A Serpente by Nelson Rodrigues

from Crime to Sin

Abstract

This article analyzes the representation of crime and sin in the play A serpente (1978) by Nelson Rodrigues, framing it within the genre of the "tragédia carioca" (Carioca tragedy). Set in Rio de Janeiro, the work exposes the depths of the human psyche through themes such as betrayal, impotence, indirect incest and homicide, in which crime and sin do not function as mere elements of the plot, but as the central gears of a tragic mechanism that reveals the fragility of social conventions and the brutality of human instincts. Based on studies by Lopes (1993), Lilenbaum (2009), and Sousa & Leviski (2013), the article investigates how these moral and legal transgressions function as a critical mirror of the hypocritical and sexist society of the time. The analysis demonstrates that crime in the play is intrinsically linked to the pursuit of a failed masculine identity, while sin, with strong biblical allusions, destabilizes religious dogmas and the prevailing morality. It is concluded that, through a brutal and cathartic aesthetic, Nelson Rodrigues not only lays bare hidden human desires and vices but also assumes a moralizing character, punishing his characters to, paradoxically, liberate the spectator from their own impulses, thereby consolidating the work's timeless relevance and power as a perennial social denunciation.