Anne revere starred as bernarda alba, with eileen heckart. Bernarda alba is a play about a rebellion that fails because humankind is trapped in an unresolvable contradiction or can there be a return to happiness once fascism is overthrown. Inspired by real characters and described by the author as a true record of village life, it is a tragic tale of frustration and explosive passions in a household. The house of bernarda alba was produced on american television in 1960 for the play of the week series, translated and adapted by james grahamlujan and richard oconnell. Bernarda, the newly bereaved widow of a wealthy man and the mother of five daughters, declares eight years of mourning, effectively imprisoning her daughters in the house. In the centre a table with an oil lamp, at which bernarda and her daughters are eating. I like to use this handout as a closing activity after reading the play.
Color white and green color plays an important role in bernardas house. Students need to make connections to the characters personality to better recall who said the quote. The doorways, illuminated by interior lighting, cast a bright glow on the stage. Part of thespanish literature commons, and thetheatre and performance studies commons. Lorcas writing and secondary sources written on lorca and the house of bernarda alba to investigate this problem. The house of bernarda alba act ii summary and analysis. After the death of her husband bernada alba puts her daughters under a rigurous mourning which does not even allow them to leave the house for seven years. The house of bernarda alba study guide the classic theatre of. Tristram kenton i t is hard to imagine a more perfect house of bernarda alba than this one an oppressively. It is the color of wedding dresses and the hopechest linens that the daughters must spend their time of mourning sewing and embroidering. The house of bernarda alba the classic theatre of san. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades.
Major themes and symbols from the house of bernarda alba. Lorca described the play in its subtitle as a drama of women in the villages of spain. She is the only character willing to challenge bernardas authority. Although bernardas casa is hardly a typical andalusian village household, most of her values were typical of her society. The house of bernarda alba is an extraordinary portrait of imposed silence and female misogyny june 4, 2018 10. The play explores themes of repression, passion, and conformity, and inspects the effects of men upon women. The name means swollen ankle and is a character is a popular spanish childrens story about a friendly horse that hurts his ankle during a performance. This is probably the most powerful theme of the play. Professor gina kaufmann in this thesis, i take the reader through the process and particular challenges of directing the house of bernarda alba, from choosing a translation, to casting from a pool of mostly. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to. What are the themes of the house of bernarda alba answers. I dont want to be dirtied in my old agela poncia, act ii, pg. Some notes on the main themes of this lorca play with quotes. As amelia woefully declares in act ii, to be born a womans the worst possible punishment 185.
The house of bernarda alba is lorcas last and possibly finest play, completed shortly before he was murdered by nationalist sympathisers at the outbreak of the spanish civil war. Described by the author as a drama of women in the villages of spain, the deliberate exclusion of any male character from the action helps build the high level of sexual tension that is. The house of bernarda alba explores themes of repression, passion and conformity through the depiction of a matriarchs domination of her five daughters. Act iii four white walls, bathed in pale blue light, in the internal courtyard of bernardas house. Life inside the house of bernarda alba may 2011 toby bercovici, b. This is to provide a sense of the immediate history that led up to the time lorca was writing in. Got a a grade in my writing with the help of these notes. The house of bernarda alba was lorcas last play, completed on 19 june 1936, two months before lorcas death during the. This explains much of both bernardas disdain for lower class people and her daughters aloofness. The house of bernarda alba is the story of a woman whose tyrannical oppression of her daughters transforms her house into a powder keg of tension, jealousy, anger, and fear. Commentators have often grouped it with blood wedding and yerma as a rural trilogy.
Bernardas family is a landowning family and as such is wealthier than other families in the village. Sexual repression perhaps the most readily apparent theme lorca explores through this story is that of the sexual repression of his contemporaries, especially women. The play also focuses on what happens when freedom and individuality are restricted and how. The plays subtitle, a drama of women in the villages of spain, underscores the. In the play, the house of bernarda alba by federico garcia lorca, oppression, death, depression, and desire are recurrent themes that relate to each other. Act i a drama of women in the villages of spain 1936 camprodon, spain.
14 561 1419 275 244 894 999 248 1081 772 861 1442 1127 1315 182 7 40 1592 1415 1509 113 1395 1379 947 969 252 811 1187 1573 602 539 1427 314 913 605 811 1408 1059 1347 17 631 655 317 27 245 1208 1208 778