The symbol of the house in Lorca's House of Bernarda Alba
House of Bernarda Alba
Focus symbol: the house
Pts: The characters' present situation/The characters' conflicts (internal vs. external)
The stage directions (represented here in italics) play the largest role in representing the house and delivering the situations of the characters but as an undertone, via the state of the house/setting, and the certain parts of the house which are revealed. Likewise, the introduction to the first act also embodies a large part of the symbol as the introductions to the subsequent acts will always be compared to it, in order to pinch out elements of the transition and determine what Lorca aims to portray from the transition.
I. Colour/introductions to respective acts
The diction Lorca employs successfully delivers the mood and atmosphere of the settings of all three scenes. Act I starts the text off, set in "A very white room". The word "very" to start with connotes the sense of purity, cleanliness. In Act II the room/setting turns from "very white" into "white", which succeeds in revealing that some of the purity has been washed away with the whiteness of the walls, and becomes only semi-pure, which stands for the situation as a whole. The second act also shows doors that lead to bedrooms, which has a slightly sexual/intimate undercurrent. These both have to do with two characters in particular: Martirio and Adela. In Act III instead of a "white room" the subjects are stuck within "four white walls", of which are "lightly washed in blue". Lorca employs the phrase "four walls" instead of just introducing a "room" to show a typical confinement and eventually the weariness of the place. Also, the walls are "lightly washed in blue" which connotes the sense of change in season, as though winter had been approaching. Apart from this it also sends out a shudder owing to the kinesthetic imagery employed. In addition, the doorways are "illuminated by the lights inside the rooms". These rooms consist of all five sisters; the faint, low glow on the doorway from the lights inside the sister's rooms would represent the underlying tones of secrecy. It also gives a "tenuous glow" to the stage. Lorca employs the word "tenuous" here so as to represent the caution of the secret of Adela seeing Pepe being let out.
