Yerma
Encyclopedia
Yerma is a play
by the Spanish
dramatist Federico García Lorca
. It was written in 1934
, and first performed that same year. Lorca describes the play as "a tragic
poem."
. Her desperate desire for motherhood becomes an obsession that eventually drives her to commit a horrific crime. Her desperation is driven by the social norms of her culture, and the work functions as a critique of those norms. Living in a society of women who have children with their husbands as part of a ritual hurts Yerma even more.
Although critics speculate that Yerma kills her husband in the end because he is a frugal, economically driven man who has no desire to have children, the play is indeterminate on this issue. She kills him at Ermita, a religious place with the possibility of fertility. However he has already shown no desire to have children, so there is no evidence that he would have changed his mind at the festival.
suggests that Yerma is the work of Lorca's most directly associated with his assassination in the early days of the Spanish Civil War
. It most openly challenges the institution of Catholicism
and the strict sexual morality of Spanish society.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
dramatist Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
. It was written in 1934
1934 in literature
The year 1934 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The first Flash Gordon comic strip is published.*Boris Pasternak and Korney Chukovsky are among those present at the first Congress of the Soviet Union of Writers....
, and first performed that same year. Lorca describes the play as "a tragic
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
poem."
Plot
The play tells the story of a childless woman living in rural SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Her desperate desire for motherhood becomes an obsession that eventually drives her to commit a horrific crime. Her desperation is driven by the social norms of her culture, and the work functions as a critique of those norms. Living in a society of women who have children with their husbands as part of a ritual hurts Yerma even more.
Although critics speculate that Yerma kills her husband in the end because he is a frugal, economically driven man who has no desire to have children, the play is indeterminate on this issue. She kills him at Ermita, a religious place with the possibility of fertility. However he has already shown no desire to have children, so there is no evidence that he would have changed his mind at the festival.
Themes
Yerma deals with the themes of isolation, passion and frustration, but also the underlying theme of nature, marriage, jealousy and friendship. Social conventions of the period also play a large part in the play's plot.Legacy
Ian GibsonIan Gibson
Ian Gibson may refer to:*Ian Gibson , British artist of comic books*Ian Gibson , historian and hispanist*Ian Gibson , former director of Northern Rock, chairman of Trinity Mirror...
suggests that Yerma is the work of Lorca's most directly associated with his assassination in the early days of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. It most openly challenges the institution of Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and the strict sexual morality of Spanish society.
- Paul BowlesPaul BowlesPaul Frederic Bowles was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator.Following a cultured middle-class upbringing in New York City, during which he displayed a talent for music and writing, Bowles pursued his education at the University of Virginia before making various trips to Paris...
composed an operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
based on Yerma in 1955. - Heitor Villa-LobosHeitor Villa-LobosHeitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...
composed an operaYerma (Villa-Lobos)Yerma is an opera in three acts by Heitor Villa-Lobos to the homonymous tragedy by Federico García Lorca. Written in 1955, it was first performed by the Santa Fe Opera in Santa Fe, New Mexico on August 12, 1971.-Roles:*Yerma, soprano...
based on the play; it was premiered in 1971. - In 2001 Pilar Távora directed a noteworthy filmFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
version in Spanish, starring Aitana Sánchez Gijón. - The play In the Red and Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraneyTarell Alvin McCraneyTarell Alvin McCraney is an award-winning American playwright and actor. He is a member of Teo Castellanos/ D Projects Theater Company in Miami and in 2008 became RSC/Warwick International Playwright in Residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, written circa 2007, is a loose adaptation of Yerma set in a housing project in LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
External links
- Spanish: El sentido trágico en La casa de Bernarda Alba, y algunas relaciones con Yerma y Bodas de Sangre, de Lorca.
- Full text of Yerma in Spanish with English translation