English HL 23rd February 2012
Blood Wedding – Notes for suggested essay topics
Drawing upon your knowledge of and experience with weddings, are the old boyfriends & girlfriends usually invited? If yes, how should they behave?
· This normally will depend upon the situation; whether their breakup was bad, extremely bad; sometimes it has to do with families being friends, and sometimes the ex-couple choose to stay friends after the breakup.
· They thus should behave with respect, courteousness and amiability; definitely not as Leonardo did; by talking about the past, their past, right before the Bride’s wedding.
Is the invitation of Leonardo to the wedding an invitation for trouble? Give examples leading up to his departure with the Bride, of reasons that something is amiss at the wedding.
· Of course it’s an invitation for trouble; he’s filled with bitterness and resentment that she’s getting married, and the very fact that he shows up to try to talk to her right before the wedding forewarns the audience that something worse could occur at the wedding [and it does].
· “You tell me something… What did I really mean to you? Try and think, cast your mind back…” [p.59 ~ Leonardo]
- Reminding the Bride of the past in attempt to see what he wants to see, her weakening before the marriage so that he can still be with her.
· “You can take a knife or a gun to me, but nobody will spit at me, no matter how much shining silver they have.” [p.59 ~ Leonardo]
- Pride shown; that it doesn’t matter how much richer the Bride is to him [because wealth is what separated them in the first place].
- Shining silver acting as a metaphor for wealth.
· “You’ve come to me here today, to spy on me at my own wedding, raking through things long past, fill me full of rage… Go and wait for your wife... Outside.” [p.60 ~ Bride]
- She’s furious that she still has these feelings for him; jealous obviously of his wife and what the wife has that the bride doesn’t, and tries to spite him through her resentment.
· “To burn in silence is the worst punishment we can inflict upon ourselves. What good did pride do me – what use was it pretending you didn’t exist…” [p.60 ~ Leonardo]
- Admitting that he still does have feelings for the bride, which is definitely not advisable right before her wedding!
- Also admitting that his pride has achieved the better of him in the past; regretful tone almost?
· “You think things like that fade with time or that they can be locked away behind thick walls. And they can’t. They can’t. ” [p.59 ~ Leonardo]
- This time a full confession of his feelings and how they haven’t diminished despite time having passed.
· “I won’t rest until I’ve said this: I got married. Now you must.” [p.61 ~ Leonardo]
- He feels as though once she’s married he’ll be able to forget about her.