Imagery is heavily utilized in Federico Garcia Lorca's "Blood Wedding," with particular emphasis on the imagery of knives, flowers, water, and blood.
At the beginning of the play, the Mother's entire focus is on knives; however, during the wedding scene, flowers become the main theme. Water represents purity and life, while blood symbolizes family ties and vitality. Knives, a traditional representation of death, are featured prominently in Lorca's play as a symbol for murder and hatred. The mother is very vocal about her hatred towards knives due to her husband and second son being killed with them by the Felix family. She exclaims, "The knife, the knife! Damn the knife, damn all knives, damn the devil who created knives." 1
The mother is astonished by how something as small as a pistol or knife could kill her powerfu
...l husband, as portrayed in Lorca's play. The world depicted in the play seems to be more focused on the knives themselves, as if they controlled the people who use them. This is illustrated by the beggar woman commanding the knives where to go, almost as if they act independently. She even suggests that they are like fish out of water when not in their natural element, sheathed in flesh.
The play features recurring knife imagery, which often foreshadows death. The most haunting instance is at the end, with lines describing a small knife that slides coldly through flesh and causes a screaming, quivering pain. Alternatively, the image of a flower represents hope, unity, and nature. This image is primarily associated with weddings and love between a man and a woman, tying into the natural vs. supernatural theme.
The traditio
of offering the orange blossom to the bride by the groom serves as a symbolic representation of his unwavering love and devotion. This delicate flower, which is usually made of wax, entails two different interpretations, either signifying the enduring and everlasting love between the couple or exposing the falsity and insincerity of their union. Although our subconscious inclination is towards the former, it becomes evident that the latter holds more truth as the bride casually discards the blossom offered to her by the servant before the wedding ceremony. Additionally, flowers signify celebration and joyousness, elements that are evident as the bride and servant revel in singing and dancing prior to the doomed wedding.
Throughout the play, the flower is portrayed as a natural element and is reinforced to us through strange poems, songs, and nursery rhymes that may be prophetic. The natural element of the flower is particularly evident at the end when both Leonardo's and the bride's eyes are described as "broken flowers." Water, on the other hand, has various meanings in the play - it symbolizes life and renewal, but it also has a more sinister side and is associated with drowning and tears. The renewal aspect of water is depicted in a nursery rhyme sung to the child by the mother-in-law and wife about the unwillingness of a horse to drink.
The characters in the play seem to desire a sense of rejuvenation and vitality, but are uncertain about how to attain it. Memories of loved ones frequently evoke tears. Moreover, water represents the passage of time, as the servant sings about the turning of the wheel...
The phrase "Was pouring by'6"
implies that nature will follow its path unaffected by humans, and it interacts with the surroundings, like the wheel, which represents supernatural forces in this tragic story. Furthermore, fire is a recurring motif that signifies guilt, and water extinguishes its thirst as in the line "I was a woman on fire...".
The girl is engulfed in flames, which signifies her sense of guilt and unrest about her marriage to her groom. Water is used as a powerful symbol of life and cleansing of burdens, washing away the flames and guilt. However, the symbolism takes on a more ominous tone with the "big, dark, river" that carries torn up trees as a representation of Leonardo and his painful past. He is compared to the dark river, implying that he possesses unwholesome depths and emotions and has a tendency to destroy the precious living things around him.
The significance of blood in the play is twofold. Firstly, it represents life and family bonds, as it is a natural element. Secondly, it takes on the aspect of death, as demonstrated by the mother's statement: "So it is terrible...
The play explores deep themes through the use of powerful imagery such as knives, flowers, water, and blood. The mother holds her son's blood in high regard, feeling his pain even more acutely than he did. Her pain continues to linger while her son's has passed with him. This underscores the importance placed on family, which is further highlighted by the mother's ongoing animosity towards the Felix family and her potentially unwarranted disgust towards Leonardo.
The use of knives symbolizes death and hatred, while flowers represent renewal and nature. Water symbolizes purity
and engulfment, and blood symbolizes the family as well as the coming of life and death. Together, these images create a powerful story that relies more on visual imagery rather than words. This is an effective way to engage readers and leave a lasting impression on their minds.
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