La Casa De Bernarda Alba

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Although there are a number of male characters referenced in the play, Lorca chooses to have them remain offstage and out of view of the audience. Even Pepe, who is central to the workings of the plot, never appears.

• Why did Lorca choose to portray only women onstage in this play? (topic sentence)
• Find 1-2 examples from the text, as well as the above resources, to substantiate your point.
• How does the women-focused dialogue connect with the larger theme of Sexual Repression in the play?

2. As a playwright, Lorca’s work touched on issues that challenged conventional thinking in early-20th-century Spain.

• What point is this play making about the dangers of class inequality and the status quo?
• Find 1-2 examples from the text to substantiate your argument.
• What case can be made that Lorca intended it to be a call for change, and what change (if any) might this play propose in order to end the Cycles of Oppression?

3. There are many cautionary tales told through the course of this play about women in the village who have either themselves gone against societal norms of sexual conduct or who are somehow touched by scandals related to sexual promiscuity. For example, Paca la Roseta, Adelaida, and Librada’s unmarried daughter are each mentioned, yet never seen onstage.

• Compare and contrast these three women’s stories, as discussed in the play.
• In particular, are they referenced with contempt or kindness?
• How do their stories speak to the larger theme of Cycles of Violence?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. In the commentary of the 1998 Methuen edition of La Casa de Bernarda Alba, Gywnne Edwards discusses two important movements in theater in the late 19th century and early 20th century. In particular, she notes that “[d]irectly opposed to Naturalism, with its emphasis on the material world, was Symbolism, which was concerned with the transcendental, the greater reality which lies beyond the mundane world in which we live…” (xvi). Which movement is reflected more in Lorca’s play? Provide examples from the play, as well as Lorca’s life and his historical context, in order to substantiate your answer.

2. Within the story, the Bernarda women struggle to find independence in the face of the social order and their mother’s wishes. In this context, do you think that this story has a singular antagonist or villain? If so, who is it? Support your stance with evidence from the text.

3. The subtitle for this play is “a drama about women in the villages of Spain.” Do you believe that this subtitle is an accurate summary of the play? Based on both the subtitle and the content of the play, could a case be made that this play contains a message of feminism? Why or why not? If so, would this have been Lorca’s intent? Why or why not?