FROM BENTINHO TO DOM CASMURRO: PATHOLOGICAL JEALOUSY AND PSYCHIC SUFFERING IN THE WORK OF MACHADO DE ASSIS

Abstract: Dom Casmurro was published for the first time in 1899 by the writer Machado de Assis. This novel, since that time, causes doubts and uncertainties in his readers about the fidelity of the character Capitu and the veracity of the information narrated by Bentinho. Therefore, a brief description of the narrative of this enigmatic Brazilian book is necessary. We seek to analyze the descriptions about the psychic suffering of the character of Bentinho and his narrowing with the pathological jealousy. This article followed a method of documentary analysis, using, in addition to the masterpiece of Machado de Assis, bibliographic studies related to the research theme. Moreover, we include a brief history and theoretical foundation on psychic pain and pathological jealousy. We highlight as a latent difficulty, the reduced number of researches in this methodological line that could contribute to the inferences about the Machado de Assis’s literary work.   Keywords: Dom Casmurro, Machado de Assis, Literature, Psychology