Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
"Dom Casmurro" is a novel by Brazilian author Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, published in 1899. The story centers on Bento de Albuquerque Santiago, a reclusive lawyer living in Rio de Janeiro, who reflects on his past relationships and the complexities of love, jealousy, and trust. As a young boy, Bento falls in love with his neighbor, Capitu, but is later sent to a seminary at his mother's insistence. After leaving the seminary, he marries Capitu, while maintaining a close friendship with Ezequiel Escobar, who eventually dies under mysterious circumstances.
Bento's growing suspicions of Capitu's fidelity, fueled by his perception of their son resembling Escobar, lead him down a dark path of jealousy and isolation. His obsession culminates in a tragic separation from Capitu and their son, further deepening his solitude. Throughout the narrative, Bento grapples with the themes of truthfulness and falsehood, as he attempts to make sense of his life and the relationships that shape it. The novel's exploration of psychological complexity and unreliable narration has made it a significant work in Brazilian literature, inviting readers to question the nature of reality and perception.
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Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
First published: 1899 (English translation, 1953)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Philosophical realism
Time of plot: Second half of the nineteenth century
Locale: Rio de Janeiro
Principal characters
Bento de Albuquerque Santiago (Dom Casmurro) , jealous husbandDona Glória , mother of BentoJosé Dias , member of Dona Glória’s householdCapitu , wife of BentoEzequiel Escobar , friend of BentoSancha , wife of EscobarEzequiel , son of Bento and Capitu
The Story:
Now in his fifties, Bento de Albuquerque Santiago is a withdrawn, diffident individual. He has had a successful law career and now lives alone in a comfortable suburb of Rio de Janeiro. Because of his retiring nature, neighbors have given him a nickname of mild mockery: Dom Casmurro, meaning “Lord Solitaire.” Bento’s father died when Bento was an infant, and the family moved from its plantation to the city. Bento’s older brother has also died, and his widowed mother, Dona Glória, is ever attentive to Bento, her only remaining child.
Bento recalls events from his past. As a young boy, he overhears Dona Glória talking to José Dias, a member of her household, who relates that Bento is falling in love with a neighbor girl, Capitu (an abbreviation of Capitolina). Dona Glória, therefore, reconfirms her promise, made after the death of her first son, to send Bento to a seminary. Bento does not want to become a priest, but he enters the seminary. He and Capitu secretly swear they will one day marry.
At the school, Bento makes a new friend, Ezequiel Escobar, whom he admires for his force and masculinity. He confides in Escobar, confessing his passion for Capitu. They elaborate a plan to obtain a papal dispensation from Dona Glória’s vow by paying for the education of an orphan. Both boys eventually leave the seminary. Bento becomes a lawyer, studying in São Paulo. Escobar successfully enters business. Their friendship continues as Bento marries Capitu and Escobar marries Sancha, a friend of Capitu. Eventually, Escobar and Sancha have a daughter, named Capitolina, and Bento and Capitu have a son, whom they name Ezequiel. Dona Glória, who has become fond of Capitu, believes that she has fulfilled her vow, because she did place Bento in the seminary.
In an encounter with Sancha, Bento realizes he has an adulterous attraction to her. Escobar dies suddenly, drowning while swimming. At his funeral, Bento notes the concentrated attention with which Capitu contemplates their dead friend. Bento wonders whether his wife had an affair with Escobar. With the seed of this suspicion planted, as Ezequiel grows, Bento increasingly sees a resemblance between his son and Escobar. He becomes riveted with suspicions of Capitu’s infidelity. Attending a production of William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice (pr. 1604, pb. 1622), Bento does not see the misguided jealousy of the title character. Rather, he becomes more convinced of Capitu’s guilt.
As the fury of his jealously mounts, Bento contemplates poisoning himself and then Ezequiel. He tells Ezequiel that the boy is not his legitimate offspring. Following that exchange, he confronts Capitu, making confused accusations against her of infidelity. They agree to a separation. However, to disguise this condition they depart with their son for an excursion in Europe. Capitu and Ezequiel remain in Europe, while Bento returns alone to Rio.
Grown to young manhood, Ezequiel returns to visit his father. He tells him of Capitu’s death. Bento’s reaction is to continue to note the similarity of Ezequiel to Escobar. The son departs and, on a trip to the Middle East, contracts typhoid and dies. The years pass and other members of Bento’s family and entourage die. He is ever more isolated, yet, with the few acquaintances that still know and visit him, he remains fixated on the infidelity of Capitu. It is due to this isolation that his neighbors nickname him Dom Casmurro. Bento resolves to write a narrative of his life, which becomes Dom Casmurro.
Bibliography
Bloom, Harold. “Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis.” In Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds. New York: Warner Books, 2002. Describes and locates Machado de Assis within a pantheon of major figures in world literature, recognizing how tardy has been recognition of his distinction.
Dixon, Paul B. Retired Dreams: “Dom Casmurro,” Myth, and Modernity. West Lafayette, Ind.: Purdue University Press, 1989. Examines Dom Casmurro in terms of its underlying myths and suggests that the essential tension of the narrative relies on the play between the perspectives of reality and myth.
Fitz, Earl E. Machado de Assis. Twayne’s World Authors 809. Boston: Twayne, 1989. Offers a concise overview of the life and times of Machado de Assis, summarizing and analyzing his principal works, which include not only novels but also short stories, plays, poetry, and journalism.
Graham, Richard. Machado de Assis: Reflections on a Brazilian Master Writer. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999. Collection of four scholarly articles examining Dom Casmurro, Machado de Assis’s political writing, and translations into English of his works.
Lisboa, Maria Manuel. Machado de Assis and Feminism: Re-reading the Heart of the Companion. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 1996. Examining nine novels of Machado de Assis, this study initially presents traditional interpretations and assumptions regarding his views on gender interactions, then provides a radical reinterpretation of these relations from a feminist theoretical perspective.
Maia Neto, José Raimundo. Machado de Assis: The Brazilian Pyrrhonian. West Lafayette, Ind.: Purdue University Press, 1994. Reviews the two phases (1861-1878 and 1879-1908) of Machado de Assis’s fictional production, concentrating on the later phase and especially on the novels Epitaph of a Small Winner and Dom Casmurro.
Nunes, Maria Luisa. The Craft of an Absolute Winner: Characterization and Narratology in the Novels of Machado de Assis. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1983. Details the effectiveness of Machado de Assis in creating characters in his novels through development of his narrative techniques and inherited Brazilian cultural traits.
Rabassa, Gregory. “Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis.” In If This Be Treason—Translation and Its Dysfunctions: A Memoir. New York: New Directions Books, 2005. Noted translator of Spanish and Portuguese relates his experiences in translating numerous authors of modern classics; includes discussion of the subtleties and nuances in Machado de Assis’s work.
Schwarz, Roberto. A Master on the Periphery of Capitalism: Machado de Assis. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2001. Analyzes the work of Machado de Assis from a Marxist perspective; scrutinizes Epitaph of a Small Winner for its challenges to nineteenth century Brazilian assumptions regarding class, emphasizing the novelist’s devastating irony and narrative innovation.