DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF CONDEMNED BY WILFRIDO MA. GUERRERO

This presentation discusses the life of Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, one of the well-known Filipino playwrights in the Philippines, and his play Condemned.

1. CONDEMNED BY WILFRIDO MA. GUERRERO PRESENTED BY: MARY FRANCINE G. MAGALONG

2. Wilfrido María Guerrero He was a playwright, stage director, teacher, and theater pioneer.
He was born on January 22, 1911 and died on April 28, 1995.
He wrote over 100 plays, 41 of which have been published.
His famous works are Condemned, The Forsaken
House, Wanted: A Chaperon, Half an Hour in a
Convent, and Frustrations
He was considered the most prominent and influential Filipino
playwright in English.
He was recognized as a National Artist of the Philippines for Theater in 1997

5. FATHER LIM
He is about forty, brisk-
mannered but soft-
voiced. He carries a
breviary in one hand, and
a small bag in another.

6. WARDEN

8. PABLO GONZALEZ
He is twenty-four. He’s tall, well-
built. His sufferings can be seen in
his tense manly features, in his
dark piercing eyes, and in the tight
expression of his mouth. His
movements are quick and nervous.
He wears the orange uniform
with a large cross at the back. His
hair is cropped.

9. "Mr. Gonzalez—any last request you wish to make? I mean, any
kind of food or drink you might want?"WARDEN

10. "A bottle of whiskey—could I ask for a bottle of whiskey?"PABLO

11. "Make it three glasses. We’ll all drink."PABLO

13. "I was thinking—I can’t believe it—that I should be here
condemned to be hung in an hour—at the age of twenty-four"PABLO

14. What you said last night—that God could forgive me—
forgive me after all I’ve done?PABLO

15. My son, Christ has said that if your sins are as scarlet they
shall be as white as snow—if you ask his forgiveness.FATHER LIM

16. "It is good for us now and then to have some troubles and adversities; for
oftentimes they make a man enter unto himself, that he may know
that he is an exile, and place not his hopes in anything of the
world... Therefore, ought a man so firmly to establish himself in
God, as to have no need of seeking many human consolations...
Then is he weary of longer fife; and wisheth death to come, that
he may be dissolved, and be with Christ. Then also he well
perceiveth, that perfect security and full peace cannot be realized
in this world.”
Tee Following of Christ by Kempis, Book One, Chapter 12

18. ANDRES GOROSPE
He is twenty-six. He has settled
down early in life.
A childhood friend of PABLO,
ANDRES has never asked much
from life, his ambitions are few
and modest. Andres has quiet
manners and speaks rather
slowly. He is attired in a simple
suit and wears a tie.

19. It seems this fellow—the victim—annoyed the prisoner’s
girl once. During the trial the prisoner testified that he was not a
jealous person by temperament, but that when this other fellow
went to the extreme of laying his hands on her—he vowed
revenge—and killed him.WARDEN

20. Many other circumstances aggravated his case. For one
thing the murder was deliberate—it was done in the evening—
and he purposely got drunk—WARDEN

21. But you see, he had had previous convictions—estafa,
disorderly conduct, assault against constituted authority—WARDEN

22. A year ago he forged a check for two hundred thousand
pesos. He was an inveterate gambler, you know.WARDEN

25. I chose the wrong path, that’s all. PABLO

26. Why make her the widow of a murderer?PABLO

27. I don’t know. I grew up without discipline. I was allowed to
steal small sums of money—to gamble on street comers—to
smoke under the bridge. And when I grew older—the wrong
friends—the lack of faith in anyone or anything—the bitterness—PABLO

28. Thanks for coming, Andres. I’m happy to die knowing that
at least I have a friend.PABLO

30. He’s about twenty-five, in
drab trousers and pants,
his hair is tousled. He is
smoking a cigarette.SIMEON SERENO

31. You were my closest friend—the one I trusted most. We
were partners in drinking, gambling, and women—and that
doesn’t merit the word friendship?PABLO

32. You have a mother. You are lucky—to have one. My mother died when I was five, my
father a year before that. I was raised in an orphanage, but I escaped when I was twelve
—and since then—I’ve been alone in this world! To have a mother—hows weet and
beautiful it must be. When I was a kid, I’d sometimes have fights with other kids—
whenever I got licked, I’d cry—but I had no one to dry my tears. I still remember the
garden in the orphanage—how often I’d run to a comer of that garden—there was a
bench behind some thick bushes—and there I would weep quietly. That’s why I grew up
to be bitter. SIMEON

34. TIA CHEDENG She is an old woman of
sixty.White-haired, with a
wrinkled but kindly face.
She stoops a little.She
wears saya and camisa,
her shoulders covered
with a panwelo.

35. Pablo, I failed you in everything. If only I had not let
you go years ago—but then you ran away—TIA CHEDENG

38. CRISTINA is about twenty-
one, dressed in black. She
is pale, but pretty; shy and
quiet; her voice soft CRISTINA

39. CRISTINA I just want to say—I’ll always love you.

40. PABLO For the first time in my life I know what real love is—the deep silent affection,
the quietu nderstanding, the feeling of gentle gratitude, the sense of being
alive—(bitterly) yes, alive. Neither a mother’s nor a woman’s love I have known.
Early in life I soiled my mind with unworthy thoughts— my mouth with drink
and dirty language—my heart polluted with petty desires my hands with
stealing, gambling—and now, murder! And then you came. Cristina, you came
into my sordid, lonely life— and cleansed my mind and soul and brightened my
world. Until that night—

41. PABLO If someday you should meet a better fellow—who can offer
you a better future—you’ll be glad you didn’t marry me, that you
were free

46. ANGELA GONZALEZ ANGELA is over forty-five, but
is trying to retain her faded
youth and beauty by the
overuse of cosmetics. There is
an air of bad taste and
vulgarity about her,
accentuated by her gaudy
colored dress and the use of
big bracelets and earrings. Her
voice is husky.

47. Have you ever been a mother to me? Did you ever give me any care or
attention? Isn’t it true that you spent all your time gambling while you left me
with Tia Chedeng? When Father was sick and dying—weren’t you out gambling? PABLO

48. Listen to what I have to say. I was forced to marry yourf ather against my will. I
didn’t love him and he knew it. It wasn’t my fault! My family shouldn’t have
opposed my marriage to the man I really loved. To forget my unhappiness I
turned to gambling and to pleasure. That kept me away from your father. I
didn’t want a baby, you might as well know, so when you came—well, I just left
you to the care of servants. (Her voice rising.) But few knew that our married
life was unhappy. And when your father died, I sought an outlet for my lonely
years— ANGELA

49. If I could die with the word “Mother” on my lips—if I could
call you Mother! (Desperately.) God in heaven, why, can’t I call you
Mother? PABLO

52. FATHER LIM It’s all over. His last words were—his last words—
Cristina”—(Here CRISTINA sobs.)—“Tia” —
—and “Mother.” He whispered, like a prayer, the word “Mother”—twice.

53. THEMES Consequences of actions and moral decay
Pablo’s trajectory into crime reflects the dangers of a neglected
upbringing and bad influences.
Forgiveness and redemption
The role of faith and confession, particularly through Father
Lim, offers hope for spiritual salvation.

54. THEMES Family and parental responsibility
The strained relationship between Pablo and his mother Angela
shows the profound effect of parental neglect.
Love and sacrifice
Pablo and Cristina’s love amid dire circumstances shows
genuine human affection and sacrifice.

55. THEMES Death and mortality
The story’s setting just before execution underscores the
inevitability and finality of death, and the reflections it prompts.

56. RELEVANCE TO COMMONWEALTH PERIOD The play's themes resonate strongly with social issues
prevalent during the Philippine Commonwealth era (1935-1946),
a time marked by national identity formation alongside social
challenges such as poverty, crime, and moral questions facing
the youth. It reflects the societal concerns about the influence
of modernity and deteriorating family structures, the struggle
for personal redemption in a changing society, and the role of
religious faith as a source of hope and moral anchor during
uncertain times.

57. Condemned" teaches that a person’s fate is shaped by
upbringing, faith, love, and forgiveness, showing how the lack of
family and social support can lead to moral downfall—a
message that remains relevant in today’s society.

58. THANK YOU
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