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The
bullfighter takes off his hat to dedicate the life of the
bull to someone and the final tercio begins. This is
the time for the bullfighter to really show his art. The bull
has been repeatedly tested and weakened and the matador can
use the muleta, the small, red cape, to oblige the
bull to charge in controlled, ever slower motion. There are
any number of pases
he can use and I shall not go into detail here - their beauty
is evident, even to the uninitiated and unreceptive. The matador
will string his passes together in sequences, often finishing
a series with a spectacular move which brings the bull to
a halt, perhaps directly facing the bullfighter's unprotected
back. When a faena is particularly smooth and elegant,
the band may strike up a pasodoble (except in Madrid, for
reasons I may go into another day).
Although
the most important part of the bullfight, it does not usually
last more than
seven or eight minutes. It being
the bullfighter's chance to show his worth, he may try to
stretch it out for longer than necessary, which will be actively
booed. In fact, one of the most striking things about your
first bullfight is likely to be how unappreciative the audience
seems. They remain silent, boo, whistle, shout at the president
(if you are really lucky, they will throw their heavy cushions
at the bullfighter, which is great fun), only occasionally
being drawn into applause or the classic, stirring series
of "olé's."
The
trumpets sound again and it is time for the suerte suprema,
the death of the bull. The matador will now use his cape to
square the bull, both relative to the ring and to itself.
The bull has a tendency to move towards the sides of the ring,
where it feels safer and is too dangerous, while in the centre
it is too exposed and it will not behave as required. And
its feet need to be correctly placed for its shoulder blades
to be separated so the matador can insert his sword and kill
it.
With
the bull in position, head down, attention fixed on the muleta,
the matador lines up his sword for the kill. The animal must
now make a final charge as the matador drives the blade between
its shoulder blades. The peones will then move in,
using their capes to draw the last, raging movements from
the dying animal and hasten its death. It will collapse, dead
or not (this does not affect appraisal of the bullfighter's
performance) - in the latter case, a coup de grâce with a
dagger or special sword will be needed.
 A
verdict must now be given. The crowd will show its appreciation
(or otherwise) - newspaper accounts of bullfights detail the
trophies given (an ear, two ears, ears and tail) and the crowd's
reaction (boos, whistles, silence, applause, handkerchiefs
waved...). In theory, any trophies awarded the bullfighter
entirely depend on what the crowd demands. The president shows
different coloured handkerchiefs to signal this. The ultimate
triumph, not in the hands of the president, is to be carried
out of the plaza on the shoulders of the crowd. When this
happens to a young or little-known bullfighter at a major
event, it means his price can be increased greatly - he is
on the way to becoming an established, top-rank bullfighter,
a figura.
All photographs and images ©1991-2001 John Kalucki. Used
by permission. All rights reserved.
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