The House of Bernarda Alba: Content, Advice and Guidance

Act One

Content / trigger warnings:

Discussion of death, funerals, sex, murder, ableism, abuse, violence.
A character masturbates.

Violence:

Bernarda hits Angustias twice, the Maid is violent with Maria Josefa, and the daughters grab Maria Josefa.

Act One synopsis

The play opens with a woman – Poncia – mopping the floor in a kitchen of a house in Andalusia, Spain in 1936. Church bells ring. A man – Pepe el Romano – walks in the yard outside the house.

We then jump to one hour later and the house is busy, full of women dressed in mourning clothes. They have just attended the funeral of the master of this house, Antonio Maria Benavides. There are several conversations happening at the same time around the house. The eldest daughter, Angustias, seems a little giddy, almost pleased that Antonio has died. Magdalena, the second eldest daughter is lying down having fainted during the ceremony. Her sister Amelia tries to encourage her to come downstairs. Martirio, the second youngest daughter doesn’t talk to anybody. And Adela, the youngest, is despairing at how their mother will keep them inside for ever now. The other mourners discuss the flowers and the priests, but also comment on how rarely they are allowed in this house. At first, they remark on how clean it is, though they later note there aren’t enough chairs and the glasses are stained. Whilst this is happening, Bernarda Alba – the matriarch of the household – stands in the yard, Poncia hands out lemonade, and the Maid locks Bernarda’s mother, Maria Josefa, in her bedroom.

The mourners mention that a man named Pepe el Romano was at the funeral, and we learn that Antonio and the Maid used to have sex.

After Bernarda has led the guests in a prayer, they leave and she is alone with her daughters. She tells them they will be subjected to eight years of mourning and will not leave the house. She then instructs them to begin embroidering their dowry.

Angustias has snuck out to the yard. When Bernarda learns of this, she worries that her daughter has been looking at men, so she hits her and sends the girls to their bedrooms. She and Poncia talk about a woman in the village named Paca la Roseta, who was taken up to the olive groves the previous evening by a group of men.

Bernarda then leaves to hear the reading of the will, and Amelia and Martirio discuss a friend of theirs who has recently become engaged but seems miserable. Martirio says she is happy she will never get married, but Amelia reminds her of a man called Enrique Humanas, who liked her. Martirio is upset and claims that she was told Enrique would call for her, but he never did.

Magdalena joins them and tells them that Pepe el Romano and Angustias are going to get married. They are a little surprised and assume he’s marrying her for her money. When they tell Adela the news, she is distraught.

Bernarda and Poncia discuss the will and we learn that Antonio has left nearly all the money to Angustias, who was not his biological daughter. It is implied later by Angustias that Antonio sexually abused her, and that that is why she has been left the most money. Later, Bernarda beats

Angustias for wearing make-up, and Maria Josefa escapes and says she is getting married and wants to return to the sea.

The Act ends with Bernarda instructing her daughters to seize Maria, in an act of violence.

Act Two

Content / trigger warnings:

Discussion of death, including a description of a baby’s violent death / discussion regarding violence against animals / ableism.

Violence:

Bernarda hits Martirio and forces her to put her hand in boiling water. A woman covered in blood runs into the house. Maria Josefa jumps out of a window.

Act Two synopsis

Act Two opens with the daughters – apart from Adela – and Poncia cutting sheets and working on embroidery. Adela is lying down in her bedroom. Her sisters remark on the fact she isn’t herself at the moment. Bernarda goes through her daughters’ bedrooms placing flowers in vases.

The daughters discuss the heat and quiz Angustias about Pepe. There is some confusion around what time he leaves – it is clear they all listen to one another. Poncia tells them about her own marriage, and a time that she once killed all of her husband’s birds. The lace man arrives and the daughters leave. Adela comes downstairs where she tells Martirio to stop staring at her.

Poncia reveals to Adela that she knows she and Pepe are having some kind of relationship and that if she doesn’t stop it, she will tell everyone. At first, Adela is unnerved, but she quickly becomes defiant – she loves Pepe and will not end it. The sisters come back in and they listen to the men singing in the fields.

Later, Angustias cannot find her picture of Pepe and accuses her sisters of stealing it. Bernarda sends Poncia to find it, and she finds it in Martirio’s bed. Martirio claims she took it as a joke and Bernarda hits her and forces her to put her hand in boiling water and then sends the girls to their rooms.

Bernarda is left alone with Poncia who tells her something awful is happening, questioning why Bernarda cannot see it. It is revealed that Bernarda is the person who told Enrique Humanas not to call on Martirio and that she has held her daughters back at every moment. Poncia wonders whether Pepe should marry Adela instead, and Bernarda dismisses the thought.

A crowd can be heard. Poncia is sent to find out what is happening and the daughters all gather in the main space again. It is revealed that a local unmarried woman, La Librada, had a baby and killed it.

The villagers are dragging her through the street. Bernarda and Martirio are pleased about this behaviour, but Adela is visibly shocked. The crowd rush into the house and a woman – La Librada – clutches Adela as Bernarda screams for her to be killed. At the same moment, Maria Josefa jumps from her window at the top of the house

Act Three

Content / trigger warnings:

Graphic depiction of suicide by hanging on stage, Maria Josefa carries a dead lamb on stage, gunshots and sex.

Act Three Synopsis

The Act opens with Bernarda and her daughters having dinner with a neighbour – Prudencia. Prudencia’s husband won’t speak to their daughter, which upsets Prudencia. Bernarda, however, says ‘A daughter who disobeys is no longer a daughter’. Prudencia asks about the wedding and comments that Angustias’ ring of pearls meant tears when she was young. When she leaves, Adela, Martirio and Amelia go to look at the stars and Angustias asks her mother for advice about Pepe – she isn’t happy, but she feels she is supposed to be. Bernarda tells her to ignore it. Meanwhile, Maria Josefa manages to escape out of her window, and safely climbs down the house and into the fields.

Bernarda sends her daughters to bed, as Pepe is out of town today and will not be calling. She tells Poncia that nothing awful is happening and that she will sleep well tonight. She leaves and the Maid and Poncia discuss how little Bernarda knows. The Maid says that there is a rumour about Pepe and Adela, and Poncia confirms it is true. They go to bed.

Adela comes downstairs and goes to the gate where Pepe is. They start kissing and eventually begin having sex. Maria Josefa comes into the house carrying a dead lamb she has found in the fields. She sings to it. Martirio checks in Adela’s room and sees she is missing. She comes downstairs and finds her grandmother there with the lamb. Maria Josefa tells Martirio she will never have babies and then goes back to bed.

Martirio sees Adela and Pepe, and calls out to them. She and Adela argue – Martirio tells her to leave Pepe, but Adela will not. Adela realises Martirio loves Pepe too and pleads for sympathy, but Martirio is defiant and shouts for Bernarda. Everyone comes back down and Martirio reveals that Adela has been with Pepe. Bernarda goes into the yard with a gun and fires it twice. Martirio follows her.

When she comes back in Martirio tells the others that Pepe is dead. Adela runs to her room, devastated, and hangs herself. Poncia finds the body, a crowd is gathering in the street. Bernarda instructs them to cut Adela’s body down, that her daughter died a virgin. As she tells them all to be quiet and not to cry, Bernarda begins to sob.