BLOOD WEDDING

Written in 1932, this is the first of Lorcaâs ârural trilogyâ and tells the story of a couple drawn irresistibly together in the face of an arranged marriage. This tragic and poetic play is the work on which Lorca's international reputation was founded.Blood Wedding is about a bride who, on her wedding day, elopes to the forest with a previous lover, Leonardo, who was linked to the killing of her new father-in-law. Hunted down in the forest, the groom and Leonardo fight and both are killed. The bride emerges from the forest, her dress stained with blood, and, we guess, on her way to be sacrificed for her sins. It is a poetic and highly symbolic play, with the frequent allusion to orange blossoms representing the sanctity of wedding vows, and the azahar flower symbolizing virginity. As with his other plays, Blood Wedding considers the restrictions placed on the individual by society; the Bride must curb her love for another man because an arrangement has been made for a marriage for her. Methuen Student Editions are expertly annotated texts of a wide range of plays from the modern and classic repertoires. As well as the complete text of the play itself, the volume contains a chronology of the playwright's life and work; an introduction giving the background to the play; a discussion of the various interpretations; notes on individual words and phrases in the text; and photographs from stage productions.