Blood Wedding

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Act I

Reading Check

1. What is the only stage direction given for the play’s opening scene?

2. What wish does the Bridegroom’s mother make to her son?

3. Why doesn’t the Bridegroom’s mother want to move away from her home?

4. What unfortunate event happened to Rafael?

5. Which agreement do the Bridegroom’s mother and the Bride’s father come to?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Describe how the Bridegroom’s mother reacts to her new in-laws. Which person is she most interested in learning about?

2. What news does the Bridegroom’s mother learn about her son’s bride-to-be’s past? How does she react?

3. Summarize the plot of the lullaby that Leonardo’s wife and mother-in-law sing to the baby.

4. Describe the conversation between the Bride and the Maid. What does the Maid reveal to her employer?

Paired Resources

“Federico García Lorca”

• LGBT History Month explores Lorca’s relationship with the LGBTQ community
• His personal history relates to the themes of The Incompatibility of Desire and the Social Order and Women as Casualties.
• Based on the text and the above resource, how did Lorca’s work extend beyond the heteronormative social order of early 20th-century Spanish society?

“Negotiating Cultural Exchange. Federico García Lorca on the British Stage from the Spanish Civil War Until the Mid-Fifties”

• Bastianes’s 2022 article examines the impact of Lorca’s plays on audiences in the UK.
• This academic source connects with the themes of The Incompatibility of Desire and the Social Order, Women as Casualties, and Fate and the Tragic Cost of Honor.
• Based on the text and the above resources, which themes in Lorca’s plays resonated with audiences in the UK?

Act II

Reading Check

1. Who is the first guest to arrive at the Bride’s house?

2. What type of garland is the Bride going to wear?

3. According to Leonardo, what is “the worst punishment on Earth?”

4. What is the Bridegroom’s mother’s dream?

5. What material is the garland made of?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. According to the stage direction, what is the opening scene of Act II?

2. What does the Bridegroom’s mother say to the Bride’s father when she sees Leonardo and his wife? How does her husband respond?

3. What announcement does Leonardo’s wife make before they go to the church? How does Leonardo respond?

4. In Scene II, many of the characters interact with each other briefly and in passing. Summarize these interactions.

Paired Resources

“Evocation, Inspiration, and Ignition—A.C.T.’s Blood Wedding Brings the Spirit of Duende to Life”

• American Contemporary Theater’s 2020 article discusses the role of duende in Lorca’s play.
• The concept of duende links with the themes of The Incompatibility of Desire and the Social Order and Fate and the Tragic Cost of Honor.
• Based on both the resources in this unit and the text, how does the concept of duende link to Lorca’s use of symbolism in his plays?

“Blood Wedding Trailer (1981)”

• Director Carlos Saura brings Lorca’s play to life in his 1981 adaptation.
• This film adaptation connects with the same themes of the play: The Incompatibility of Desire and the Social Order, Women as Casualties, and Fate and the Tragic Cost of Honor.
• Based on the text and the above resource, how does Saura’s adaptation maintain the integrity of Lorca’s original script through his new presentation?

Act III

Reading Check

1. According to the First Woodcutter, what “proved stronger?”

2. Who does the Bridegroom say that his arm belongs to?

3. What do the Bride and Leonardo resolve to do together at the end of their conversation?

4. According to the stage direction notes, how does the Beggar Woman appear at the end of the conversation between the Bride and Leonardo?

5. What information does the Beggar Woman tell the young girls?

6. Who visits the Neighbor and the Bridegroom’s mother?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Which two characters converse at the beginning of Act III? Summarize the focus of this conversation.

2. What does the Bridegroom ask of the Beggar Woman? How does she respond?

3. Summarize the conversation between the Bride and Leonardo. What do their words reveal about their feelings for each other?

4. What does Leonardo’s mother-in-law tell her daughter, Leonardo’s wife? Why does she give her this advice?

5. Who is to blame for the men’s death? Which theme does this connect to?

6. Based on the stage direction, what is the play’s closing scene?

Recommended Next Reads 

The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca

• Lorca’s play, which was published posthumously in 1945, follows the lives of matriarch Bernarda and her daughters in rural Spain.
• Shared themes include The Incompatibility of Desire and the Social Order, Women as Casualties, and Fate and the Tragic Cost of Honor.
• Shared topics include the role of women in rural Spain (please note: the above edition includes relevant insight on the influences of the Naturalism and Symbolism movements on Lorca’s plays in the “Commentary” section).
• The House of Bernarda Alba on SuperSummary

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

• Shakespeare’s infamous 1595 tragedy centers on the forbidden and doomed love of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet.
• Shared themes include The Incompatibility of Desire and the Social Order, Women as Casualties, and Fate and the Tragic Cost of Honor.
• Shared topics include the play format, forbidden love and desire, and tragedy.
• Romeo and Juliet on SuperSummary