As Juan enters Yerma is ironing instead of sewing –- a modern example of male dominance and monotonous work inherited by females because of their gender. Juan enters after the line ‘Coming’, he does so from the opposite side of the wall to Yerma who irons dreamily. He then approaches the wall cautiously. He tilts his head so that his ear is resting against the wall so he can hear Yerma’s murmured humming. He sighs and hesitantly approaches Yerma showing his reluctance to engage in meaningful conversation with her. He avoids eye contact with her upon asking his question and again upon her reply. As soon as Yerma replies Juan begins to leave. Putting down her iron she asks him if he would like a glass of milk with the subtext of desperately wanting to stay. Upon the line:
‘You work hard, and you aren’t strong enough for so much work”
she comes from behind her ironing board and reaches out for Juan’s arm. Juan displays discomfort with Yerma’s contact and attempts to make his excuses. Yerma dives passionately into her miniature soliloquy showing her suppressed desire to talk openly with Juan, throughout this Juan’s discomfort visibly increases and turns away from her to face the audience. I would direct the actor of Yerma to emphasize the word ‘here’ and to gesture to her surroundings in order to depict her displeasure at their current situation. This emphasis would go unnoticed by Juan who smiles (as in the text) at the thought of things remaining how they are for years to come. Juan reaches out and touches Yerma’s arm and his delivery of the line: ‘and we have no children to waste our money on...” has a chillingly positive tenor. Yerma shies away from Juan and shows her shock at this remark. Juan shows an uneasiness at having to discuss intimate feelings on the line ‘You love me’. Yerma’s flowing poetic lines are accentuated by her passion in saying them and the dramatic gestures that accompany them. They are further emphasized by the prosaic, stubbyness of Juan’s remarks. By the line: ‘Quiet!’ Juan loses his patience and shows his frustration by shouting.
Yerma embraces Juan on this line: ‘Yes! Wanting!’, Juan appears ill at ease at this and begins to leave. He stops himself just before reaching the door, and approaches Yerma from behind, resting a hand on her shoulder. She shivers upon his touch, implying his coldness. On the line “I never go out” Yerma looks at longing to the television which is showing some sort of travel program. The television here represents Yerma’s portal to the outside world. She watches it day-in and day-out but cannot reach out and touch what it is that she longs for. This relentless pining causes will eventually cause her to go mad. In a traditional staging of the play, the themes of the television would perhaps be portrayed by a window instead…however the television adds an extra dimension to the themes by representing how modern society shapes our wants and needs and can bombard us with messages from so many different media to the point where some, eventually go insane. In my interpretation these messages are predominantly in the form of adverts. The modern Yerma does not just crave the role of mother, but rather is seduced by the more material aspects of that role and the way it could change her life to fit an antiquated stereotype of a mother that has been idealized by the media. I feel that this is the most relevant context in which to put an irrational desire to become a mother like that of Yerma’s.
On the lines ‘Yes’ and ‘Of course’ Yerma is sat squarely in front of the television not listening to Juan, almost hypnotized by the flickering image. Juan – insensitive to his wife’s feelings is satisfied and leaves. Leaving Yerma to deliver her song rocking gently in front of the television, showing footage of happy families in some advert instead of sewing. She sings quietly and lifelessly to segue chillingly into the next scene.
i don't
want you to love me. right now i don't want to be loved. you don't know how i
feel i don't know why. i don't want to be loved. as much as everybody strives
to be happy, i don't want to be loved. and that's probably why it happens. i
wish i could lie more. then it wouldn't matter.
i really do like him though a lot but if i stay focused on him i'll just get sad because he tells me he loves me and then says stuff like this, and i don't know how to deal with that and i wish he was online because i haven't talked to him since i think saturday and even then not for long.
