SOURCE: Giuliano, William. “The Role of Man and of Woman in Buero Vallejo's Plays.” Hispanofila 39 (May 1970): 21-8.

In the following essay, Giuliano discusses how Buero Vallejo's male and female characters exemplify the underlying thematic concerns of his plays.

The underlying theme of Buero Vallejo's plays is unquestionably man's efforts to realize his full capacities against the internal and external forces that restrain him. These efforts are directed toward the search for truth, the essence of reality, the creation of social justice, the attempt to establish personal, political, and artistic freedom, and other aspects of the human condition.¹ Hope is eternally present, but the nature of man and of things is such that life is inherently tragic and happiness and self-fulfillment is achieved only through great effort. “En el fondo es una tragedia [Historia de una escalera] porque la vida entera y verdadera es siempre, a mi juicio, tr...