Character Journal
This page is also posted under "Chemistry: Projects: Museo de Vida Exhibition."
Who you are - past
1. What is your full name?
I am el Padre de la Novia.
2. What else are you called? (nickname?)
In English, my name means “the Bride’s Father.” (Lorca didn’t give me an actual name, the scoundrel.)
3. What is your sex?
I am male.
4. What is your age?
I am 63 years old.
5. What is your height and weight?
I am 5’11” and 172 lbs.
6. What color are your hair, eyes, skin, etc.?
I have brown eyes, tanned skin from working in the field, and my hair is graying – and that doesn’t mean I’m old!
7. What sort of posture do you have?
I stand and sit straight, and I have a muscular stance from years working in the fields
8. What is your overall appearance? (good-looking, over- or underweight, clean, neat, pleasant, untidy. Shape of head, face, limbs, etc.)
I have thick arms and legs, but unfortunately not very muscular; I’m barrel-chested, but a bit round in the middle. If I’m being honest, I may have let myself go a bit, but that doesn’t mean I’m not clean-shaved and tidy.
9. Any defects? (deformities, abnormalities, birthmarks, diseases)
Actually, I have an 11th toe, but you can’t tell.
10. Where do you live? (city, state, country)
I live in the countryside near Andalucía, Spain.
11. Where were you born?
I was born in Andalucía, I live near Andalucía, and if I don’t die somewhere in the vicinity of Andalucía, I will haunt whoever dragged me out of this country and killed me for the rest of his life.
12. What class of society are you? (working, ruling, middle, poor)
I am of the middle class; just because I life in a cave doesn’t mean I’m doing poorly financially.
13. What is your occupation? (type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, work ethic, union or non-union, attitude toward organization, suitability for your work)
I own a fair swath of land, in which I work tirelessly to grow wheat.
14. What is your education? (amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes.)
I finished secondary school; I don’t need no diploma to farm. I was never fond of math or the sciences, but I could read and write with the best of ‘em.
15. What about your home life? (parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated or divorced, parents' habits, parents' mental development, parents' vices, neglect)
My parents are both long gone. My wife died two years ago, and I still feel the loss every day. I share my home with my daughter, who is about to get married. Then I suppose it’ll get lonely.
16. Do you have any brothers and sisters? How many older and how many younger?
I have one surviving older brother, who moved to Madrid to go to a university at the age of 17. My younger sister couldn’t take the country either, and got married to a man in Barcelona. My other older brother, who was two years older than me, died just last year. I guess I am starting to get on in years.
17. What do you remember about the house you grew up in?
It was tiny. Measuring it, or looking at it from the outside, made it seem twice as big as it felt, with one kitchen, two bedrooms, one washroom, and six of us – two adults and four children.
18. What religion do you practice if any?
I am Christian.
19. What is your race or nationality?
I am Spanish, have always been Spanish, and will always be Spanish.
20. What are your political affiliations?
I used to be left-wing. With all the political crises messing with Spain right now, I try to avoid politics as much as possible. I’m happy with just Andalucía, my house, my farm, my family, and my money and dreams of expansion, and so long as I retain those I don’t care who makes the national decisions.
21. What do you do for amusement? (hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines you read, TV programs you watch if applicable)
In my precious little free time, I like to read.
22. What about the neighborhood you grew up in and what were some of the special occasions in your family? (holidays, reunions, picnics, vacations, etc.)
My family celebrated all of the Christian holidays. Christmas was always my favorite; but then, isn't that true for most, if not all, children? We also celebrated Easter and many feast days throughout the year. Actually, my family just liked to find reasons to celebrate. I remember one time, we threw a small party because one of my friend's dogs had puppies. It didn't have many commodities - if we tried to create celebratory food for every party we had we would have been broke in no time - but people came over, and it was fun.
23. Name some of the special homemade foods you ate as a child.
I always loved empanadas. My mother made the best pastries around, as far as I was concerned, and empanadas were my favorites, especially when filled with fruit and other sweet foods.
24. Name and describe some of the games you played as a child.
Some of the games that I played with my friends included hide-and-go-seek, tag, and hopscotch; if you think the last is boring, then you haven't seen some of the courses we created. I wasn't into sports like some of my friends were.
25. What is your favorite childhood memory?
There was one Christmas that stands out to me in my memory; I don't remember how old I was. Actually, I don't even know why it stands out as opposed to any other Christmas; it wasn't different in any special way. Memory is strange like that. I have a single image in my mind of our tree - a small tree - decorated with candles in holders placed on the limbs, and softly lit by those candles, giving a warm glow to the picture. I realize now that this was a horrible fire hazard, but at the time I remember that I was just careful not to touch the tree, as per my parents' instructions. It was my parents' job to worry about such things as fire hazards, not mine.
26. What is your worst childhood memory?
When I was seven, I was playing hide-and-go-seek with some of my friends. The person who was "it" began counting and we all scattered. I don't remember where anyone hid, but for one person, who decided to hide in a bush. He jumped into it, and a couple of seconds later we heard a scream. We all ran to see what had happened, and he was lying down clutching his leg, and a viper was slithering away from the scene. We called for a doctor, but it was no use; my friend died two days later.
27. What is your best feature?
In terms of physical appearance, I have grown my handlebar mustache for 33 years, and it's gotten quite impressive. I can also move my eyebrows up and down independently. Aside from that, when I come up with a goal or ambition, I never let it go, no matter what happens.
Who you are - now
1. Where are you? Describe it in detail (you must create this for the audience, so be as detailed as possible.
As outlined in the script of Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), I am in the living room of my home carved into the side of a hill, with lots of pink decorations, as per my daughter’s request.
2. What are you wearing? How does this affect your body? (Think heels for women, heavy coats, suits, rags and bare feet…)
I plan to wear my best Sunday suit when speaking with my daughter’s fiance and his mother. I want to make a good impression, after all.
3. What objects do you have around you that you can pass the time with? (Tea, scientific materials, food to eat, things to clean, etc.)
I only have what the script tells me I can have. There’s a tray of sweetmeats that I can eat if I feel hungry, and am not busy talking to my daughter’s fiance and his mother. That’s really it; I spent all of this morning cleaning my living room so that my guests won’t feel like they are in, well, a cave.
What you want
1. What do you want more than anything?
I want to expand my plot of land. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last 20-or-so years. My daughter is engaged to a fairly rich man; her engagement is my get-rich-quick scheme, so to speak, so more than anything, I want this marriage to work out. Of course, I want my daughter to be happy too, so I’m really invested in this venture two ways.
2. What is your goal for the next 5 minutes? 5 years? Life?
In the next five minutes, I hope to get my daughter’s marriage plans finalized and set. My goal for the next five years - and my life goal, I suppose, since my time here is increasingly short - is to own all the land for acres around my home, including a vineyard.
3. What will happen if you don’t get it?
If my daughter’s marriage doesn’t work out, I’m sure my daughter will be crushed - and so will my get-rich-quick scheme. I suppose I’ll just have a much, much harder time achieving my life goal. But it’ll work out just fine. My daughter is an honest girl, and she loves her fiance.
What is your job right now?
1. What is your goal for the next two hours?
For the first part of the next two hours, I plan to arrange my daughter’s marriage. Since I have confidence that it’ll work out, I plan to spend the rest of the next two hours planning the wedding.
2. What do you need to accomplish?
I really need to make my daughter’s marriage set in stone.
3. Who can help you with this?
As per custom, my daughter really can’t help. I suppose that I’m really on my own, as far as my side of things is concerned. I will be working with my daughter’s fiance and his mother to complete the task.
4. What can help you with this?
My house is as clean and neat as it’s going to get, so that’s a bonus, and my maid made a batch of sweetmeats, which is wonderful.
__________________________________________________________________________
Character Notes:
My character is one of the characters from the play Bodas de Sangre, by Lorca. As such, I didn't create my character from scratch. Most of what is written in the "Who you are - past" section is made up, though.
Who you are - past
1. What is your full name?
I am el Padre de la Novia.
2. What else are you called? (nickname?)
In English, my name means “the Bride’s Father.” (Lorca didn’t give me an actual name, the scoundrel.)
3. What is your sex?
I am male.
4. What is your age?
I am 63 years old.
5. What is your height and weight?
I am 5’11” and 172 lbs.
6. What color are your hair, eyes, skin, etc.?
I have brown eyes, tanned skin from working in the field, and my hair is graying – and that doesn’t mean I’m old!
7. What sort of posture do you have?
I stand and sit straight, and I have a muscular stance from years working in the fields
8. What is your overall appearance? (good-looking, over- or underweight, clean, neat, pleasant, untidy. Shape of head, face, limbs, etc.)
I have thick arms and legs, but unfortunately not very muscular; I’m barrel-chested, but a bit round in the middle. If I’m being honest, I may have let myself go a bit, but that doesn’t mean I’m not clean-shaved and tidy.
9. Any defects? (deformities, abnormalities, birthmarks, diseases)
Actually, I have an 11th toe, but you can’t tell.
10. Where do you live? (city, state, country)
I live in the countryside near Andalucía, Spain.
11. Where were you born?
I was born in Andalucía, I live near Andalucía, and if I don’t die somewhere in the vicinity of Andalucía, I will haunt whoever dragged me out of this country and killed me for the rest of his life.
12. What class of society are you? (working, ruling, middle, poor)
I am of the middle class; just because I life in a cave doesn’t mean I’m doing poorly financially.
13. What is your occupation? (type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, work ethic, union or non-union, attitude toward organization, suitability for your work)
I own a fair swath of land, in which I work tirelessly to grow wheat.
14. What is your education? (amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes.)
I finished secondary school; I don’t need no diploma to farm. I was never fond of math or the sciences, but I could read and write with the best of ‘em.
15. What about your home life? (parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated or divorced, parents' habits, parents' mental development, parents' vices, neglect)
My parents are both long gone. My wife died two years ago, and I still feel the loss every day. I share my home with my daughter, who is about to get married. Then I suppose it’ll get lonely.
16. Do you have any brothers and sisters? How many older and how many younger?
I have one surviving older brother, who moved to Madrid to go to a university at the age of 17. My younger sister couldn’t take the country either, and got married to a man in Barcelona. My other older brother, who was two years older than me, died just last year. I guess I am starting to get on in years.
17. What do you remember about the house you grew up in?
It was tiny. Measuring it, or looking at it from the outside, made it seem twice as big as it felt, with one kitchen, two bedrooms, one washroom, and six of us – two adults and four children.
18. What religion do you practice if any?
I am Christian.
19. What is your race or nationality?
I am Spanish, have always been Spanish, and will always be Spanish.
20. What are your political affiliations?
I used to be left-wing. With all the political crises messing with Spain right now, I try to avoid politics as much as possible. I’m happy with just Andalucía, my house, my farm, my family, and my money and dreams of expansion, and so long as I retain those I don’t care who makes the national decisions.
21. What do you do for amusement? (hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines you read, TV programs you watch if applicable)
In my precious little free time, I like to read.
22. What about the neighborhood you grew up in and what were some of the special occasions in your family? (holidays, reunions, picnics, vacations, etc.)
My family celebrated all of the Christian holidays. Christmas was always my favorite; but then, isn't that true for most, if not all, children? We also celebrated Easter and many feast days throughout the year. Actually, my family just liked to find reasons to celebrate. I remember one time, we threw a small party because one of my friend's dogs had puppies. It didn't have many commodities - if we tried to create celebratory food for every party we had we would have been broke in no time - but people came over, and it was fun.
23. Name some of the special homemade foods you ate as a child.
I always loved empanadas. My mother made the best pastries around, as far as I was concerned, and empanadas were my favorites, especially when filled with fruit and other sweet foods.
24. Name and describe some of the games you played as a child.
Some of the games that I played with my friends included hide-and-go-seek, tag, and hopscotch; if you think the last is boring, then you haven't seen some of the courses we created. I wasn't into sports like some of my friends were.
25. What is your favorite childhood memory?
There was one Christmas that stands out to me in my memory; I don't remember how old I was. Actually, I don't even know why it stands out as opposed to any other Christmas; it wasn't different in any special way. Memory is strange like that. I have a single image in my mind of our tree - a small tree - decorated with candles in holders placed on the limbs, and softly lit by those candles, giving a warm glow to the picture. I realize now that this was a horrible fire hazard, but at the time I remember that I was just careful not to touch the tree, as per my parents' instructions. It was my parents' job to worry about such things as fire hazards, not mine.
26. What is your worst childhood memory?
When I was seven, I was playing hide-and-go-seek with some of my friends. The person who was "it" began counting and we all scattered. I don't remember where anyone hid, but for one person, who decided to hide in a bush. He jumped into it, and a couple of seconds later we heard a scream. We all ran to see what had happened, and he was lying down clutching his leg, and a viper was slithering away from the scene. We called for a doctor, but it was no use; my friend died two days later.
27. What is your best feature?
In terms of physical appearance, I have grown my handlebar mustache for 33 years, and it's gotten quite impressive. I can also move my eyebrows up and down independently. Aside from that, when I come up with a goal or ambition, I never let it go, no matter what happens.
Who you are - now
1. Where are you? Describe it in detail (you must create this for the audience, so be as detailed as possible.
As outlined in the script of Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), I am in the living room of my home carved into the side of a hill, with lots of pink decorations, as per my daughter’s request.
2. What are you wearing? How does this affect your body? (Think heels for women, heavy coats, suits, rags and bare feet…)
I plan to wear my best Sunday suit when speaking with my daughter’s fiance and his mother. I want to make a good impression, after all.
3. What objects do you have around you that you can pass the time with? (Tea, scientific materials, food to eat, things to clean, etc.)
I only have what the script tells me I can have. There’s a tray of sweetmeats that I can eat if I feel hungry, and am not busy talking to my daughter’s fiance and his mother. That’s really it; I spent all of this morning cleaning my living room so that my guests won’t feel like they are in, well, a cave.
What you want
1. What do you want more than anything?
I want to expand my plot of land. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last 20-or-so years. My daughter is engaged to a fairly rich man; her engagement is my get-rich-quick scheme, so to speak, so more than anything, I want this marriage to work out. Of course, I want my daughter to be happy too, so I’m really invested in this venture two ways.
2. What is your goal for the next 5 minutes? 5 years? Life?
In the next five minutes, I hope to get my daughter’s marriage plans finalized and set. My goal for the next five years - and my life goal, I suppose, since my time here is increasingly short - is to own all the land for acres around my home, including a vineyard.
3. What will happen if you don’t get it?
If my daughter’s marriage doesn’t work out, I’m sure my daughter will be crushed - and so will my get-rich-quick scheme. I suppose I’ll just have a much, much harder time achieving my life goal. But it’ll work out just fine. My daughter is an honest girl, and she loves her fiance.
What is your job right now?
1. What is your goal for the next two hours?
For the first part of the next two hours, I plan to arrange my daughter’s marriage. Since I have confidence that it’ll work out, I plan to spend the rest of the next two hours planning the wedding.
2. What do you need to accomplish?
I really need to make my daughter’s marriage set in stone.
3. Who can help you with this?
As per custom, my daughter really can’t help. I suppose that I’m really on my own, as far as my side of things is concerned. I will be working with my daughter’s fiance and his mother to complete the task.
4. What can help you with this?
My house is as clean and neat as it’s going to get, so that’s a bonus, and my maid made a batch of sweetmeats, which is wonderful.
__________________________________________________________________________
Character Notes:
My character is one of the characters from the play Bodas de Sangre, by Lorca. As such, I didn't create my character from scratch. Most of what is written in the "Who you are - past" section is made up, though.