Class and Unequal Power

The House of Bernarda Alba

The household’s economic hierarchy shapes labor, marriage, and speech, showing how authority over property becomes authority over people.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Scraps and Sausages Scraps and Sausages from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Scraps and Sausages Wealth in the Pantry Poncia takes Bernarda’s food and shares some with Servant, whose child needs to eat.

Scraps and Sausages from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Scraps and Sausages Wealth in the Pantry Poncia takes Bernarda’s food and shares some with Servant, whose child needs to eat.

Scraps and Sausages Wealth in the Pantry Poncia takes Bernarda’s food and shares some with Servant, whose child needs to eat. Their conversation sets family abundance against servant dependence. Class Inside the Home The servants work in the same house but do not share its security. Hunger makes class inequality an everyday material fact.

The Poor Dismissed The Poor Dismissed from "The House of Bernarda Alba". The Poor Dismissed A Social Judgment Bernarda says poor people are like animals and forget their troubles over chickpeas.

The Poor Dismissed from "The House of Bernarda Alba". The Poor Dismissed A Social Judgment Bernarda says poor people are like animals and forget their troubles over chickpeas.

The Poor Dismissed A Social Judgment Bernarda says poor people are like animals and forget their troubles over chickpeas. The remark reduces poverty to an inferior condition rather than recognizing its causes. A Divided Community The mourners do not all accept her view. The exchange makes the class division of the village audible inside the household.

Inheritance Reorders the Sisters

Inheritance Reorders the Sisters Unequal Wealth Angustias receives a larger share than Bernarda’s other daughters. Her money changes how the family understands her marriage prospects. Property and Status Magdalena’s resentment reflects both material loss and emotional exclusion. The will turns household hierarchy into a conflict among siblings.

Class Blocks a Suitor Class Blocks a Suitor from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Class Blocks a Suitor Martirio’s Lost Chance Poncia reminds Bernarda that she prevented Martirio from marrying Enrique Humanes because his father was a…

Class Blocks a Suitor from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Class Blocks a Suitor Martirio’s Lost Chance Poncia reminds Bernarda that she prevented Martirio from marrying Enrique Humanes because his father was a…

Class Blocks a Suitor Martirio’s Lost Chance Poncia reminds Bernarda that she prevented Martirio from marrying Enrique Humanes because his father was a farmhand. A possible relationship was ended by class prejudice. Social Status Enforced Bernarda openly defends the prohibition and treats her own higher standing as a right. The family’s desire cannot overcome the hierarchy Bernarda protects.

Servants as Witnesses Servants as Witnesses from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Servants as Witnesses Knowledge Without Power Poncia and Servant discuss the daughters’ conflict and anticipate disaster.

Servants as Witnesses from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Servants as Witnesses Knowledge Without Power Poncia and Servant discuss the daughters’ conflict and anticipate disaster.

Servants as Witnesses Knowledge Without Power Poncia and Servant discuss the daughters’ conflict and anticipate disaster. Their social position allows them to observe but not to govern the family. The Hierarchy Holds Bernarda’s commands and the servants’ dependence remain intact even as the household approaches collapse. Their insight underscores how unequal authority can obstruct action.

Act One, before the mourners return

Act One, during the mourners’ visit

Act One, after the estate is divided

Act Two, during Poncia’s warning

Act Three, before Adela’s confrontation