The Portrayal of Women in the Theatre of Federico García Lorca
This study argues that Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca used two of his tragedies, Blood Wedding (1933) and The House of Bernarda Alba (1936), to promote and advocate women’s roles in Spanish society at a time when they struggled for equality. Each section of the paper analyzes the dialogue and actions of several major female roles and reflects on how his characters encourage the advancement of women’s roles in society. Lorca promotes women’s roles by strategically placing his female characters in interpersonal or situational conflicts in which they struggle to overcome expectations imposed on them by society. Through an in-depth character and cultural analysis of the two plays, this paper highlights Lorca's commentary on the repression of women during a time of political instability that eventually led to civil war.
Keywords: Federico GarcĂa Lorca, Spanish Drama, Theater, Women's roles
Topic(s):Spanish
Theatre
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 305-1
Location: MG 2001
Time: 1:00