Angustias and Pepe’s Unequal Courtship

The House of Bernarda Alba

The engagement binds Angustias to Pepe through wealth and convention while leaving her uncertain about his affection and intentions.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

An Engagement by Rumor An Engagement by Rumor from "The House of Bernarda Alba". An Engagement by Rumor A Match Announced Magdalena says Pepe intends to marry Angustias.

An Engagement by Rumor from "The House of Bernarda Alba". An Engagement by Rumor A Match Announced Magdalena says Pepe intends to marry Angustias.

An Engagement by Rumor A Match Announced Magdalena says Pepe intends to marry Angustias. The sisters frame the match as an economic decision rather than a romance. Emotional Distance Begins Angustias has not yet described a meaningful bond with Pepe. The relationship enters the play as a social arrangement observed by others.

A Formal Proposal A Formal Proposal from "The House of Bernarda Alba". A Formal Proposal Conventional Words Angustias recalls Pepe saying that he needs a good, well-behaved wife and asking for her agreement.

A Formal Proposal from "The House of Bernarda Alba". A Formal Proposal Conventional Words Angustias recalls Pepe saying that he needs a good, well-behaved wife and asking for her agreement.

A Formal Proposal Conventional Words Angustias recalls Pepe saying that he needs a good, well-behaved wife and asking for her agreement. The language makes marriage sound like a practical selection. Nervous Acquiescence She says she could hardly speak because her heart was racing. Her inexperience makes the engagement more unsettling than intimate.

The Late Departure The Late Departure from "The House of Bernarda Alba". The Late Departure Conflicting Accounts Amelia and Poncia say they heard Pepe leave at different late hours.

The Late Departure from "The House of Bernarda Alba". The Late Departure Conflicting Accounts Amelia and Poncia say they heard Pepe leave at different late hours.

The Late Departure Conflicting Accounts Amelia and Poncia say they heard Pepe leave at different late hours. Angustias insists that he left earlier and does not accept the implications. Trust Undermined The contradictory timings suggest that his visit may not be limited to Angustias’s window. The engagement now carries a hidden uncertainty that she cannot confirm.

Distrust Confessed Distrust Confessed from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Distrust Confessed A Lonely Conversation Angustias tells Bernarda that Pepe seems distracted and may conceal things from her.

Distrust Confessed from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Distrust Confessed A Lonely Conversation Angustias tells Bernarda that Pepe seems distracted and may conceal things from her.

Distrust Confessed A Lonely Conversation Angustias tells Bernarda that Pepe seems distracted and may conceal things from her. She admits that happiness has not followed the engagement. Marriage Without Reciprocity Bernarda advises silence and obedience instead of reassurance. Angustias’s emotional uncertainty is treated as something to manage rather than resolve.

A Promise Unsettled A Promise Unsettled from "The House of Bernarda Alba". A Promise Unsettled Absence Noticed Angustias says Pepe will not come that night because he has gone to the city with his mother.

A Promise Unsettled from "The House of Bernarda Alba". A Promise Unsettled Absence Noticed Angustias says Pepe will not come that night because he has gone to the city with his mother.

A Promise Unsettled Absence Noticed Angustias says Pepe will not come that night because he has gone to the city with his mother. The household accepts the explanation while Martirio and Adela read the absence differently. A Match Without Closure Pepe survives the gunshot, but the play ends before Angustias’s engagement is resolved. Her promised future remains uncertain as the household enters a new mourning.

Act One, when Magdalena shares the news

Act Two, during the sewing-room conversation

Act Two, before dawn

Act Three, after the household retires

Act Three, when Pepe does not visit