Yerma
Themes
Motherhood and Infertility
The central theme is a woman's desire to have a child, showed by Yerma, or 'Her' as she is living a successful life as a blogger, but is deprived of her happiness by her inability to become fertile. Her obsession is made more obvious through the modern pressures and jealousy through people around her having the ability to conceive.
Identity
Yerma's identity becomes completely consumed through her desire and obsession to become a mother, at first being about social expectation, but evolves to be to satisfy her internal ego, and validate her insecurities. This comments on the structure of modern feminism and the trap women can easily fall into, to follow 'norms'.
Fragility of mental health
The play uses Yerma's descent into mental illness to paint the picture that pregnancy and abortion are quick doors towards depression, and illnesses alike. Yerma becomes obsessive and self destructive over her infertility, explaining how trauma and grief can affect relationships and reality.
Destructive nature of obsession
Yerma begins to unravel all aspects of her life, such as her marriage, and relationships with her family, leaning towards becoming disloyal over the madness she is experiencing. Her relationship with John becomes the forefront of all her
Relationships
Yerma and John
It is initially supportive, but then the relationship crumbles with the obsession of Yerma's fertility, and John's unbothered nature, forcing John to increasingly become distant, becoming frustrated with the spiral she went down, but is seen as betrayal through the perspective that he is unwilling to try harder.
Yerma and Mary
The relationship is distanced and strained with a passive aggressive tone in conversations, whilst being emotionally cold from the side of Mary. Mary offers realism from a very traditional sense of thinking, showing tension between the characters. Because of this Yerma resents her whilst also fearing becoming like her.
Yerma and Helen
In the introduction of Helen, their relationship seemed very close and sisterly, even when Yerma and John looked after Helen's baby, but they start to distance when Helen does not appreciate the ability of being able to conceive. This is also highlighted with the second pregnancy, creating jealousy for Yerma, also emphasising the randomness of fertility, causing a toxic relationship through the alienation of Yerma's feelings.
Form and Style
- minimal set, creating emphasis on the character's emotions, as well as when there is set, for example, with the baby scene, the audience is immediately drawn to the symbolism of what their life could be.
- the dialogue is hyper naturalistic, despite being in a very non-naturalistic staging, creating the atmosphere that this actually happens in real life, and should be a more prominent topic to be spoken about
- time moves chronologically, as the story spans over years, with short scenes
- the glass box set, making the atmosphere very alienated and almost imprisoned, creating a sense that Yerma is imprisoned by her biology and, ultimately something that cannot be changed.
- the changes between scenes, this included the non-English singing, which got more and more chaotic as the play went on, reflecting Yerma's mental state.