With “Pedro and the Captain” Benedetti offered hope and dignity in times of repression (bookreview)

As police violence and harassment of demonstrators is growing in the Netherlands lately, and even people being followed to their homes, “Pedro and the Captain” is becoming more relevant than ever. Though set in a different time and place, Mario Benedetti’s play speaks with alarming clarity to the abuse of state power and the quiet strength of resistance.

Mario Benedetti, a leading voice in Latin American literature, delivers a stark and deeply introspective theatrical work with “Pedro and the Captain” (1979). Written during Uruguay’s military dictatorship, the play is a fearless literary act of resistance, confronting the brutal realities of political repression and torture while holding on to a thread of hope and humanity.

At a time when vague associations with leftist ideals could lead to arrest, torture, or execution, Benedetti tackled authoritarian violence not through slogans, but through a tense and intimate dialogue between two men: a prisoner and his interrogator.

In Dutch.

Structured in four acts, each separated by an offstage round of escalating torture, the play immerses us in psychological warfare rather than physical violence. This choice centers the emotional and ideological confrontation between Pedro, the defiant prisoner, and the captain, who hides arrogance behind a mask of reason and control.

Pedro refuses to speak, relying on the quiet power of resistance. The captain, confident in his authority, slowly unravels as his attempts to dominate Pedro are met with unwavering silence. What follows is not just a power struggle but a moral reckoning.

Benedetti avoids easy binaries. Both characters are vulnerable: Pedro, physically broken but morally strong; the captain, powerful but full of insecurities. Their conflict evolves into a deep philosophical duel touching on courage, fear, ideology, and personal trauma. Pedro’s resistance is not portrayed as martyrdom, but as duty – dignified and unsentimental.

Though political at its core, the play avoids didacticism. It forces us to question strength, power, and what it means to remain human under pressure. With torture kept offstage, Benedetti gives language the central role – as a weapon, a shield, and ultimately a reflection of identity.

Despite its grim premise, the play isn’t bleak. Pedro’s refusal to break becomes a quiet triumph – a celebration of moral clarity and human dignity. In the face of dehumanization, Benedetti offers a glimmer of hope: the unshakable will of a man who chooses silence over betrayal.

Decades later, “Pedro and the Captain” remains painfully relevant. It exposes not just the mechanics of torture but the structures that support it. With minimalist setting and profound emotional depth, Benedetti delivers a powerful meditation on resistance, power, and the strength of the human spirit.

“Pedro and the Captain”, Mario Benedetti. Uitgeverij Cadmus Editions, $ 10,95. ISBN: ISBN 0-932274-72-2.

Jean Clamence