Dom Casmurro

The 1899 first published novel by Joaquim Maria Machado Casmurro Dom de Assis is one of the most important works of Brazilian realism.

Protagonist and at the same narrator of the story is Bentinho, his character cheated suspect Direction husband from Rio de Janeiro, the repeatedly arises during the action course the question of whether his wife Capitu has cheated on him with his best friend Escobar and whether their son therefore probably not was begotten by him. Bentinho is a subjective teller with a limited field of view, so will the reader, though the book lacks an explicit answer to the question whether he was actually deceived, at least animated to that very conclusion that this is probably true.

Action

The story begins as the still youthful Bentinho rebels against his family, who had decided that he should become a priest, and at first secretly meets with Capitu, his childhood sweetheart. Quick two is clear that they must fight for their love, and so is, although Bentinho first have to go for some time with Pastor Cabral in the doctrine for both stated that they will marry as soon as he returns. At this time he learns Escobar know whom he can confide in and he was so still wins as a friend on the doctrine beyond. Through a technicality Escobars can both leave the teaching prematurely, and yet still with her ​​lover, Bentinho so with Capitu and Escobar with their best friend Sancha throat, marry. The marriage Escobar is very soon coming to the house, a daughter, whom he does amazingly baptized in the name Capitu. Bentinhos and his Capitu desire for children, however, remains unfulfilled for a long time, what Capitu at Escobar asks for advice, and lo and behold, a little later also arises in marriage Bentinhos young one. The newborn hears from then on the name Ezequiel, which is the first name of Escobar at the same time.

Shortly after Escobar dies mysteriously manner. Bentinho learns from this tragedy, as he sits at work and unceremoniously with his friend Escobar has distracted by the striking resemblance of his Filius on a photo. He quickly forgets about the tragic news his doubts, but only a little later, as he revels in the memory of the lost friend, they come gradually. He remembers occasional meeting his wife with his best friend, he watches as his son Ezequiel that increasingly resembles and thus begin his doubts grow. In desperation, he is considering briefly to take his life, but this idea moves again and again. Instead, he is surprised by Capitu shortly thereafter, when he tries to kill the boy Ezequiel.

From a joint trip to Switzerland Bentinho versa alone, without his wife and son back. He left her there, as Ezequiel supposedly has a better chance of an excellent education there. As Ezequiel return some day as a young man, he seems like the spitting image of Escobar, he tells of his mother's death that she was buried in Switzerland and he trained archaeologist and is now on the way to excavations in the middle East. A little later Bentinho receives news that his son had died of typhoid fever, as it is called, and they had buried him in holy ground.

From the hopeful, youthful, militant Bentinho that the reader initially got to know who wanted to jointly realize with his beloved Capitu his dreams, an old, bitter, lonely man has now become, which could not be beyond his doubts and so everything again lost, for which he had fought.

Expenditure

  • Dom Casmurro e os discos voadores. Neuaufl. Lua de Papel, São Paulo 2010, ISBN 978-85-630-6630-5.
  • Dom Casmurro. Novel. Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 2005, ISBN 3-8289-7925-4.
  • Dom Casmurro. Manesseplatz, Zurich 2013, ISBN 978-3-7175-2300-0.
  • Brazilian edition 1899 ( Portuguese)
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