The House of Bernarda Alba

Lorca compressed into this play a complete tragedy about desire and repression. Bernarda is one of the great villains of Spanish literature — not because she is evil, but because she is absolutely convinced she is right. The language is dense, symbolic, almost musical, and silence functions as an additional character. Written shortly before his murder in 1936, it carries something of a testament. Best read before seeing it performed, so that the perfection of its dramatic architecture can be felt on the page.