Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The House of Bernarda Alba, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Freedom, Desire, and Tragedy
Patriarchy and Domination
Class and Honor
Tradition and Modernity in Spain
Summary
Analysis
Bernarda, her daughters, and a neighbor, Prudencia, are dining in the house’s interior patio. Prudencia stands to leave, but Bernarda protests that they don’t spend enough time together, and Prudencia agrees to stay because the last evening church bells haven’t yet rung. Bernarda asks about Prudencia’s husband. Prudencia explains that he enters the house by climbing a ladder into the corral, due to a dispute with his brothers over the inheritance, and he hasn’t forgiven their daughter for her disobedience. Bernarda thinks he is right on both counts. But Prudencia is distraught and half-blind. Her only source of comfort is the church.
Prudencia’s main role in the play is to reinforce the village’s social norms and serve as a foil to Bernarda. They are both pious, conservative, and miserable precisely because of the norms that they impose on everyone else. And just as Prudencia is literally blind, Bernarda is blind to the dynamics in her family. Here, Bernarda’s approval of Prudencia’s husband’s behavior—which is tearing her family apart—reflects the way she values reputation above all else, including her and her daughters’ happiness.
Themes
There’s a kick on the wall, and Bernarda explains that it’s the stallion in the corral, who will be ready to breed in the morning. Poncia and Prudencia agree that Bernarda has an excellent herd. The stallion kicks again, and Bernarda orders Poncia to let him out and lock the mares inside.
Given the close association between men and horses in Spanish rural culture, as well as Amelia and Martirio’s conversation about the mule in the corral in the middle of Act II, it’s clear that this portion of the dinner conversation is an extended metaphor for gender dynamics, sex, and procreation. Namely, the stallion’s desire to breed points to either Pepe and Angustias’s coming marriage or Pepe’s affair with Adela, and Bernarda’s herd represents the pure, noble bloodline that she hopes to preserve by properly “breeding” (marrying) her daughters.
Themes
Adela gets up for water, but Bernarda orders her to sit down and calls for the Maid to bring water instead. Prudencia asks if Angustias will marry, and Bernarda joyously says that Pepe will propose to her in three days. Adela and Magdalena quarrel, and Angustias shows Prudencia her pearl ring. It’s beautiful, but Prudencia comments that pearls used to represent tears—and Adela insists that they still do. Prudencia compliments Bernarda’s furniture, and they agree that everything will work out alright. The church bells sound. Prudencia leaves, and the other women get up.
The end of the dinner scene continues to show how restrictive social codes pervade every aspect of life in Bernarda’s village. Bernarda’s insistence that the Maid bring the water reflects her desire to preserve class hierarchy, and Prudencia’s comments about the ring indicate her subtle disapproval of Angustias’s break from tradition. Of course, the association between pearls and tears also clearly foreshadows the tragedies to come. Prudencia’s insistence on leaving when the church bells ring shows that she prefers to obey others rather than making decisions for herself.
Themes
Adela decides to go stand at the front door, and Amelia and Martirio insist on following her out. Meanwhile, as Angustias clears the table, Bernarda tells her to forgive Martirio for stealing the picture, which was a joke. Bernarda reminds Angustias that keeping up appearances is essential, and Angustias mentions that Pepe seemed worried and distracted during their conversation the previous night. Bernarda says women shouldn’t ask about their husbands’ worries, or even speak to them unless spoken to first. Angustias thinks Pepe is hiding things from her, but Bernarda tells her not to look for the truth, and especially not to cry in front of him. Angustias admits that she isn’t happy about Pepe, and Bernarda says it doesn’t matter.
Angustias’s excitement has worn off because she has realized that her prospective marriage to Pepe is not what she once thought. As she is concerned primarily with her family’s wealth, legacy, and reputation, Bernarda tries convincing Angustias to set aside her qualms about Pepe’s intentions and misbehavior. Put differently, she wants Angustias to follow in her footsteps by forgetting her own happiness and blinding herself to the real power dynamics that surround her.
Themes
Get the entire The House of Bernarda Alba LitChart as a printable PDF.
Adela, Amelia, and Martirio arrive. They comment on the black night, the giant white stallion, and the bright stars. Angustias goes to bed, since Pepe is in the city tonight and won’t be visiting. Adela asks Bernarda why they pray to Santa Barbara when they see lighting and shooting stars, but Bernarda says that nobody remembers anymore. Adela likes to watch “things blazing though the sky, after being motionless year after year,” but Amelia and Martirio prefer not to. Bernarda says that it’s bedtime; the women wake up Magdalena, who has fallen asleep. She and Amelia go to bed; Bernarda explains that Pepe is out of town, and then Adela and Martirio go to bed too.
This exchange about the stars is an important metaphor for the sisters’ desire for freedom and differing attitudes toward their predicament. Adela’s question about Santa Barbara demonstrates the hollowness of tradition, which people seem to follow simply because they have lost the sense that things could be otherwise. And her quote about shooting stars points to her dream of freedom and independence, which she hopes will end her “motionless” life imprisoned in Bernarda’s house and way of life. In contrast, like Bernarda, her sisters prefer not to dream of a freedom that they believe they will never achieve.
Themes
Poncia returns to the table, where Bernarda is sitting alone. Bernarda claims that she still hasn’t seen the “monstrous thing” that Poncia was talking about, and that her daughters are perfectly happy. Poncia points out that nobody knows what the daughters really feel, but she promises to focus on taking care of the house and not cause any trouble. Bernarda asks if Poncia’s son still hangs out with Pepe late at night and claims that there’s no trouble left for them to get into because of her own “watchful eyes.” Poncia says she doesn’t want to say too much, but she warns that “Suddenly lightning may strike! Suddenly your heart may stop dead!” Bernarda says she’s prepared for anything.
Whether the “monstrous thing” refers to Adela’s apparent pregnancy, her affair with Pepe, or her conflict with Angustias and Martirio, Poncia’s speech about focusing on housework shows that she has given up on trying to show Bernarda the truth or change her mind. Still, Poncia hopes that Bernarda will eventually come around: her warning about lightning or a heart attack is her way of asking what will happen to Bernarda’s family without her. Bernarda clearly does not understand Poncia’s point—in fact, she seems incapable of imagining her daughters as having their own relationships, separate from her influence. Meanwhile, Bernarda’s attempt to take credit for Pepe staying out of trouble is deeply ironic, because of course he is getting into trouble with Adela right under her nose.
Themes
The Maid comes to report that she has finished the dishes, and Bernarda gets up to go to bed. Now alone, Poncia and the Maid agree that Bernarda prefers ignoring the truth to confronting it and underestimates Pepe’s power over her daughters. Poncia blames Adela for leading Pepe on—and, rumor says, for letting him sleep with her. But now, Adela will “do whatever it takes” to have Pepe. And Martirio knows Pepe doesn’t love her back, so she will “crush the world” if she can.
As servants, the Maid and Poncia are both privy to and removed from the family’s drama. Thus, like in the play’s opening scene, they clearly see Bernarda’s errors, detail them for the audience’s benefit, and foreshadow the coming conflict. Meanwhile, it’s telling that Poncia blames Adela for her relationship with Pepe. Given how Poncia clashes with Bernarda, one might expect her to understand Adela’s desire for freedom and love. Instead, she interprets the situation through the traditional misogynistic honor code, excusing Pepe (who seduced Adela despite planning to marry Angustias) and Bernarda (who led her daughters into this conflict by insisting that they can only marry a high-class man, when Pepe el Romano is the only one in town).
Themes
Adela walks by in her petticoats and bodice, gets a glass of water, and leaves. Poncia and the Maid leave for bed, but they worry that the barking dogs will keep them awake. Then, Maria Josefa walks onstage holding a baby ewe. She sings to it, calling it her child and telling it to follow her to the seashore. She sings that Bernarda and Magdalena are like a leopard and a hyena, then leaves. Adela sneaks across the stage and enters the corral; Martirio comes to the middle of the stage and waits anxiously, wearing a black shawl and petticoats.
Adela’s behavior suggests that she is going to meet Pepe in the corral, and Martirio’s indicates that she is aware of her sister’s plans and intends to go spy on her. In her second surprise appearance, Maria Josefa again captures the play’s central themes in an indirect way, showing how Spanish women have passed on a tradition of suffering and unfreedom from generation to generation. The white ewe, which she doubtless found in the corral, represents childhood, innocence, and the possibility of renewal or freedom.
Themes
Maria Josefa returns onstage, says she escaped her room, and asks if Martirio will let her outside. Martirio tells her to go to bed. Maria Josefa asks when Martirio will have a baby and claims the ewe as her own child. She rants about starting a new bloodline of white-haired children, while Bernarda’s house is full of black veils for mourning. She remembers how she and the neighbor used to bring each other chocolate—but this no longer happens. She worries the dogs will attack her in the fields and asks Martirio to accompany her. Then, she warns that Pepe el Romano will “devour” the family’s women. Maria Josefa sings again while Martirio returns her to her room and locks her inside.
Maria Josefa and Martirio meet onstage because, to some extent, they are foils for each other: both articulate a desire for freedom through love, marriage, and family—the key components of traditional Spanish womanhood, but without the unfreedom that it entails in Bernarda’s village and family. She highlights this difference by returning to the play’s ongoing contrast between white (birth, innocence, purity, and virginity) and black (death, mourning, and widowhood). Her warning about Pepe foreshadows the play’s ending, and her comment about chocolate points to the way traditions are changing in 20th-century Spain—and the social foundation of village life is starting to fray as a result.
Themes
Martirio sees Adela, whose hair is unkempt, and tells her to stay away from Pepe. But Adela says that Martirio is just jealous. Martirio declares that she has to speak out, and she warns Adela not to steal Pepe from Angustias. But Martirio admits she knows that Pepe really loves Adela, not Angustias—and that she is in love with him too. Adela announces that it’s not her fault and tries to embrace Martirio, who pushes her away and says she no longer thinks of her as a sister.
Adela and Martirio’s feud comes to a head: Martirio cannot bear to watch her sister get the love and freedom that she has been denied. Even though Martirio presents her objection as a defense of Angustias, it’s clear that her real motivation is jealousy. Her rejection of Adela as a sister demonstrates that their conflict has finally and fatally torn their family apart.
Themes
Adela declares that Pepe is hers, even if this means “one of us has to drown.” Pepe has taken Adela down to the river to have sex with her, and Adela will do whatever it takes to be his, even if the whole town turns against her and even if it means ruining Angustias’s marriage. Martirio vows to stop Adela, who says that “God must have abandoned me” because she no longer loves her sister. Adela tries to run out the door, but Martirio blocks her and calls out for Bernarda.
Adela and Martirio both agree that they are willing to undermine the family in order to get what they want. Martirio’s comment about God reflects how the family’s attempt to fulfill tradition has actually led them to undermine it instead. Not only are the sisters unable to find husbands, but Martirio—whose name means martyrdom—has lost her faith.
Themes
Bernarda comes onstage and Martirio notes the straw on Adela’s petticoats. Bernarda calls Adela sinful, but Adela grabs Bernarda’s cane and snaps it in half. She likens Bernarda’s house to a prison and the cane to a “tyrant’s rod;” she says that only Pepe can tell her what to do anymore, because she is his. Angustias enters; Adela tells her to go out to the corral, where Pepe is waiting, and tell him the truth. “The gun!” exclaims Bernarda, who runs offstage with Martirio. Angustias grabs Adela to stop her from leaving.
Bernarda appears to finally recognize Adela’s sin, but she will soon forget about it, which raises the question of whether she is lying or simply unwilling to accept what’s happening. Adela’s great act of rebellion—breaking the cane her mother uses to beat her and her sisters—demonstrates that she will prioritize her freedom and pursuit of love even if it goes against tradition. And when Bernarda goes after Pepe, she risks again rashly undermining a marriage prospect for her daughters—although given Pepe’s behavior, she may be justified this time.
Themes
Bernarda and Martirio return to the stage, and Martirio triumphantly declares that Pepe is no more. Distraught, Adela runs off into her room. Then, Martirio admits that they didn’t actually hit Pepe—they shot at him, and he rode his horse away into the night—but she wanted to punish Adela by making her think Pepe was dead. Bernarda and Poncia try to make Adela open the door, and the Maid reports that the neighbors have woken up.
Martirio’s cruel lie shows that she remains bitterly jealous at her sister Adela and suggests that she followed Bernarda into the corral partially in the hopes of getting back at Pepe (who rejected her advances in favor of Adela). The Maid’s comment about the neighbors evokes Bernarda’s greatest fear: ruining her family’s reputation by causing a scandal in front of the whole village.
Themes
Poncia shoves open Adela’s door, runs inside, screams, and then runs back to the stage, clutching her own throat. Bernarda warns that Pepe will suffer for this and announces that “my daughter has died a virgin.” But Martirio says that Adela “was fortunate a thousand times over—she had him.” Bernarda tells her remaining daughters to “look death in the face” instead of crying. She yells “Silence!” and the curtain falls.
Poncia’s throat-clutching indicates that Adela has committed suicide by hanging herself. Bernarda’s reaction is ironic, because it’s precisely Adela’s refusal to choose between virginity and marriage that has indirectly led to her death. Bernarda may just call Adela a virgin because she thinks the neighbors are listening in, but more likely, she still fails to see the truth that Adela was pregnant with Pepe’s child. Martirio’s comment that Adela was lucky to have Pepe suggests that, rather than blaming herself for her sister’s death, she continues to blame her sister for having the freedom and romance that she cannot. Bernarda’s comment about death is García Lorca’s plea to the audience: by recognizing the inevitability of death, he thinks, they can learn to make the most of their lives. And Bernarda closes the play in exactly the same way as she entered it in Act I: by screaming “Silence!” This line could be interpreted as García Lorca further evoking death for the audience, or in retrospect as a haunting prediction of the coming Spanish Civil War and Franco dictatorship.
Themes
