Federico Garcia Lorca and "Blood Wedding"
Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish playwright, wrote the tragic play "Blood Wedding." It was created in 1932 and premiered in Madrid in 1933 before being played in Buenos Aires later that year. Even today, it is still being screened in theaters all over the globe. It is in the country tragedy subgenre.
The Feminist Perspective
Blood Wedding can be interpreted from a feminist perspective. According to feminism, men and women should be treated equally because they have historically been subjugated by one another. According to feminism, men in general and in particular subjugate women. They are frequently viewed as tools, sex items, and creatures of evil. As a result, the women do not get free will. They are not given any names or status (Kousar and Sarfaz 4404).
Oppression of Women
The oppression of women is depicted in biological sense, linguistic, psychoanalytic, and socioeconomic levels. The man defines what being female is, and he controls the politics, economics, social, literary aspects, and just most parts of the society (Bonalodd 5).
Biological Outlook
A feminist approach in a biological outlook criticizes how a woman's body parts are used in this play. An instance is a female neighbor who praises the face of a woman for being beautiful and glowing (Lorca 11). The woman is displayed as a goddess of physical beauty. Leonardo tells the bride that it is only natural he is attracted to her and credits that to her attractive physical form (Lorca 54). The snake is used to depict a woman in a way that implies a woman, treachery, and fertility. The woman can be viewed to be referred to as a snake indirectly.
Linguistic Level
On a linguistic level language has been shown as the subject of the authoritative man. The man orders the woman, such as the bridegroom, uncourteous asking his mother to be quiet. A woman is unable to share her opinions, thoughts, or feelings to the male equivalent. There is no opportunity for the woman to get an audience. Leonardo is curt and rude to his wife. He asks her to shut up when she asks him where he wants to go (Lorca 17).The bride’s father lectures her when she meets the mother-in-law officially. He asks her to cheer up as she had just met her future mother and that she is in luck to marry. The women are oppressed with a little or no say on issues. That is not just the case with Spain back then, but also in other parts of the world, and even to the present day.
Social and Cultural Factors
The mother states that women are limited to being wives and mothers. Once married her life stops as it supposedly cannot go beyond the two roles. Society also does not allow a woman to have the option of choosing who to marry, as shown in the setting of the drama. The woman in Lorca's society is regarded as decent if she follows that norm, the bride's father had hoped that she would not elope with a man, and so refuses to believe when she runs with Leonardo. The society is shown to value sons more than daughters for their masculine strength to harvest in the land, as heard between the father and the mother in their dialogue (Lorca 20). The father expresses his wish for their children to have a lot of descendants especially sons to till the land. The Spanish society has secured land for boys only. The male children are sole heirs of property. Women are in a miserable life of dependency as they rely on men who do not respect them. Leonardo's wife lives a terrible life, where she gives love but receives none. Her only role is to fulfill his sexual desires. Women are seen to promote the man's authority, as seen in the way the mother tells the son on how to control his bride. She stresses on how to make the bride feel the son is the man, by submitting to him, for instance by making meals for him (Lorca 20). The authority of women is entirely canceled out in the society of the play. The characters of women that are held in high regard are docility, not bossiness. The father praises his daughter about how she prepares bread early in the morning, is soft-spoken, and is good at chores (Lorca 20). The mother restates the same referring to her ability to do regular home activities as a housewife. Feminists have viewed marriage as an oppressive ground which enforces sexual inequality between a man and a woman and causes women to be domesticated. It denies them the opportunities to be educated or to be in leadership as some of the disadvantages to the woman. Some individuals are under the illusion that a lady's marriage will always lead to joy. The servant focuses on how the wedding is going to be as a bouquet of flowers. She states that the bride is going to be lucky to kiss a man and to feel his weight. She seems not to consider the limitations marriage brings a woman. Feminism in a psychological level asserts that women are defined by the society. The perception of a pure woman and the one of a housewife are established in the Spanish culture of the Lorca's piece. The mother states that she likes girls who can make lace, a role reserved for women (Lorca 20). Women may end up having a low opinion of themselves. The bride states she wishes she were male (Lorca 55). From physical appearances in how women are painted in the play, the language, and the attitude of society to women, a conclusion arises. A view of feminism and objective truth shows that women have suffered at the hands of men and society in 'Blood Wedding'.
Themes in "Blood Wedding"
Some of the themes explored in 'Blood Wedding' include violence, language, motherhood, masculinities and femininities, and the institution of marriage. Each theme sheds light on the gender dynamics in the play.
Violence
The idea of violence is outstanding. The bridegroom is seething with anger on hearing that Leonardo escaped with his bride. He swears to kill Leonardo for escaping with his bride and goes baying for his blood, in the company of the other men. Leonardo and the bridegroom end up violently killing each other.
Language
Language, as reflected in the above section, has been used to despise women. Men talk with an authoritarian language to women. Leonardo dismisses the girl, the mother-in-law, and his wife in one scene in his anger. He impolitely addresses his wife and refuses to grant her an audience when she asks where he goes (Lorca 17). The bridegroom is mocking to his mother to sarcastically tell her that knives are for cutting grapes off vines (Lorca 7).
Motherhood
Motherhood is one of the themes in the play, being one of the implied gender roles in the play. The mother and the mother-in-law all agree that women belong to the house after marriage, for their safety and their weak spirits. The bride feels limited for to being obliged to that institution that seals her for life. The bride’s role will be being a wife and then a mother of children, as her society has recommended.
Masculinities and Femininities
Masculinities and femininities are a common aspect of the play. 'Blood Wedding' is set in a society that sharply puts a distinction between men and women. The males are considered leaders and top decision-makers. They choose who to marry while the women lack that privilege. The bridegroom addresses his mother as her leader, from the standpoint that he is male. He instructs her to hand him a knife (Lorca 17). The bride's father shows a marked preference for male descendants for he could have bought the land, something he did not do for the daughter. He wishes her daughter got male children more. The women are widely regarded as servants who answer to the men. They bride resents the fact that she had no choice in her marriage. She would have chosen to wed Leonardo instead off the bridegroom. Social class is accorded more to males. They are given more respect and are the preferred leaders. They use women as a symbol of status in the society. A beautiful woman elevates a man's status in the society of the play. It also grants a woman more social standing once she is married. Unmarried women are shown to lack an identity (Allen 201).
Institution of Marriage
The institution of marriage is addressed lengthily in 'Blood Wedding,' giving a picture of it in the setting of the play. Marriage is painted as a happy affair for the woman, such as in the case of the servant who likens it to a bouquet of flowers. The mother also praises the institution and the way it allows the bride to be a mother and a wife. The bride is, however, worried that entering into a marriage is going to limit her life. The mother-in-law and the father are pleased that the bride is hardworking. They perceive that she will be a good wife, subservient and hardworking, as her society dictates. Some people are conflicted in their marriages, as displayed by the bride and Leonardo who have both married the wrong persons but decide to overcome that and get together (Lorca 55).
Reception of "Blood Wedding" in the UK
Here is the reception of the play in the UK. The play has a robust and realistic plot. It is set in a small-town community that is stuck in old ways for a long time. Most characters in the play are named as per their roles. That reflects the nature of a traditional society. The rigidity of the old mentalities in the drama is criticized (Fisher).
Conclusion
To sum up, the play by Lorca is a Spanish rural tragedy. A feminist approach is taken in the essay to address all the injustices against women for their gender. The central themes and motifs of the play comprise marriage, gender, and family. They are all analyzed in this essay. A UK reception of the drama indicates that the primitivism of the society in the play is shunned.
Works Cited
Allen, Rupert C. Psyche and Symbol in the Theater of Federico Garcia Lorca. USA: The University of Texas Printing Division, Austin, 1974. e-book.
Bonalodd, Federico. A Companion to Frederico Garcia Lorca. Wood bridge: Boydell & Brewer Ltd., 2007.
Fisher, Mark. "Blood Wedding Review." The Guardian 10 March 2015. . [Accessed May 30 2017]
Kousar, Rehana & Sarfaz, Nida. "Feminist Analysis of Lorca's "Blood Wedding."" European Academic Research (2014): 4404-4411.
Lorca, Federico Garcia. Blood Wedding. Trans. Simon Scardifield. London: NHB, 2005.
