The Rivalry Around Pepe

The House of Bernarda Alba

Pepe’s engagement and secret attachments expose how each daughter’s distinct longing becomes entangled with the others’ jealousy.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Marriage of Money A Marriage of Money from "The House of Bernarda Alba". A Marriage of Money Wealth and Suitability The sisters assume Pepe seeks Angustias because of her inheritance.

A Marriage of Money from "The House of Bernarda Alba". A Marriage of Money Wealth and Suitability The sisters assume Pepe seeks Angustias because of her inheritance.

A Marriage of Money Wealth and Suitability The sisters assume Pepe seeks Angustias because of her inheritance. Magdalena questions why a handsome young man would choose an older, sickly woman. Unequal Prospects Angustias’s money makes her marriage possible while the other daughters face dependence and confinement. The match immediately becomes a source of envy.

Angustias at the Window Angustias at the Window from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Angustias at the Window Formal Courtship Angustias describes Pepe’s proposal as conventional and remembers being too nervous to speak freely.

Angustias at the Window from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Angustias at the Window Formal Courtship Angustias describes Pepe’s proposal as conventional and remembers being too nervous to speak freely.

Angustias at the Window Formal Courtship Angustias describes Pepe’s proposal as conventional and remembers being too nervous to speak freely. Her account emphasizes how little familiarity exists between the engaged couple. A Troubled Engagement The other women notice inconsistent reports about when Pepe leaves. Angustias’s official claim to him becomes increasingly uncertain.

The Missing Portrait The Missing Portrait from "The House of Bernarda Alba". The Missing Portrait Possession in an Image Angustias discovers that Pepe’s portrait has disappeared from beneath her pillow.

The Missing Portrait from "The House of Bernarda Alba". The Missing Portrait Possession in an Image Angustias discovers that Pepe’s portrait has disappeared from beneath her pillow.

The Missing Portrait Possession in an Image Angustias discovers that Pepe’s portrait has disappeared from beneath her pillow. The image turns an unseen romantic rivalry into a tangible household scandal. Accusation and Discovery Poncia finds the portrait in Martirio’s bed. Martirio calls it a joke, but Adela recognizes jealousy beneath the excuse.

Martirio Admits Love Martirio Admits Love from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Martirio Admits Love A Hidden Rivalry Martirio admits that she loves Pepe too.

Martirio Admits Love from "The House of Bernarda Alba". Martirio Admits Love A Hidden Rivalry Martirio admits that she loves Pepe too.

Martirio Admits Love A Hidden Rivalry Martirio admits that she loves Pepe too. Her confession reveals that her opposition to Adela is not only a defense of Angustias or family order. Love Without Possession She cannot claim Pepe, but she cannot bear Adela’s claim either. The revelation deepens the conflict from suspicion into open, mutually acknowledged rivalry.

A Wedding Without a Future A Wedding Without a Future from "The House of Bernarda Alba". A Wedding Without a Future Unease Beneath Ceremony Angustias tells Bernarda that Pepe seems distracted and emotionally elsewhere.

A Wedding Without a Future from "The House of Bernarda Alba". A Wedding Without a Future Unease Beneath Ceremony Angustias tells Bernarda that Pepe seems distracted and emotionally elsewhere.

A Wedding Without a Future Unease Beneath Ceremony Angustias tells Bernarda that Pepe seems distracted and emotionally elsewhere. The impending marriage offers her a public status but little reassurance. An Arrangement Exposed Bernarda instructs Angustias to obey and not question him. The advice confirms that the engagement depends on convention and property rather than mutual intimacy.

Act One, as the sisters discuss the engagement

Act Two, after the sisters discuss the night

Act Two, after the harvesters pass

Act Three, during the final sisters’ quarrel

Act Three, before the final night