blood wedding - act i, scene iii [remix]
In the third and final scene in act one, the Mother and the Bridegroom go to the Bride's house, out in the middle of a barren wasteland, where they meet the Bride's Maid and her Father. The Father, old, tells the Mother of his dead wife and his desire to see his daughter marry. He talks about the dreams he had for his land had he had sons. The Bride enters and everyone seems to be content that the two get married as soon as possible. After the Father escorts the visitors out the Bride reveals she actually has doubts about marriage. The Maid is eager to see the gifts that the Bridegroom brought, but the Bride's rotten behavior spoils any fun she might have. As evening draws to night the Maid innocently asks the Bride if she was aware that Leonardo has been coming to their house at night on horse back to watch the Bride through open windows. This flusters her a great deal until they hear the sound of horse hooves and realize while all this had been going on Leonardo had been under their window, eavesdropping.
While I was doing research the other day at the local library I discovered a Spanish edition of the play edited with footnotes by Tomás Rodríguez, and while many of the notes appear in other English editions there were some new insights that helped me understand the play a little more. I translated the Spanish to my best ability, I am sure there are gross errors, but hopefully not enough to cause a riot.
………………………
Interior of the cave where the Bride lives.[1] Upstage lies a cross made out of numerous pink flowers. The archway doors have lace curtains tied with pink bows. On the white stone walls hang round fans, blue earthenware mugs and small mirrors. The Bridegroom and his Mother enter and sit down. The Mother is dressed all in black satin and wears an embroidered mantilla. The Bridegroom wears black velveteen along with great gold chain.
Maid: Please, come in … [she is very good natured yet full of misleading mildness] Do you want to sit down? They will be here shortly.
[She leaves. Mother and Bridegroom remain seated, rigid like statues. Long pause]
Mother: Did you wear your watch?
Bridegroom: Yes. [he removes it and looks at it]
Mother: We must return home in good time. These people live so far away!
Bridegroom: But the earth is good here.
Mother: Good; but much too lonely. Four hours to the nearest road and not a tree or a house on the way!
Bridegroom: It is a wasteland.
Mother: Your father would have covered all of this in trees.
Bridegroom: How? Without water?
Mother: He would have found it. For the three whole years while we were married he planted ten cherry trees. [lost in memory], the three walnuts up by the mill, a whole vineyard and a fiery plant called a Jupiter that has blood red flowers … but it died. [2] [pause]
Bridegroom: She must be getting dressed now.
[Enter the Father of the Bride. He is old, with brilliant white hair; his head is tipped. The Mother and the Bridegroom rise and shake his hand in silence.]
Father: Was it a long trip for you?
Mother: Four hours. [they all sit]
Father: You must have come by the longest route there is, then.
Mother: I am too old to walk by the high cliff down by the river.
Bridegroom: She gets dizzy. [pause]
Father: It was a good alfalfa harvest.
Bridegroom: Really? That is good.
Father: In my time, not even alfalfa would grow on this earth. You had to punish it. Cry over it. Suffer before it would provide us with anything.
Mother: But now it gives plenty, I see. Still, you should not complain. I did not come here to ask you for anything.
Father: [smiling] You are richer than I. Your vineyards are worth a fortune. Each sprig is a silver dollar. I am only sorry that our lands … you understand? … are so far apart. To me, I like everything together. There is only one thorn I have deep in my heart … and it is for the little garden lost in the middle of my property … they do not want to sell it to me for all the gold in the world.
Bridegroom: That always happens.
Father: If we could yoke twenty pairs of oxen to bring your vineyards here and put them all together on a hill — what joy! …
Mother: Why?
Father: For this very reason — what is mine is hers and what is yours is his — in order to see it together all, of course, because together is beautiful!
Bridegroom: And it would be less work.
Mother: When I die, you can sell our land and buy something here alongside yours.
Father: Sell? Sell! Bah! Buy, woman, buy everything. If I had had sons I would have bought this whole mountain, as far as the river. It is not good earth; but with arms and muscle one can make it good and since strangers do not pass this way nobody steals my fruit and I can sleep peacefully at night. [pause]
Mother: Do you know why I am here?
Father: Yes.
Mother: So?
Father: It seems fine to me. And they have talked it over.
Mother: My son is generous and productive.
Father: My daughter is as well.
Mother: My son is beautiful. He has never been with a woman. His honor is as pure as a sheet put out under the sun.[3]
Father: What can I say to you about my daughter? She makes breakfast [4] at three o'clock in the morning while the morning star is still awake. She never gossips; her temper is as smooth as wool. She embroiders all sorts of decorations and can cut a rope with her teeth.
Mother: May God bless your house.
Father: Yes, may God bless it.
[the Maid appears with two trays — one with wine glasses and other with sugar candy]
Mother: [to the Bridegroom] When do you want the wedding?
Bridegroom: Next Thursday.
Father: The very day she turns twenty-two.
Mother: Twenty-two years! That would be the age of my older son … if he had lived. And how he would have lived — warm and so very male as he was — if men had not invented the knives.
Father: We should not think about that.
Mother: My hand on my heart, every minute of the day.
Father: Thursday then? Is that correct?
Bridegroom: Yes, it is.
Father: Since the church is so far away you and me and the bride and groom will go in a carriage together. And the wedding guests will travel in their own and on their horses.
Mother: Yes. Good.
[The Maid enters]
Father: Tell my daughter that she can now come in. [to the Mother] I will rejoice if you like her.
[The Bride enters with her hands held modestly and her head bowed]
Mother: Come closer. Are you willing to do this?
Bride: Yes, señora.
Father: You do not have to be so solemn. After it is over she is going to be your mother.
Bride: But I am willing. When I said it, it was because I meant it.
Mother: Naturally. [She takes the Bride by the chin] Look at me now.
Father: She is the very image of my wife — in every way.
Mother: Is she? What a beautiful expression she has! Do you know what being married means, child?
Bride [serious]: I know what being married is.
Mother: One man, then some children and a thick wall to block out the entire world. [5]
Bridegroom: What else is there?
Mother: I just ask that you both live. Just that, live!
Bride: I will know know my duty.
Mother: Here are some small gifts for you.
Bride: Thank you.
Father: Shall we all have a little something?
Mother: No, nothing for me. [to the Bridegroom] Will you have something?
Bridegroom: Yes, I will. [Takes a sugar candy. The Bride takes one as well]
Father [to the Bridegroom]: Wine?
Mother: No, he never touches it.
Father: Ah, all the better! [pause, all are standing up]
Bridegroom [to the Bride]: Tomorrow I will return.
Bride: At what time?
Bridegroom: At five o'clock.
Bride: I will be waiting for you.
Bridegroom: When I leave from your side … I feel a great loneliness and get a knot in my throat as well.
Bride: When you are my husband you will no longer feel that way.
Bridegroom: Yes, I think so too.
Mother: We must go. The sun does not wait. [to the Father] Is everything favorable to you?
Father: Very favorable.
Mother [to the Maid]: Good bye.
Maid: May God walk with you.
[The Mother kisses the Bride and begins to leave in silence]
Mother [at the door, turning]: Good bye, my daughter.
[The Bride answers with a wave of the hand]
Father: I will see you out. [they all leave]
Maid: I am bursting to see these gifts!
Bride [bitterly]: Stop it!
Maid: Ai!, girl, show them to me!
Bride: I do not want to.
Maid: At least the stockings. They say they are all lace. Please!
Bride: I said no!
Maid: By God's heaven! All right. It seems as if you do not have any desire to get married.
Bride [biting her own hand with rage]: Ai! Ai! Ai!
Maid: Child! Girl! what has happened to you? Are you sorry to leave your life of playing a little queen? Do not think about such hateful things. What is your reasoning? None. Let's look at the gifts. [She takes them from box]
Bride [grabbing her by the wrists]: Let go!
Maid: Ai!, girl!
Bride: I said, let go!
Maid: You have more strength than a man.
Bride: What can't I be a man? I have done a man's work! How I wish I was a man!
Maid: Do not speak so!
Bride: I said shut up! Forget it. Let's talk about another subject.
[The light begins to fade. A long pause]
Maid: Did you hear a horse last night?
Bride: At what time?
Maid: Around three in the morning.
Bride: It must be a lost horse from the herd. [6]
Maid: No, it had a rider.
Bride: How do you know that?
Maid: Because I saw him. He stood under your window. It gave me a fright, I tell you.
Bride: It must have been that man I am about to marry. Sometimes he comes by at those hours.
Maid: No, it was not him.
Bride: So … did you see him?
Maid: Yes.
Bride: Who was it?
Maid: Leonardo.
Bride [loudly]: A lie! You lie! Why would he come here?
Maid: He was here.
Bride: Shut up! Damn your words!
[The noise of a horse galloping away is heard]
Maid [rushing to the window]: Look! Look — was it him?
Bride [pause]: Yes, it was.
[Fast curtains]
Footnotes
1. Interior of the cave. The idea that the Bride somehow lived in a cave, which is also described as a house, seemed a bit odd; however, Rodríguez (1987) noted, "Granada y Almería, cuyas viviendas son cuevas excavadas …" (58) which I translated loosely as in "Granada and Almeria, [there are] houses built into the sides of mountains and hills," which would explain the stage directions.
2. A fiery plant called a Jupiter Over an over again in this play Federico introduces to us images and symbols of combustible, furious love and the passionate natures of the characters. Here, a short lived, fiery plant named after the great Roman patriarch Jupiter symbolizes the brief marriage of the Mother with her dead husband.
3. His honor is as pure as a sheet. It is curious that the Mother is the first to bring up the fact that her son is a virgin. Rodríguez (1987) writes, "El tema de la honra, que preside la vida callada y. dura de los ambientes rurales, es subrayado por las palabras de la Madre" (61); the meaning more or less is that the subject of honor is of the up most importance in rural life, which is why the Mother stresses it so. If you consider it from that point of view, the actions of other characters as the drama increases is a little more understandable.
4. She makes breakfast. I took a little liberty here. The Spanish is "Hace las migas," "She makes migas;" which Rodríguez (1987) says is "Plato a base de pan desmenuzado y frito en aceite …" (ibid.); a dish of bread crumbled fried in olive oil. I can only assume the reason she would wake so early to make this is to feed the farmhands before they go out to the field, thus breakfast.
5. A thick wall to block out the entire world. With such strong gender roles — men working outside the house, women more or less prisoners inside — Federico can easily use the great stone wall as a metaphor for thwarted and frustrated love.
6. A lost horse from the herd. Again, this image of Leonardo as desire out of control, a force unchecked, is brought home in an image of the stray horse from the "common" herd.
Works Cited
Rodríguez, Tomás. Bodas de sangre / Federico García Lorca. Madrid: Ediciones Anaya. (1987)