There are a number of male characters referenced in the play, but Lorca chooses to have them remain offstage and out of view of the audience. Even Pepe el Romano, so central to the workings of the plot, never appears. Why did Lorca choose to portray only women onstage in this play? Discuss.

Keeping in mind Lorca’s strong socialist leanings, what does this play demonstrate about the dangers of class inequality?

This play was sadly Lorca’s last. Two months after its completion, he was executed by right-wing fascist militia in Granada for his outspoken ties to both the political left and to Spain’s socially radical avant-garde. For the duration of the Spanish Civil War, Lorca’s works were forbidden from being openly discussed due to their perceived radical content. Does this play present a criticism of the status quo of the time? What case can be made that Lorca intended it to be a call for change, and what change (if any) might this play propose? Support your stance with examples from the text.