Characters Discussed
The Bride
The Bride, a rich man’s daughter who was engaged to Leonardo some years ago, when she was fifteen years old. She does not truly love the Bridegroom, but the families consider theirs a good match. She will marry him and try to make the best of it because she can never be with Leonardo. She would like to forget Leonardo and live honorably with her husband, but she is helpless when she hears Leonardo’s voice. At the wedding reception, she tells the Bridegroom that she would like to rest a little before they dance. Instead, she rides away with Leonardo on his horse. Fleeing with him, she realizes her mistake and begs Leonardo to run away from her so that she will die alone. Instead, the two men kill each other, and she returns to the church hoping that the Bridegroom’s Mother will kill her. The two women reflect on the men they have lost to knives.
The Bridegroom
The Bridegroom, a rich young man who has bought a valuable vineyard and is now ready to marry a woman he has known for three years. As the wedding approaches, he is happy and eager; he loves the Bride and looks forward to his future as husband, father, and landowner. He dismisses all talk about the Bride’s former engagement because it was so long ago and cannot possibly matter now. At the wedding, he is both tender and demanding; the last thing he says to his wife is that she had better be ready to satisfy him sexually that night. When he learns that his wife has run away, he immediately gets on a horse and chases her. In the ensuing fight, he and Leonardo kill each other.
Leonardo Félix
Leonardo Félix, who has been married to a cousin of the Bride for two years. He has never stopped loving the Bride, to whom he was once engaged. They were not permitted to marry because Leonardo is not wealthy; he and his wife barely have enough money to get by. As the Bride’s wedding approaches, he rides by her home more frequently, even in the middle of the night, and one morning he goes to tell her how her marriage will hurt him. As a member of the Bride’s extended family, he attends the wedding. He convinces the Bride to run away with him. When the Bridegroom overtakes them, he and Leonardo kill each other with their knives.
Leonardo’s Wife
Leonardo’s Wife, the mother of his baby child. Although she has been married to Leonardo for two years, she is jealous of the feelings she suspects he still has for the Bride. She tells Leonardo that the neighbors have seen him riding far across the plains when he was supposedly out working; the wife suspects, correctly, that he was trying to see the Bride. She is the first to notice Leonardo’s disappearance from the wedding. When she next sees him, he has run away with the Bride and been killed.
The Bridegroom’s Mother
The Bridegroom’s Mother, a widow whose husband and older son were both murdered by members of the Félix family. She has reservations about the upcoming wedding, for reasons she does not fully understand; part of her worry is that when the Bridegroom leaves home, she will be alone. She also fears knives and other weapons. She carries out her role as mother of the groom, advising the Bridegroom on presents to buy for his bride and working out the wedding arrangements. She carries a sense of foreboding throughout. In the end, her remaining son is indeed...
(This entire section contains 632 words.)
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killed, with a knife, by a member of the Félix family, just as she has always feared.
Characters
Beggar Woman
See Death, Old Woman
Bride
The Bride is the final major character introduced in the first act of the play.
The sequence of introductions—first the Bridegroom and Mother, then Leonardo,
and finally the Bride—may reflect their levels of social power and influence.
Unlike Leonardo, who has the freedom to initiate events and tragedy, the Bride
is a character confined to her home, waiting for events to unfold around her.
The first significant event in her life is the proposal of marriage. Her
demeanor during the engagement meeting and her conversations with the Servant
reveal her frustration with her situation and her lack of enthusiasm for the
Bridegroom. She agrees to marry him only to erase the memory of Leonardo.
However, she holds onto the hope that she will eventually grow to love her
husband, albeit with a less intense love than she feels for Leonardo. By
eloping with Leonardo, the Bride acknowledges that both she and her lover are
doomed. This act of rebellion and expression of her suppressed desires
illustrates her passionate nature.
Bridegroom
Among the key characters in the play, the Bridegroom is perhaps the least
intriguing. Unlike Leonardo, the Bride, and the Mother, he lacks inner conflict
and profound emotions. He is a simple, satisfied young man who works
diligently, respects his parents, and eagerly anticipates his marriage to the
Bride, believing he has made an excellent match.
Death
Death, also referred to as the Beggar Woman or Old Woman, exists as an outsider
to the play's community, remaining detached from their suffering. In fact, she
seems to derive pleasure from the unfolding events. As Death, she craves every
life she encounters. Her bloodthirsty and emotionally cold nature reflects how
humans perceive death: as an inevitable force that contradicts their desires
and hopes.
Father
The Father aligns with the Bridegroom and stands in contrast to the skeptical
and suspicious Mother. Like the Bridegroom, he is entirely unaware of any
disruptions to the smooth functioning of his world. He is confident in his
daughter's willingness to marry and appears to have completely forgotten or
never known about her past passion for Leonardo. Unlike the Servant, he does
not notice Leonardo's visits to his daughter. Instead, he focuses on how the
marriage will strengthen the already solid status of both families.
First Woodcutter
Similar to the young girls in the play, the Woodcutters act as a chorus,
providing commentary on the main events while remaining on the fringes. They
are fitting characters to introduce the final act. As men who fell living
trees, they symbolize the impending deaths of the two young men. The First
Woodcutter, like the Second Woodcutter, seems to empathize with the lovers'
passion and defiance. "You have to follow the path of your blood," he remarks
about the lovers' rebellion.
Leonardo
Leonardo is the only character in Lorca's play who is given a proper name,
while the others are identified by their societal roles. This unique naming
highlights his role as the protagonist who disrupts the social harmony of his
community. He imposes his own desires over communal norms, causing tragedy for
all the families connected to him. Driven by intense passion, his frantic rides
to and from the Bride's house illustrate his fervor. Leonardo's decisive choice
to forsake his marriage for his enduring love for the Bride occurs only when
she is set to marry another, indicating his possessiveness. As long as the
Bride is unattached, Leonardo can endure their separation. Despite his selfish
and possessive motives, and the suffering he inflicts on many, the play evokes
considerable sympathy for both him and the Bride. The complexity of Leonardo's
character—its appeal and flaws—demonstrates the delicate balance between
assertively pursuing personal desires and engaging in harmful antisocial
behavior.
Moon
The Moon, also referred to as the Young Woodcutter, is personified and given a
character role similar to Death. It appears as a young woodcutter with a pale
face. Like Death, the Moon eagerly anticipates the tragic climax of the lovers'
pursuit. Entering the final act with a yearning for tragedy, the Moon suggests
that tragedy is an inevitable aspect of life, as certain as the moon in the
sky. It offers to illuminate the land with its light, ensuring the lovers have
no place to hide.
Mother
The Mother stands as the most powerful figure in Lorca's play. She intuitively
senses and vocalizes the impending tragedy, often contrasting how things should
be with how they actually unfold. As a wife, mother, and widow who has adhered
to societal norms and duties, she has amassed significant social power
available to women of her time. This power, while substantial, is less direct
than that wielded by men. For instance, her influence over her son is nearly
absolute, showcasing women's indirect control over events outside the home. Her
stoic suffering, particularly from the loss of loved ones, is a prominent theme
in the play. On one hand, her acceptance of life's cruel injustices and her
quiet endurance highlight her remarkable strength of character. However, her
limited involvement in public life leaves her unaware of the Bride's and
Leonardo's histories. Had she not been so confined to the private sphere, she
might have prevented the unfolding tragedy. The play hints that married women
in this society are unfairly excluded from public affairs. When considering
these factors, the Mother's stoicism takes on a different meaning. She supports
the traditional roles assigned to men and women, which limits her potential
influence. In this way, her stoicism resembles quietism, a passive acceptance
of circumstances that could or should be changed.
Mother-in-Law
Leonardo's Mother-in-Law is depicted as a woman scorned by her husband, a fate
soon to befall her daughter. This generational pattern suggests an
inevitability to their plight, implying that some women will always face scorn.
The Mother-in-Law and Wife prepare for the Wife's impending humiliation with a
mix of sorrow and resignation, showing little bitterness. The Mother-in-Law
serves as a companion and source of support for her daughter.
Neighbor
The Neighbor Woman provides critical information to the audience that neither
the Mother nor the Bridegroom could know at the play's outset. An outsider is
necessary to relay this information. In the first act, the Neighbor's
conversation with the Mother reveals the Bride's past relationship with
Leonardo and discloses that Leonardo belongs to the dreaded Félix family,
responsible for the deaths of the Mother's husband and son. This revelation
sets the stage for the play's sense of foreboding and impending tragedy.
Old Woman
Refer to Death, Beggar Woman
Second Woodcutter
The Second Woodcutter joins the First Woodcutter in expressing sympathy for the
fleeing lovers, suggesting that the community "ought to let them go." He wavers
on the likelihood of their successful escape, at one moment declaring that
transgressions are always punished (‘‘But blood that sees the light of day is
drunk up by the earth’’), and at another implying that they might evade
retribution (‘‘There are many clouds and it would be easy for the moon not to
come out’’).
Servant
Unlike the Father, the Bride's Servant is fully aware of the happenings in the
Bride's household. Her interactions with the Bride reveal the Bride's genuine
emotions and frustrations. Throughout the play, the Servant tries to temper the
Bride's feelings by promoting calmness and caution. Despite her enthusiastic
involvement in the wedding events, it is evident that she senses something is
amiss. She strives to protect the Bride from herself and from Leonardo, at one
point pleading with Leonardo to leave the young woman alone: ‘‘Don't you come
near her again.’’
Third Woodcutter
Of the three woodcutters, the Third Woodcutter is the least sympathetic towards
the lovers and remains unconvinced of their escape. His initial words are:
‘‘They'll find them.’’ His subsequent remarks are equally blunt, stating that
‘‘they'll kill them,’’ and that once the ‘‘moon comes out they'll see them.’’
Like Death as the beggar woman, he appears to anticipate a gruesome conclusion
to the events.
Wife
Leonardo's Wife is clearly wronged by her husband's and the Bride's actions.
However, there is little sympathy for her character. This lack of sympathy is
partly because she seems to accept, if not expect, her fate. Her passivity is
essential to the play's overall message. Through her character, the play
highlights how women's happiness largely depends on men's actions. Her
passivity underscores the play's critique of the limited social freedoms
granted to women at the time. It illustrates how women, more so than men, learn
early to curb their desires and aspirations.
Young Girls
Throughout Blood Wedding, young girls appear solo, in pairs, or in
groups at various moments. Their primary role is to lyrically accompany or
comment on the unfolding events, similar to the Woodcutters, acting as a
chorus. For instance, on the wedding day, girls come and go, singing or
chanting wedding songs and verses. This musical addition helps establish the
appropriate solemn yet festive wedding ambiance. In the final scene, two girls
enter, winding a skein of red wool, symbolizing blood. They sing about death
but do not possess detailed information about the wedding or the hunt's
outcome. While their actions and knowledge within the play's events are
realistic, they can also step outside these events to serve as omniscient
commentators.
Young Men
The young men act as counterparts to the young girls during the wedding scenes.
They represent the future of all young men, just as the young girls symbolize
the future of all young women. By interacting on a wedding day, the play hints
at how both the girls and these boys will eventually marry. Together, the young
men and girls emphasize the continuous cycles of life, where marriage happens
as routinely as birth and death.
Young Woodcutter
See The Moon