José de Alencar's theater: imagining Brazilian society

Abstract

José de Alencar’s plays express his concerns with the formation of a Brazilian society and the idea of nation. Differently from his contemporaries, he didn’t hesitate to depict slavery onstage, as in O demônio familiar (The family demon) e Mãe (Mother). In O crédito (The credit), he was interested in how capitalism is making its entrance in that society. His model was the French realist theater, which focused on two themes that were dear to the bourgeoisie: money and love. But Alencar went beyond a mere imitation of what was done in Paris. In his theater, one can find a reflection on the paths that Brazilian society was taking in its promised transition from the colonial patriarcal past to a bourgeois capitalist future. The role of women – and by extension the role of family – is pivotal in his reflection, which aims at the construction of a society that should, on the one hand, become “civilized” and, on the other, keep faithful to its traditions. Alencar addresses the “feminine issue” in Rio de Janeiro, verso e reverso (Rio de Janeiro, front and back) and especially in As asas de um anjo (An angel’s wings).