Blood Wedding - Journal 1

To what extent have you found it possible, in your consideration of literary works, to separate the individual from his or her public role? In you answer you should refer to any two or three works you have studied.

My own ability to create separation between the individual and their public role actually varies between the plays way more than I thought it would. Specifically, I find it much easier to create this distinction in The Wild Duck than in Blood Wedding. In The Wild Duck the setting is much more domestic and there is little time spent where the characters actually perform their stated roles. There are a few instances, such as Hjalmar retouching the photographs, but for the most part there is little mention of individual's occupations. The characters come to be associated their ideas and traits as a whole rather than what they actually do. A good example is the character of Relling, who we never see doing any doctoring except when he declares Hevig to be dead. Instead of being confined to his role as a doctor Relling becomes defined by his attitudes and the opinions he shares with others. By not portraying his occupation as a major facet of his character Ibsen allows Relling to break away from the usual connotations of a doctor (nurturing, protective, kind, etc.) and fleshed him out as a character with a unique worldview.

I find that Blood Wedding is the exact opposite in this regard, it is much harder to separate individuals from what we see to be as their public role. I think the major factor contributing to this effect is Lorca's use of titles as opposed to names. The only named character in the play is Leonardo and it really feels like he is the only person with very many unique traits or opinions. By using the titles Lorca purposely evokes the connotations for each character and plays off of them. In the case of the Bride, Lorca first plays straight most of the connotations of an actual bride; the Bride is soft-spoken and demure when speaking to the Bridegroom and his mother, giving a sense of purity usually associated with weddings and brides. This changes when the Bride and her Maid are alone, the Bride's language transforms and takes on a much harsher tone. This tone clashes with her previous demeanor and the connotations the Lorca just played off of are now being averted. Although this contrast creates a lot of characterization for the Bride the image that is created is a jarring one. The image of a bride interferes with our overall perception of how she should behave, altering our view on her and her actions