The House of Bernarda Alba Lesson Plan

What is unsaid in the conversation between Martirio and Amelia? What do the (Pause)s represent?

Throughout this section, Martirio is speaking obtusely to her sister and clearly desires to tell her something she knows she shouldn't. When Amelia suggests a wild mule was making the noises Martirio heard the night before, Martirio acknowledges the metaphor her sister has unknowingly landed on. As Martirio later admits, she knows about Adela's meetings with Pepe, which in retrospect is clearly what she is referring to here. For a play that deals heavily in symbolism, this is an unusual moment in which a character is acutely and tragically aware of the meaning of a symbol.

When...