Blood Wedding

Personal convictions and shared beliefs, the private and the public life, sometimes seem at odds in the modern world. How did you find your chosen works touched on this conflict, and with what effect?

       All three of the plays we have studied deal with this conflict between public and private life by speaking to the idea/concept of a reputation and how others view the characters.  This seems to emphasize the problem in society with being oneself and being confident with that.  In the plays, reputations are upheld solely for appearances, so that one does not seem weak or insecure.  Reputation is a coverup.

       In "Oedipus the King", Oedipus really has a reputation to uphold with his people.  They have to trust him and be loyal to him.  Because of this, he has to put up a front of being in control and being capable.  In reality, though, he is struggling with his own life and he feels lonely.  His reputation is basically false.  This creates the effect that the audience or readers feels personally connected to Oedipus because of their own experiences with appearances and reputations. 

       "The Wild Duck" is also very concerned with appearances.  All the characters act like friends and have dinner parties, but in reality they are often gossiping about each other.  The gossip about appearances and reputation ultimately ruins these reputations, and there are no true trusting relationships.  There is also this conflict between personal beliefs and general consensus.  For example, most of the people believe Hedvig is Hjalmar's daughter, but what really counts in this situation is the one person who is most affected, Hjalmar.  Ibsen is saying that reputation really only matters if one is fooling oneself.  Everyone else may believe you and your facade, but it ultimately comes down to how you feel about yourself and your actions.  Reputations don't mean anything.

        Finally, Lorca's "Blood Wedding" focuses on the bride to reveal ideas about reputation.   This illustrates a theme about gender roles and strong women.  On page 23, Leonardo's wife says "I don't want you to think badly about a nice girl."  This shows the importance that is placed upon appearances and what people think of each other.  The outfits worn are also described in detail in the stage directions, showing how important it is that the characters look nice to fit their roles and uphold appearances.