For some critics, the tale is a cautionary one against woman's innate wickedness that leads to the betrayal and ultimate destruction of her husband. This theme is once again present in the story of Pandora's box. In the days when childbearing was a principle cause of death, a husband essentially killed his wife by making her pregnant. Return to place in story. Blood is rich with symbolic meanings.
Blood is passion and the medium of life.
Bluebeard has no such concerns and the murders he has committed have no resemblance to blood sacrifices or any other ritual. The abundance of blood verifies that the bodies within the chamber are of real women who died as their blood was loosed from their bodies. The image is quite horrific. Return to place in story. The key represents the male sexual organ which will be stained with blood when the hymen is broken.