CULTURAL ECHOES: EXPLORING PASHTUNWALI RESONANCE IN LORCA'S BLOOD WEDDING

Abstract

This paper analyzes Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding (1932) through the lens of Pashtunwali, the traditional code of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Focusing on three principles Nang (honor), Badal (revenge), and Ghairat (dignity)the study compares the presence of these codes in Lorca’s Spanish tragedy with their role in Pashtun society. This is a qualitative study that uses Pashtunwali as a theoretical lens to analyze selected scenes from the play. The play is critically examined alongside real-life examples of Nang (honor), Badal (revenge), and Ghairat (dignity) present in Pashtun society. Findings reveal both similarities and differences: honor is shared, revenge is ritualized, and dignity is linked with stoicism. However, while Pashtunwali presents these values as cultural law, Lorca critiques them as destructive and tragic, giving the Bride a voice of resistance often absent in real honor-based systems.

Keywords: Culture, Pashtunwali, Honor (Nang), revenge (badal), dignity (Ghairat), Spanish Society.