Women on the verge of wedding: the unfortunate pursuit of marriage in Garcia Lorca and Nelson Rodrigues

Abstract

In the scope of comparative studies, there are plenty of relations between the theatrical work of Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) and Nelson Rodrigues (1912-1980). This article addresses the theme of marriage, one of the most represented subjects in the homely dramas of both aforementioned playwrights. For that matter, the article approaches the weight given to matrimony and how it concerns the roles played by the protagonists of both García Lorca and Nelson Rodrigues, especially single women subjected to a limited and repressive social environment. The plays depict the aftermath of extreme actions taken in a genuine race to get married, and the frustrated fate of the characters that do not succeed in this competition. The article focuses on the plays Doña Rosita, la soltera (1935), La casa de Bernarda Alba (1936), by García Lorca and Vestido de noiva (1943), Álbum de família (1945), by Nelson Rodrigues. In order to understand the tragedy as a genre and the characteristics of the works of Nelson Rodrigues and García Lorca, some works of Albin Lesky (2015), Sábato Magaldi (2004), Miguel García-Posada (2010), among others, were used as theoretical background. Thus, the article aims at analyzing the works, especially the representation of the hubris of the characters immersed in the conflict between the restrictions imposed and the desire for transcendence.