Dom Casmurro

Bento describes Capitú as incredibly attentive and detail-oriented. Her education, which began at the age of seven, covered reading, writing, arithmetic, French, religion, and needlework. She also displays a talent for drawing and a passion for music. Her inquisitiveness and remarkable ability to focus on the minutiae of information often result in her asking for elaborations and specifics and showcasing great interest in a wide range of subjects.

Bento pays a morning visit to Capitú’s house. Her mother, Dona Fortunata, informs him that Capitú is in the living room combing her hair. Bento enters quietly, but a noise gives him away. Capitú, anxious about whether José Dias has discussed his priesthood with Dona Gloria, questions him. Capitú expresses doubt, while Bento assures her that José Dias will eventually discuss the matter with his mother.

The conversation prompts Bento to recall José Dias’s previous description of Capitú’s eyes as “gipsy’s eyes, oblique and sly” (48). Intrigued, he asks to look into her eyes, trying to determine if they fit this description, but he finds her eyes to be gentle and familiar. Her eyes hold a bewitching quality that has a profound effect on him, leaving him entranced.