Benarda+Alba+-+Characterisation+-+MARTIRIO

=Martirio= Second youngest daughter (24 years old) Martyr - One who suffers for the sake of principles.

Wikipedia says: Martirio - Her name is Spanish for 'Martyr', and this subtle allusion goes some way to explaining her complexity. She is in love with Pepe and has had a previous relationship that failed due to the destructive intervention of her mother. Her upbringing and negative experiences with men in the past lead to what she describes as a feeling of weakness and inferiority when in the presence of men

Act 1:
--> Lorca uses Matirio as a literature device to portray some views of the conservatives from Andalucia.

--> She brings in the theme of the power/roles of men. "men cover up for each other, on this kind of thing, and no one dares to make accusations" p.g.130-- shows that male hegemony (males control/power) men are more likely not to be punished for being sexual than women. Compare the reactions of the men talking about Paca La Roseta, and Augustias watching the men leave.

--> Hypocritical- she claims she is glad for Augustias when in reality she is jealous. This is shown when Magdalena suggest that they were being hypocrites since they knew that the reason Pepe el Romano wants to court Angustias was only because of her money.

-->"I was afraid of growing up for fear of suddenly finding myself in their clutches" + "God made me weak and ugly"p.g.131-- shows that the idea of being interested in men is sinful and therefore she tries to show that she is quite dignified for being alienated from the opposite gender. However, its quite contradicting since she actually is attracted to them from the fact that she rushed of to her window with her other sisters when Pepe el Romano walked down the street.

--> in a way, her character is similar to Bernarda because they both value dignity even though they contradict themselves in both actions and what they say.

By: Noel Fung and Katie Latter