The House of Bernarda Alba: Lorca’s Drama and Literary Legacy
Federico García Lorca and the Generation of ’27
The House of Bernarda Alba was written by Federico García Lorca, an author belonging to the Generation of ’27, also known as the “Generation of Friendship.”
The “Generation of Friendship”
A defining characteristic of this generation was the profound personal relationships among its members, fostering individual conceptions while mutually influencing one another. Although each poet possessed a distinct poetic personality, they shared common experiences: their strong friendships, their time at the Residencia de Estudiantes, and their participation in the 1927 homage to Góngora. The Generation of ’27 is often defined by its oscillation between opposing positions, striking a balance between communication and knowledge, the mystical and the social, popular culture and high art, and the avant-garde versus the traditional. This group represents a perfect synthesis of diverse poetic schools, blending traditional and innovative approaches.
Stylistic and Thematic Innovations
Stylistically, their work is characterized by the integration of novel elements, such as striking and visionary metaphors. Metrically, they employed both traditional verse forms and those associated with high culture. Their thematic range was broad, encompassing traditional subjects like death, love, and liberty, alongside innovative themes such as progress, urban life, and cinema.
Lorca’s Theatrical Vision
La Barraca: Theater for the People
Lorca founded the theater company La Barraca, with which he toured throughout Spain, bringing theater to various towns. His works often intertwined human lives with aesthetic concerns, adopting a didactic intention that emphasized social and popular themes.
Women’s Role in Lorca’s Works
Women occupy a central place in most of Lorca’s works, highlighting the artist’s sensitivity to the marginalized condition faced by women in traditional Spanish society.
Analyzing The House of Bernarda Alba
La Casa de Bernarda Alba was written during Lorca’s final creative period, alongside other significant works such as Yerma and Blood Wedding.
A Drama of Repression and Rural Life
This work is a powerful drama depicting the lives of women in rural Spain—a world characterized by silence, confined spaces, moral rigidity, and pervasive village gossip. In this setting, the instinct for power, as potent and blind as sexual instinct, overrides reality and enforces repression.
Structural Elements of the Play
Structurally, the play is divided into three acts, which correspond to three distinct internal parts of the drama:
- Act I: Introduction – Establishes the situation, setting, and introduces past events.
- Act II: Development – Unfolds the central conflicts, such as the impending marriage of Angustias and Pepe el Romano, Martirio’s jealousy, and the clandestine relationship between Adela and Pepe.
- Act III: Climax and Resolution – Leads to the tragic and fatal conclusion of the play.
Profound Themes Explored
The drama explores a multitude of profound themes, including:
- Class Division: The rigid social hierarchy.
- Female Oppression: The stifling conditions under which women live.
- Yearning for Freedom: The desperate desire for liberation.
- Tradition vs. Modernity: The weight of custom.
- Authoritarianism: Bernarda’s tyrannical rule.
- Money and Envy: Their corrupting influence.
- Love: Examined from various perspectives, including economic arrangements, unrequited desire, and raw lust.
Symbolism and Poetic Language
The play is rich in symbolism, influenced by Lorca’s connections with the Generation of ’27. Key symbols include:
- Water: Representing life, purity, or stagnation.
- White and Black Clothing: Symbolizing purity, mourning, and repression.
- Green: Often associated with rebellion and desire.
- Heat: Pervading the work, signifying oppressive passion and tension.
Lorca also demonstrates a remarkable ability to portray the popular speech of rural Spain, infusing it with hyperbole and creativity. This is evident in the fluid dialogues between his characters, highlighting the seamless union of poetry and reality within the drama.
A Lasting Literary Masterpiece
La Casa de Bernarda Alba stands as a masterpiece by Federico García Lorca, a poet and playwright renowned worldwide. The play not only embodies characteristics of the Generation of ’27 but also showcases Lorca’s unique artistic vision and his immense theatrical and poetic prowess.