Study Questions
1. Why doesn’t the Mother like to see her son carrying a knife?

2. What did the Bridegroom have to do before proposing marriage?

3. The lullaby that the Mother-in-Law and Wife sing to the baby seems to be an omen. What is strange about this song? Is it a typical song for a child?

4. Why are the Mother-in-Law and Wife impressed by the news of the girl?

5. Why is it a bad omen when the Father says of his daughter, “She’s like my wife, in every way”?

Answers
1. The knife reminds her of human mortality and the fact that her husband and eldest son have been murdered.

2. The Bridegroom had to secure his future by buying a vineyard.

3. The lullaby contains images of blood, death and suffering, a strange topic for a song meant for a baby.

4. The Mother-in-Law and Wife are impressed by material wealth. The news of fine lace stockings and the fact that the Bridegroom bought “the best of everything” impresses them greatly.

5. It is a bad omen because in Scene 1 the Mother learned from the Neighbor that the Bride’s mother did not love her husband.