Author: Federico Garcia Lorca
Series: -
Genres: Fiction, Play, Classics
Publisher: Dramatist's Play Service
Release: October 1st, 1998
Source: Paperback
Pages: 49
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BLURB:
The Focus Student Editions are designed for Spanish language courses in literature and culture. Prepared with non-native Spanish speakers in mind, these editions include an introduction (in Spanish), the complete work, and linguistic and cultural notes in Spanish, a current bibliography and study questions.
This Focus student edition is a Spanish drama of women in the villages of Spain. The play centers on the events of a house in Andalusia during a period of mourning, in which Bernarda Alba wields total control over her five daughters.
EXPECTATIONS: I have been getting into reading plays more and more lately. I picked up to read this play, because one of my colleagues in the theater suggested to do a production of this with the very talented women in our company. Going into this play I knew nothing about it and with in first 15 pages I was hooked!
THE WORLD: The play takes place I assume around 1930 in a village in Andalusia. The play opens and sets the mood very quickly. We find our characters at a funeral. The father and the man of the house has died, so his wife and daughters are in mourning. The entire play is actually the story of how the mother Bernarda locks the entire house for seven years of mourning and does not allow anything to happen. According to her they all must stay inside, wear black and mourn the loss of the husband and father. The world to me felt - like I was being surfaced honestly. It felt like, just as the characters, I was trapped in that house with walls coming closer on me!
CHARACTERS: The main character of the play is the matriarch of the family Bernarda Alba. I absolutely ad roved this woman! She was so cruel, so cold hearted that I was constantly amazed of the levels of cruelty she could go on! Of course she was a horrible person, cruel beyond any comprehensiveness - she locked up her daughters from any part of the outside world, she locked up her mother, she showed no emotion when her husband died she just remained this statue like version of a woman, who had to control everything in her life and everything had to be according to her rules. But - to play such a character on stage would truly be the a challenge.
After Bernarda we have her five daughter - Angustias, the eldest, Magdalena, Amelia, Martirio and Adela. Each daughter is very different and unique in her own way and the inability to cope with their mother bkreads them down very individually as well. I would say I was rather objective towards the daughters, there wasn't any particular one that I felt connected too, maybe Amelia or Martitio, for they were the mellow ones, that didn't cause such drama. Adela - was the embodiment of the word rebel in the house, while the rest sort of accepted their fate as never leaving the house again.
We also have the grandmother Maria Josefa, a mad old woman who is constantly locked and a servant La Poncia. In the entire play we have only one male character Pepe, Angustias fiance, but he never actually appears in the play, he is merely talked about.
ROMANCE: Angustias is engaged to Pepe, but Adela is in love with him. I kind of got the idea that All the sisters wanted Pepe, since he was the only man they kind of knew was real.
GOOD: It was a play about repression, about depression about the endless battle of women trying to free themselves. To me Bernarda represented the oppression of women. The entire play was so focused and filled with tension.
BAD: Cannot think of anything.
OVERALL: I would recommend to read this if you are into plays 100%. It was a wonderful read!
What do you think about THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA?
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