use of past-tense indicates that the speaker does
acknowledge the matador’s passing, even as he
refuses to do so. Section 3 finds the speaker
imagining the matador’s burial, the whole of
the natural world raging. And yet, this section
also finds the speaker hoping for Ignacio to be at
peace. In the poem’s final section, the speaker’s
anguish at Ignacio’s death has somewhat less-
ened. The immediacy of the goring has also
faded; the focus is more on the matador being
forgotten and on time continuing to pass. This
evokes a calmer tone than that evoked by the
violent imagery of previous sections. It also sig-
nifies the close of the mourning process.
Style
Elegy
Simply put, an elegy is a poem of bereavement
and loss. Though the bereavement in an elegy
could be related to anything, it is most often
appliedspecificallytodeath.Anelegycanbe
about mass death, such as the loss of a battal-
ion of soldiers; however, it is often more per-
sonal in nature. Indeed, most elegies are
typically a poem of mourning for the death of
a loved one or friend. This is the case in
‘‘Lament for Ignacio Sa ́nchez Mejı ́as.’’ Elegies
are typically poems, but any mournful work of
art, literature, or cinema can be described as
such. The poetic form dates back to ancient
Greece and Rome, and it traditionally con-
sisted of metric couplets.Refrain and Chorus
Simply put, a refrain is a repetition, though it is
often a structured repetition, as is the case with
the chorus in a song, poem, or play. ‘‘Lament for
Ignacio Sa ́nchez Mejı ́as’’ employs refrain in sev-
eral ways, though in all cases, those repetitions
serve to underscore the poem’s themes. For
instance, Lorca employs simple repetition when
the phrase regarding depressed tongues is
referred to twice. He uses a more overt and
formal chorus with the italicized repetition of
the time of Ignacio’s death in every other line
throughout the middle of section 1. A looser
refrain also occurs in sections 2, 3, and 4. Like
the elegy, the chorus dates back to ancient
Greece. It was most commonly employed in
plays and was meant to articulate the themes of
the drama as well as express the thoughts and
feeling that the play’s principal characters were
unable to speak aloud. Notably, the chorus
serves a similar purpose in Lorca’s ‘‘Lament for
Ignacio Sa ́nchez Mejı ́as.’’Historical Context
Surrealism
The surrealist movement first began in France in
the early 1920s. The French poet Andre ́Breton is
often credited with founding the movement,
and he was influential in establishing surreal-
ism’s legitimacy well into the 1940s. An offshoot
of modernism, surrealism sought to challenge
traditional modes of expression, particularly
accepted forms of both visual and literary narra-
tive. The result was a style known for playfulness
and fantastical imagery, and much art bordered
on the nonsensical or dreamlike experience. InBullfight(Image copyright Digitalsport photoagency, 2009. Used
under license from Shutterstock.com)
Lament for Ignacio Sa ́nchez Mejı ́as