Incarnation and Holofernes
* Voces en la Sombra (Voices in the Shadow)
by Benjamín Gavarre
It is almost six in the afternoon, the time marked by an old clock that can be easily distinguished.
Light filters through a small window.
It is the ironing room but also the junk room.
María Encarnación, a woman of about twenty-five, is ironing a shirt on the ironing board. The shirt, visibly wrinkled, is white, it belongs to a man and is a size that corresponds to a large man or perhaps an obese man.
Encarnación expertly irons the collar, the shoulders... the cuffs... And repeats each time she finishes a part...
Encarnación. — "So it doesn't wrinkle"... The collar, the shoulders... the cuffs... Then the sleeves, the front...
Encarnación reflects. She looks at the clock and breathes with some anxiety. She puts down the iron and looks at the shirt... She repeats:
Encarnación. — ...the collar, the shoulders, the cuffs... I'm missing the sleeves, the front, the back.... The back...
She looks at the wall clock again.
Encarnación. — I have to study... I have to do my homework.
She leaves the shirt hanging on a hanger. Steam comes out of the iron because she has not turned it off as she usually does in a mechanical act. She takes out a large, lined notebook, the professional kind.
She opens the notebook and writes while saying aloud...
Encarnación. — The wings... the winged ones, the salty ones, the room, the fairies... linked...
It is noticeable that she writes what she is saying.
Encarnación. — The wings... the winged ones, the salty ones, the room, the fairies... linked...
Lost in her work, she realizes that Holofernes, her husband, is watching her from the door frame. He is a fat, large man, about forty years old.
Holofernes. — (In a low but imperative voice) My shirt.
Encarnación continues with her work... She doesn't look at him because she doesn't hear him.
Holofernes. — (Louder) My shirt. Work. I work.
Encarnación turns to look at him. She closes the notebook.
Encarnación. — At this hour? Are you going to work at night? Again?
Holofernes. — Again, no, not today. And if I work at night, today or whenever I feel like it, it's none of your business.
Encarnación. — So you want it right now.
Holofernes. — (Aggressive, but in a low volume) I wanted it yesterday.
Encarnación. — How? I don't understand.
Holofernes. — I mean... Forget it. You never understand anything.
Encarnación. — I never understand anything. Okay. Yes. (Hesitates) What I do understand is that you need the shirt tomorrow, to go to your office, tomorrow, early.
Holofernes. — Don't you understand? I need you to have my shirt ready, now. I want to have everything I'm going to wear tomorrow prepared.
Encarnación. — Mm, well then I'm going to iron it for you and take it to you and put it with all the things you need to go to work tomorrow. I have to study. I have to do my homework.
Holofernes. — When you finish studying?... What does that mean?
Encarnación. — Nothing, that I have to go, and I haven't done my homework... I finish my homework, iron your shirt, leave it with your things... and then I'll go to school. I start at eight.
Holofernes. — Please, you're still stuck on the idea that you're going to learn to read and write... at your age?
Encarnación. — At my age, yes... That's what the night courses are for, for people my age... and there are even older people than me.
Holofernes. — Older? And in that little school did you learn to say that barbarism?
Encarnación. — That what?
Holofernes. — Excuse me. I must remember that you are just going to learn to read and write... "Barbarism": incorrect use of language, used by the ignorant classes.
Encarnación. — Did you take that out of a dictionary?
Holofernes. — Of course. I took it out of my personal dictionary. Dedicated so that people like you can understand it.
Encarnación. — Well, there you have it. That's why I'm going to go to school, so that I can lose my ignorance and understand what someone like you tells me. I want to be a prepared woman.
Holofernes. — But how can you even think about it? How can you believe that you can be more than what you are. You are a poor dirty thing, a little dirty thing. You will never get out of what you are supposed to do in life... Iron my shirts and make me food.
Encarnación. — Are you serious?
Holofernes. — Or do you think I married you for your pretty face? You are so ugly.
Encarnación. — So ugly?
Holofernes. — And you don't even cook well. You only make pure slop: watery rice, watery squash.
Encarnación. — So you think I'm ugly.
Holofernes. — Well, who has told you otherwise? Or is that what you're going to the little school for, to find another dirty thing like you who will do you a favor?
Encarnación. — My teacher...
Holofernes. — (Doesn't listen to her) And if everything doesn't come out watery, it all comes out burnt. Your breaded cutlets get burnt, your chicken gets burnt... Whore, the only thing that doesn't burn is your ass.
Encarnación. — (Her husband's abuse doesn't surprise her) My teacher says....
Holofernes. — The only thing you half know how to do is iron, but look, you don't even know how to turn off the iron, it's going to break, steam keeps coming out, you don't do your job well and now I don't have a shirt to wear, to go to work, to support you, so that you can swallow the watery and burnt food you prepare for me.
Encarnación. — (She takes the iron and, against her will, begins to iron what was left) I'm going to iron your shirt so you stop bothering me.
Holofernes. — You're not doing me any favors. It's your obligation. That's what women are for.
Encarnación. — (Long pause. Encarnación stammers in a low voice) "So it doesn't wrinkle"... The collar, the shoulders... the cuffs... Then the sleeves, the front... (She finishes ironing and offers the shirt to her husband with great dignity. She looks at him defiantly and says...) My teacher says that you perpetrate gender violence.
Holofernes. — Your teacher what?... What did you say?... I perpetrate? And what is that, where do you get those words? They are not yours.
Encarnación— She says that you are an oppressive and abusive violent man.
Holofernes. — Tssss! Get out!
Encarnación. — And that what I should do is empo... empo... wer myself.
Holofernes. — (Mocking) Empo... Empo... Please! So you're not just going to learn to read and write. You're not going to be taught "This is how the bear goes, this is how the bear washes itself."
Encarnación. — What is that?
Holofernes. — Those are the words one writes when learning to read and write, when one is a child, when you are five or six years old. That's how I learned.
Encarnación. — (Gathers courage; mocks him) Really, that's how you learned to write... with "This is how the bear goes, this is how the bear washes itself." That was many years ago.
Holofernes. — I know what you're trying to do. I'm not stupid. Your little teacher is trying to turn you against me. She says I am... (Pause, reflects) What she says is false. I have never mistreated you.
Encarnación. — No?? You have hit me.
Holofernes. — Of course not.
Encarnación. — And when you hit me with the iron?
Holofernes. — But I didn't hit you as you say, or what, did I hit you with my fist? We had barely gotten together. After you got pregnant.
Encarnación. — After you got me pregnant.
Holofernes. — You were acting like a whore. You got pregnant to grab me by the balls, to trap me.
Encarnación. — To be trapped by the gentleman. To iron his shirts, to cook his watery and burnt food, so that you would make me abort anyway, even though I wanted the little girl.
Holofernes. — What little girl?
Encarnación. — It was going to be a girl.
Holofernes. — You're stupid, where do you get that from, it was a two-month-old fetus.
Encarnación. — I know it was a girl. And you kicked me. You don't hit me, with your fist, but you kicked me.
Holofernes. — But that's not why you aborted. You took those pills that harmed you.
Encarnación. — I took those pills that you gave me, that were supposed to take away the pain, and they made me abort.
Holofernes. — That's what you say.
Encarnación. — That's what my family told me.
Holofernes. — Your family doesn't even care about you, they got rid of you.
Encarnación. — It's true, no one cares about me, you don't care about me either. And as I told you... I'm going to study and I'm going to prepare myself to get rid of you, to get rid of years of abuse. I don't have to put up with gender violence.
Holofernes. — Or what the... I already told you that I have never hit you.
Encarnación. — You don't need to hit me... with your fist. You have mistreated me. You mistreat me in many ways. You treat me badly, you speak to me worse. You perpetrate violence...
Holofernes. — There's that little word again... "Perpetrate." Those are words you've heard where you go... to learn to read and write. Well, what kind of night school did you find, full of feminists, for sure. Well, look, if you don't like living with me, go with your little teacher, go with your feminists and see if they support you there, little dirty thing.
Encarnación. — I'm going to ask you not to call me that again.
Holofernes. — You don't want me to call you how, "little dirty thing"... Huh, Little Dirty Thing?
Encarnación. — (Grabs the iron that she hasn't unplugged yet and raises it, threatening her husband) I'm warning you!
Holofernes. — What are you warning me about, are you going to hit me? With the iron? Now you are going to perpetrate gender violence? Please! You are nothing but a poor unhappy woman.
Encarnación. — Exactly. I am unhappy by your side. I have been unhappy all these years by your side. But it's over. You can expect to hear from me. I'm going to do everything possible so that according to the law you give me what I deserve.
Holofernes. — "According to the law." Well, well; they have advised you well in your little school.
Encarnación. — Yes, they told me that I don't have to put up with your mistreatment, your nights out with who knows who, your constant abuse. I am going to learn to read, yes, I am going to learn to write, and as you can see, I am also going to learn to speak, to defend myself. You are going to have to pay for all the damage you have done to me, but you are going to have to pay me where it hurts the most, you are going to give me money.
Holofernes. — If it weren't for the pity I feel for you, you would make me laugh a lot. You are nobody. Everything you are you owe to me. You were a poor little dirty thing abandoned by your family and everyone. No one has ever loved you and I gave you the opportunity to give you a home. You are ugly, stupid, and you will never achieve anything in life.
Encarnación. — Maybe not, but if I keep staying by your side, I'm sure I'll end up becoming what your horrible words say. Don't worry, there must be a reason why you are the way you are. I think that if I am a dirty thing, you are a poor devil, fat and ugly. Or what, have you never looked in a mirror? You are horrible, on the outside, but especially on the inside. We'll leave it here. It ends here.
Holofernes. — You think so? It ends here? No, darling. You're not leaving here without paying.
Encarnación. (Raises the iron and threatens her husband once more) I'm warning you.
Holofernes. — You don't raise your voice at me anymore. You should know that I am the one in charge here. I am the strongest and let me give you bad news, your classes are over, little dirty thing, you've come this far.
Holofernes approaches threateningly and snatches the iron from Encarnación.
Dark.
Análisis Dramático y Escénico (Dramatic and Scenic Analysis):
Dramatic Analysis:
* Themes: The play powerfully addresses themes of domestic abuse, gender inequality, the power of education and female empowerment, and the cycle of violence. It highlights the psychological and emotional manipulation alongside the threat of physical violence.
* Characters:
* Encarnación: Begins as a seemingly submissive woman focused on domestic duties, but gradually finds her voice and agency through education. Her repetition of "Para que no se arrugue" (So it doesn't wrinkle) at the beginning and near the end shows her initial focus and how it's juxtaposed with her newfound awareness. Her final defiant lines demonstrate a significant character arc.
* Holofernes: Represents the patriarchal oppressor. He is verbally abusive, controlling, and belittles Encarnación at every turn. His insecurity is evident in his constant need to assert dominance. His denial of his violence, despite Encarnación's clear recollections, is a key aspect of his manipulative behavior.
* Conflict: The central conflict is the power struggle between Encarnación and Holofernes. Encarnación's desire for education and her growing awareness of her rights directly clash with Holofernes's need to control and demean her.
* Dialogue: The dialogue is sharp and realistic, effectively portraying the dynamic of an abusive relationship. Holofernes uses insults, threats, and gaslighting tactics. Encarnación's language evolves throughout the play, starting with hesitant responses and culminating in assertive statements about her rights and his abusive behavior.
* Climax: The climax is reached when Encarnación threatens Holofernes with the iron, mirroring the earlier incident of violence. This act signifies her breaking point and her willingness to defend herself. Holofernes's dismissal and threat solidify his role as the oppressor. The final moment of him snatching the iron and the lights going out leaves the audience in suspense about Encarnación's future.
Scenic Analysis:
* Setting: The play is set in the ironing room, which is also described as the "junk room." This single, confined setting symbolizes Encarnación's entrapment within the domestic sphere and her limited world under Holofernes's control. The old clock prominently displayed emphasizes the passage of time and potentially the monotony of Encarnación's routine. The small window suggests a limited view of the outside world.
* Props: The ironing board, the wrinkled white shirt, the iron emitting steam, and the large notebook are significant props. The shirt represents Encarnación's domestic labor and her subservience. The wrinkled state and large size emphasize the demands placed upon her. The steaming iron is a constant reminder of her work and later becomes a symbol of her potential for resistance. The notebook represents her journey towards education and empowerment, a direct threat to Holofernes's control.
* Lighting and Sound: The stage directions indicate natural light filtering through a small window at the beginning, suggesting a sense of reality. The final stage direction is "Oscuro" (Dark), which abruptly ends the scene and heightens the tension and uncertainty. There are no specific sound cues mentioned, but the dialogue itself creates the auditory landscape of the scene.
* Encarnación's Transformation: While clear, Encarnación's shift could be subtly highlighted through stage directions regarding her posture and tone of voice as the play progresses. Initially, she might be more physically submissive, while towards the end, she stands straighter and speaks with more conviction.
* Ending: The abrupt blackout is effective. It leaves the audience with a powerful sense of the unresolved conflict and Encarnación's uncertain future.
