Blood Wedding is a violent play about the doomed marriage of a young woman, Leonardo’s daughter, to an older man. Her wedding night is interrupted by the arrival of Leonardo’s spurned boyhood sweetheart and the bridegroom’s brother. In reclaiming Leonardo, the wife brings about her death and her former lover. Federico Garcia Lorca’s play Blood Wedding centers on the ill-fated nuptials of Leonardo, a groom in his mid-thirties, and his beautiful young bride (Lorca & Edwards, 2020). The groom has already been married twice and is cruel. Leonardo is meant to marry a young woman named Bride, whom he does not truly love, as she is too meek for him. Their marriage sets off a tragic series of events that end with the murder of Leonardo and his new wife by the bride’s brother. Even though the external forces in Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding may seem inconsequential to the reader, they are undoubtedly essential to moving the play forward.
In the play Blood Wedding by Antonio Machado, Lorca’s utilizes social conventions, customs and setting to comment on society and relationships. Blood Wedding explores the difficulties in achieving happiness through marriage. The play opens on the morning of Leonardo’s wedding to a girl who he neither loves nor is even fond of. His passion has always remained with the bride, with who he was once romantically involved but broke ties. In the play, it is established that the bride does not love her future husband either, showing how she feels doomed to a life of misery despite her upcoming marriage ((Lorca & Edwards, 2020). Due to her initial interest in Leonardo, she seems more confident and subsequently more appealing to Leonardo’s mother than her mother-in-law would like. The conflict between these two women illustrates a timeless struggle for power and control over family matters, which seems to affect everyone’s life negatively throughout the play. Leonardo’s mother feels that since she was the one who made it possible for him to make his fortune, he should be loyal and follow her will regarding when and whom he should marry. However, Leonardo is insistent that he should have a say in this matter, as it affects his and others’ happiness, such as his wife’s. Despite his best efforts, though, he cannot escape from his mother.
A literary analysis of “Blood Wedding” by Federico Garcia Lorca reveals the inner beauty and darker sides of human nature as reflected through this timeless play. Blood Wedding, a tragedy by Frederico Garcia Lorca, explores the nature of tragedy through the story of Leonardo Felix, his wife and their lovers. Lorca presents tragically flawed characters throughout the play. Leonardo’s impulsive nature is seen in his violent pursuit. His lover Leonardo feels at home only in a prison cell. The bride herself is torn between two men (Lorca & Edwards, 2020). These characters are all doomed to failure, but they refuse to acknowledge their situation or change their behavior.
The tragedy has been shown to center around the proverbial wedding that would not occur. The play positions aspects and elements such as blood, the moon, and land and serves as a focal point for the plot; these serve to frame the wedding and block it from occurring. Blood Wedding focuses on the tragedy of a bride who loses herself to illicit love- this love and a desire to follow passion destroy the entire society. The whole process of Christina’s re-education and the subsequent breakdown of her marriage is not presented in any crude or naive way.’ (Russell)’
In conclusion, while the external forces in Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding may seem inconsequential to the reader, they are undoubtedly essential to moving the play forward. Without realizing it, people often say things or act in ways that foreshadow and dramatically impact the course of a story. Similarly, actions that may seem casual and commonplace on the surface end up having consequences that radically alter a character’s path. In Blood Wedding, even seemingly insignificant details, actions, and conversations play important roles and set off chains of events. These events are often emotional or violent and usually result in death, affecting the characters for generations.
Reference
Lorca, F. G., & Edwards, G. (2020). Blood wedding. Bloomsbury Publishing.