Drama Themes Blood Wedding
Major Themes
Generational conflict
Although the most prominent conflict in Blood Wedding is between the Bridegroom and Leonardo Felix, generational conflict plays a subtler and more insidious role in the tragic events. The Bride rebels openly against the social mores of her parents' generation; her actions can be read as a response to feeling trapped by the limited prospects that a woman had at this place and time. Although he is a man, the Bridegroom is similarly constrained, constantly having to explain his life decisions to Mother, who cannot understand why he would take the risk of associating with Leonardo Felix's former love. Although he tries to incorporate Mother into his life, allowing her to live with himself and the Bride, she refuses, clinging adamantly to the past, as represented by her house near the cemetery.
Gender roles
In Blood Wedding, García Lorca presents several opposing views of women's proper role in society. Mother and the Mother-in-Law both advocate for women being cloistered behind "thick walls" after marriage, for their personal safety as well as to preserve their fragile psyches. The Bride feels constrained by the obligation to marry at all, let alone to be sealed away from society for the rest of her days. Although she does not love the Bridegroom, she appreciates that he will be a good husband and provider, but marrying for either wealth or pure sexual passion seems unpleasant to her. The Bride's struggle to find a middle way ultimately proves fruitless, and her excruciating dilemma is representative of the situations of many rural women in similarly untenable situations.
Physical and emotional isolation
The characters in the play frequently discuss the isolation of the Bride's farmhouse from the rest of the town. Similarly, the Neighbour mentions that Mother only rarely leaves her own house to visit friends or do errands. The physical isolation of the play's female characters reflects their emotional alienation--in
Generational conflict
Although the most prominent conflict in Blood Wedding is between the Bridegroom and Leonardo Felix, generational conflict plays a subtler and more insidious role in the tragic events. The Bride rebels openly against the social mores of her parents' generation; her actions can be read as a response to feeling trapped by the limited prospects that a woman had at this place and time. Although he is a man, the Bridegroom is similarly constrained, constantly having to explain his life decisions to Mother, who cannot understand why he would take the risk of associating with Leonardo Felix's former love. Although he tries to incorporate Mother into his life, allowing her to live with himself and the Bride, she refuses, clinging adamantly to the past, as represented by her house near the cemetery.
Gender roles
In Blood Wedding, García Lorca presents several opposing views of women's proper role in society. Mother and the Mother-in-Law both advocate for women being cloistered behind "thick walls" after marriage, for their personal safety as well as to preserve their fragile psyches. The Bride feels constrained by the obligation to marry at all, let alone to be sealed away from society for the rest of her days. Although she does not love the Bridegroom, she appreciates that he will be a good husband and provider, but marrying for either wealth or pure sexual passion seems unpleasant to her. The Bride's struggle to find a middle way ultimately proves fruitless, and her excruciating dilemma is representative of the situations of many rural women in similarly untenable situations.
Physical and emotional isolation
The characters in the play frequently discuss the isolation of the Bride's farmhouse from the rest of the town. Similarly, the Neighbour mentions that Mother only rarely leaves her own house to visit friends or do errands. The physical isolation of the play's female characters reflects their emotional alienation--in