenth century, Granada was a prominent symbol of Islamic expansionism. However, after a thousand years, it has diminished to nothing more than an insignificant place. This decline parallels the state of the Alba household which was once substantial but now exists as a mere remnant.

And, like the towns of Granada that display the physical remains of former greatness, Bernarda Alba is determined to maintain the external facade (if not the internal truth) of what was once a wealthy family. While there is a strong undercurrent of sexuality, Bernarda Alba remains oblivious to it. Following her husband's death, the matriarch is determined to uphold the public reputation of her family by ensuring that her daughters, ranging from twenty to thirty-nine years old, remain unquestionably virginal.

The women in the house live in isolation from the life of the community that surrounds them, essentially disconnected

from the outside world and men in particular, whom Bernarda believes might corrupt them. As a result, their house - filled with silence, heat, and loneliness - becomes a breeding ground for suppressed feelings and internalized frustrations, rather than a place where connections and affection are fostered. The house of Bernarda Alba represents an effort to impose a stagnant state on others.

The matriarch insists that her daughters stay sexually immature, creating a harmful and unhealthy environment. In terms of alchemy, this can be described as putrefaction taking place. It is no wonder that in Bernarda Alba's home, with this suffocating and stifling atmosphere, instances of voyeurism and sadomasochism increase. (Knapp 86) To ensure the apparent innocence of her children, Bernarda decrees that the House of Alba will go into eight years of mourning and isolation.

Under these circumstances, the inhabitants descend into darkness. The House of Bernarda Alba incorporates various visual and aural cues as subtexts throughout the play. Some non-textual hints are sudden, such as the stallion's attempt to break down the barn doors, which serves as a symbolic representation of primal desires struggling to break free from a constricting environment. Meanwhile, other cues are more pervasive, like the continuous attempts at cleansing that truly signify sterilization or the suffocating heat that signifies relentless sexual oppression.

The use of coloration, specifically contrast, is employed to convey meaning and mood, intentionally disrupting the perceived harmony. In Casa: Bernarda, the protagonist is portrayed as a warden while her house functions as a prison, trapping its inhabitants who yearn for freedom. The house serves as an unmistakable symbol of imprisonment, evident from the stage direction in Act I which

describes its thick walls resembling those of a jail, with scarce windows and doors connecting to the outside world. Beranarda explicitly declares a prolonged period of mourning, establishing the physical circumstances that drive the complications of the play: "We must mourn for eight years, during which no fresh air from the street shall enter this house. It will be as if we have sealed off all the doors and windows."

The text highlights the significance of the house in Lorca's play, symbolizing the control of Bernarda Alba. Adela and Mari?? Josefa represent the theme of escaping the restrictive environment. The continuous act of scrubbing is emphasized, with references to water and cleanliness throughout the play. The concept of washing is understood as a means to safeguard oneself from sin, similar to baptismal rituals in Christianity.

Bernarda finds constant scrubbing to be sterilizing rather than life-giving. In theological terms, baptism is a means of grace and continual openness to grace. The cleansing is spiritual, regardless of external appearances. However, for Bernarda, the externalities are what matter and the interior life holds no significance. In Southeastern Spain, the summer months bring intense heat due to the region's arid nature. Hydration, either natural or artificial, can alleviate this dryness and mythical beliefs associate watering the land with insemination. However, Bernarda despises insemination, even after bearing five children. She displays a hatred of sexuality and in its absence, life dwindles away. The scorching summer sun turns the outside world into an arid desert, mirroring the withering of life in Bernarda's house. The suffocating atmosphere within also adds to the oppressive environment. Heat and its consequences, such as sweating and wetness, gain

symbolic significance in relation to the sexual tension that creates a central conflict in the play.

Bernarda compels her daughters to sew items for a trousseau domestically. The act of piercing with a needle and the intense sensory experience of their work awakens sexual thoughts in the girls (94). However, within the Alba household, this holds no significance. Bernarda has given them a task that is meant to prepare them for pure yet satisfying marriages. Ironically, beneath the portrayal of female unity (as the sisters embroider, they are essentially stitching their own lives), there lies suppression and impending aggression (94).

By enforcing the isolation of her daughters from prospective suitors, Bernarda effectively precludes the ultimate goal and purpose of the effort. The archways, characteristic of southern Spanish architecture, leading to her daughters' rooms silently remind us of their latent sexuality. In essence, Bernarda cannot erase her daughters' emotions and desires, but she can make every effort to repress them. While the visual imagery implies an underlying theme, it is the auditory cue that announces Bernarda's thwarted efforts.

Pepe, who is male and unseen by the audience, is wooing Angustia for her money, but he has also seduced Adela, the youngest daughter. The sound of the stallion trying to leave its barn announces his success with Adela. This act by Pepe is significant because it follows a tradition in Lorquian drama, symbolizing man's journey from life to death.

However, in The House of Bernarda Alba, the horse serves as a symbol for the suppressed passions that torment Bernarda's daughters. Similar to the horse being unable to mate, the women are prevented from fulfilling their natural desires and yearn to break

free from their confinement. This symbolism is apparent, but there is also a deeper ironic meaning. The stallion will eventually find satisfaction, while its human counterparts, especially Adela, will continue to be left unsatisfied.

The Resort to Color and Hue: Throughout the majority of the play, there is a dominance of black and white. While black symbolizes the absence of color and life, white represents a spectrum of all colors, thereby avoiding any singular focus. This excessive emphasis on whiteness can be seen in the simple and direct stage settings. In Lorca's play, Act I takes place in "A whiter-than-white inner room of Bernarda's house," which serves as a metaphor for the oppressive sterility of the home. Additionally, the name Alba (meaning white) itself connotes life, purity, and virginity.

The opposing elements in the text create an unyielding atmosphere: no advancement, only extremes (88). The group of mourning women returning from Antonio's funeral, all dressed in black, provides a striking contrast with the radiant inner room of The House of Alba, described as "whiter-than-white". Lorca employs color to convey a message and set the prevailing mood. To illustrate, as the heat becomes stifling, Bernarda requests a fan. Adela offers her a green fan adorned with red flowers, but Bernarda angrily dismisses it in favor of a black fan more appropriate for a grieving widow.

The audience only has a vague understanding of the consequences of Bernarda's rejection at this point in the play. In Catholic customs, green represents hope, while red symbolizes life. Adela's hope for life is shattered by the end of the play, reminiscent of when her colorful fan was forcefully dropped earlier. Throughout Lorca's

rural trilogy, the color blue is used to indicate danger and foreboding. In Blood Wedding, the moon (personified as a woodcutter) emits a cold blue glow.

The moon is responsible for bringing the protagonists together and ultimately causing their downfall in The House of Bernarda Alba. In Act Three, the house's white walls are bathed in a soft blue light, foreshadowing the upcoming tragic events. Aural cues play a significant role, particularly Bernarda's authoritarian voice commanding silence at the beginning and end of the play. These moments are closely linked to the demise of a family member and the spiritual decay of those who remain.

Despite the protagonist's request for silence, various sounds manage to penetrate the thick walls, contributing to the depiction of society and the contrast between male and female, as well as the distinction between life inside the house and in the village. The distant tolling of bells and funeral chants serve as a reminder of the presence of authority through the church. The angry mob seeking to harm the unwed mother represents public opinion and morality. The songs sung by the harvesters highlight the freedom enjoyed by men in the open fields, indicating self-determination. The tapping of Bernarda's cane and her bullwhip symbolize her authority and judgment. And finally, the most persistent sound is that of a sexually frustrated stallion, which symbolizes virility and suggests the hidden existence of Pepe el Romano, who embodies the gypsy and serves as the antithesis to Bernarda Alba. Ultimately, context allows for a better understanding and explanation of the spoken words on stage. In The House of Bernarda Alba, Lorca opts for a straightforward approach in presenting

the play's themes.

His work reflects classical Greek tragedy, where the challenges faced by protagonists were also easily visible. Lorca incorporates the Greek chorus (the townspeople) initially, but the rest of the play takes place exclusively within the Alba household. The seemingly one-dimensional staging serves a similar purpose as the classical chorus: the color blue represents an impending tragedy, while the color white symbolizes purity or its distorted reflection, sterility. The presence of a kicking stallion represents budding sexuality. In Greek tragedy, it was the chorus that advanced or "continued" the story, providing additional perspective to the actors' dialogue. Lorca employs sight and sound to perform a similar function.