Between Lines and Dots in Machado de Assis’s Drama: His Time in our Times

Abstract

The proposal of this text is to analyze the conceptions of nation and nationality in Brazilian plays of the 19th century, especially the one called Quase Ministro (Almost Minister) by Machado de Assis. In short, evidence is sought to demonstrate that Machado's theater has fulfilled an essential role in the representation/constitution of the Nation, placing on the stage different conceptions of nationality, through the creation of favorable surroundings, speeches, and representations of the social types that formed the Brazilian society of that time.