Notes from Wikipedia:
The play is a degenerated esperpento-tragedy- focusing on the troubles of the literary and artistic world in Spain under the Restoration. Through Max's poverty, ill fortune and eventual death, Valle-Inclán portrays how society neglects the creative. Takes place over ~23 hours, Valle-Inclán comete varias contradicciones, en ocasiones nos habla de la caída de las hojas, o de la primavera, aunque quizá fue escrito adrede para resaltar el esperpento. La acción transcurre en un Madrid decadente «absurdo, brillante y hambriento» de la década de 1920.
Notes from "History and Value of Irony" article: The author shows the process of moral alienation conveyed by the commodification of life and art. Through continuous economical transactions on which plot and action are based in this play, Valle-Inclán criticizes the insertion of Spain into the modern capitalist world.
Protagonist: Max, struggling blind poet, on the last night of his life. Destaca su furia contra la sociedad. También, como en el autor, existe el sentimiento de fraternidad hacia los oprimidos (la prostituta).
El ministro. Se trata de un personaje al que Max acude con la intención de obtener soluciones para erradicar la corrupción de los cargos públicos,sin embargo, finalmente es el propio Max quien se presta a ese juego corrupto aceptando una subvención por parte de dicho ministro.
*possibly based off the life of his friend, Alejandro Sawa.
Other notes:
Esta obra es la primera y la única en la que aparece
la definición de lo que es un esperpento, definición que Valle pone en
boca del protagonista Max Estrella cuando dice: “Los héroes clásicos
reflejados en los espejos cóncavos dan el Esperpento. El sentido
trágico de la vida española sólo puede darse con una estética
sistemáticamente deformada”. Más adelante dirá: “Las imágenes más bellas en un espejo cóncavo son absurdas.” o “Mi estética actual es transformar con matemática de espejo cóncavo las normas clásicas.”
-Valle grotesquely stylizes Spain/it's inhabitants, impersonally/objectively, without adding any vices but rather by deforming the ones that are already there.
Tons of characters!
Begins with Max (Andaluz) talking with his wife Madame Collet. He's desperate-out of money-and considering (half-seriously) collective suicide.
Young people kill themselves for loving life too much. Old people do it out of desperation. Max hallucinates about the past. Don Latino has sold a few books at a scandalously low price.
Max goes to Zaratustra and tells him what he's doing isn't right. Wants his books back. Fat chance! Zaratustra and his crew: ¡Viva España!
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Don Gay thinks Spain should be more religious, like England, wants some sort of Christian revolution. Zaratustra: Sin religión no puede haber buena fe en el comercio (capitalist/protestant culture??) Max criticises the religion of the pueblo that transforms "todos los grandes concepts en un cuento de beatas costureras. Don Gay talks about England, what they eat, how orderly it is-a paradise! But he needs the Spanish sun.
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Pisa-bien comes in (a hooker?) Takes Max's cape to pawn for him. Max says "Yo nunca tuve talento. He vivido siempre de un modo absurdo" (When does teatro del absurdo start?) Max says he'll die tomorrow. Political commentary....Even republicans know property is sacred. Proletariat march in the street
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Nighttime.
Dorio de Gadex to Max: You're a poet and "los poetas somos aristocracia". Max: "Yo había nacideo para ser tribuno de la plebe." Group of Modernistas in manifestación. La policía realiza la detención de Max, quien se burló de ellos, y los lleva al ministerio.
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In the Ministerio de la Gobernación: Máximo Estrella, apodo Mala Estrella- "Tengo el honor de no ser académico". Openly criticizes the gov't worker "gusano burocrático"
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Max talks with a prisoner, a Catalan pariah. He says, "soy lo que me han hecho las leyes". Max agrees with him. Want a revolution, the destruction of wealth like in Russia. "Acabaremos con el judaísmo barcelonés"-talking about private money management in an offensive way (yikes!).
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Don Filiberto and Dorio de Gadex talk. Gadex says he rapes servants and makes them abort. WOAH. Don Latino: "los españoles nos consolamos del hambre y de los malos gobernantes".
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Max is in ministro's office. He's been accused of being crazy. His response: "Loco de verme desconocido y negado. El ministro es amigo mío..." Ministro knows him, but tells him to make an appointment. "You think I'm a drunkard. But that's a good thing. Because if I wasn't, I would've killed myself by now." Says he was unjustly jailed/tortured and he wants that to stop. Max reveals his sister (the one the ministro was once in love with) is a nun, his brothers are dead. Max accepts some money from the ministro.
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Ruben Darío appears. Contraste taberna/café. Max: "Rubén, acuérdate de esta cena. Y ahora, mexclemos el vino con las rosas de tus versos."
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La lunares appears. Seems to try to pick up Max as a "customer". He replies, "You should know I have no money". She says, "You could just invite me to a café con churros". She tells him "I'm black and ugly!" Black hair, green eyes-gitana.
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From Wiki: Escena política donde se reflejan las consecuencias de la huelga del proletariado, y donde se ve reflejado el dolor de una madre por la muerte de su hijo. El paria es fusilado. Se reflejan los diferentes puntos de vista de la represión policial.
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Max hallucinates again about time in Paris. Max gets really drunk, says "Estoy muerto" and seems to pass out. Neighbor comes by and confirms he's actually dead.
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Velorio. Don Latino tries to console Claudia (max's daughter). She thinks he's drunk. He says it's just "efecto del dolor, estudiado científicamente por los alemanes!". They're going to take his body at four, but no one has a watch to know when that time is.
Don Latino: "Te has muerto de hambre, como yo voy a morir, como moriremos todos los españoles dignos! En España es un delito el talento!" Basilio says Spanish doctors aren't that great and Max isn't really dead. Madame Collet and Claudia are so happy! La portera says, "That's crazy. Anyone can tell he's dead."
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Sepultero: "En España el mérito no se premia. Se premia el robar y el ser sinvergüenza. En España se premia todo lo malo."
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Don Latino bebe mucho porque le ha tocado la lotería, el billete lo había robado anteriormente a Max. En este capítulo se produce el suicidio de la mujer y la hija de Max, y se nos refleja claramente la actitud de Don Latino.
When Don Latino finds out they're dead: "Absurdo! Por qué habían de matarse?" Response: "Pasaban muchas fatigas." Don Latino: El dolor por la pérdidad de aquel astro.
El mundo es una controversia! Un esperpento.
EL FIN!
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