Homework (Due Thursday 25th)

Stichomythia refers to a feature of Greek Tragedy where the rhythm of the dialogue is changed into a series of one-line exchanges between two characters. Look closely to the examples of this on pages 39 - 43

1) Why is this such an effective structural / dramatic element?
2) How does this section help to set up ideas about gender politics?
3) Whose arguments are more convincing? Why?

Homework:

Please complete the following before Monday's lesson:

1) Read and make notes on the definition of Tragedy (blue sheets provided)

2) Read the 'parados' (first speech from the chorus) and:
a) What type of language is being used?
b) What effect would this create for the audience?

Have fun - enjoy the extra day away from school!

Act 3, scene 2

1) Where are Gerardo and Paulina at the beginning of this scene? What importance does this have?

Gerardo and Paulina are in the “concert hall… they sit down facing the mirror, their backs to the spectators, perhaps in two chairs or in two of the seats in the audience itself”. This is a representation that Gerardo and Paulina are in the audience, that they could be anyone in the audience. This is effective in creating a close link between them and the audience, it breaches the gap between the actor and spectator which makes the audience see a part of themselves in Gerardo or/and Paulina.
Dorfman uses this positioning of the characters and the mirror to make these characters a representation of the wider population, he wants everyone to relate to this play. The purpose of his play was to talk openly about the atrocities caused by the Junta and the lasting effects that they caused; this is meant to give the Chilean people some form of closure and peace of mind.

2) “It was the first time anyone had ever asked her to sit down” – Gerardo tells this anecdote as though it is proof of success. Do you agree that, if this is what the Commission achieves, it has been a success?

The Truth Commission is to bring peace of mind to the people by judging the torturers and anyone who caused harm. What is happening here is the women feels human again, she is treated with the common respect that should be awarded to people, yet, she is surprised by such a simple gesture. This shows that the Truth Commission here is fixing people however, not through the ways of bringing the human rights violators to justice. It is a form of success, making people feel respected again and treated right, however, this is not the aim of the Truth Commission so it is also a failure.

3) How do you think the audience would understand Roberto entering lighted by a “phantasmagoric” light?

Roberto enters “under a light which has a faint phantasmagoric moonlight quality”. The stage lighting is used here to raise questions in the audience. Is Roberto really here? Is it Paulina’s imagination? Dorfman leaves this very open-ended for the people in the audience to have a very personal interpretation. This will help them relate to the play even further. They could think that Roberto is haunting Paulina, she could regret having or not having killed him. He could be really there, “watching” her to make her feel guilty about keeping him captive. It is up to the audience to make their own scenario.

4) The play ends with Roberto “always looking at Paulina” whereas Paulina turns slowly, looks at him and then, after their eyes “interlock”, turns away. What do you feel this implies?

Roberto always looking at Paulina implies he wants to make her feel guilty for what she did to him. It could be Paulina’s subconscious haunting her for what she has done or it could be Roberto that is really there. Paulina “interlocks” her eyes with Roberto showing she isn’t afraid to face what she has done, she ready to take on the consequences.

Act 3 Scene 2 - Katherine Dinh

1) Where are Gerardo and Paulina at the beginning of this scene? What importance does this have?

At the end of Act 3 Scene 1, a mirror is dropped down in front of the audience and at the beginning of Act 3 Scene 2 when Gerardo and Paulina are there the audience. This creates the effect of the audience thinking that the story of Gerardo and Paulina is not just a play that they have watched but it refers to the audience as well. When Gerardo and Paulina appear and seem like they are part of the audience it shows that the feelings and emotions of Gerardo and Paulina can apply to the audience to. The importance of this is that it makes the audience reflect and think if they are similar or different with the thoughts and feelings of Gerardo and Paulina. In this case, Paulina has been fighting for justice and lived under fear of not knowing who her tormentor was since she was blindfolded. So going about her life, she has the fear that anyone around her could possibly be her tormentor, this gives the moral that not everyone can be trusted. That even though all these people are around us, we don't know the stories that go on behind everything. Not only that but with Paulina and Gerardo, Paulina cannot even trust her loved one as he cheated on her. The significance of how traumatic his infidelity is, is due to the fact that his infidelity was during the time she was raped. This cases her more pain and suffering from his infidelity. So with Gerardo and Paulina appearing in the audience with the audience, the members of the audience are then able to think that they can relate and reflect on what they've just watched but in their own lives.

2) “It was the first time anyone had ever asked her to sit down” – Gerardo tells this anecdote as though it is proof of success. Do you agree that, if this is what the Commission achieves, it has been a success?

Gerardo speaks of it as if it is a proof of success as it shows this woman who has suffered so much and spent many years petitioning and waiting, feeling grateful for being treated with decency. It is a very emotional anecdote that shows that this woman has suffered so much. And Gerardo's motive is to express that now these people who have suffered can finally relax and settle down thanks to the Commission.
In my own opinion, I don't believe it is a success as people being able to feel safe and in calm is only a bit of the release of suffering. The bigger picture is for the pain to be released, only in doing this will it be a success in my eyes. This can be acheived by personal vendettas, although wrong or it could be acheived from the Commission avenging for the people that have suffered. This means having the truth out from the sufferers and punishing the tormentors. This anecdote does not reflect any of this therefore in my opinion this is not a proof of success.

3) How do you think the audience would understand Roberto entering lighted by a “phantasmagoric” light?

Phantasmagoric implying that the light seems like some sort of illusion/optical illusion would make it seem to the audience that Roberto is just a figment of Paulina's imagination. This would then push the audience to be more curious to whether Roberto is dead or alive. In the sense that Roberto is dead, this is a ghost in Paulina's mind as the phantasmagoric light would make it seem like Roberto is not real and is an illusion. This could mean that Paulina is still traumatised by what Roberto had done or by her personal vendetta of killing Roberto. However even if Roberto is actually alive, and Paulina actually didn't shoot him this means that Paulina is almost haunted by Roberto and what he has done to her. Either way, the audience is encouraged to question what had actually happened to Roberto and what Paulina feels. In Death and the Maiden, the use of light is also used to represent truth and with this 'faint phantasmagoric moonlight quality', this can be viewed as a faint truth and more like an illusion than a real truth of Roberto's presence.

4) The play ends with Roberto “always looking at Paulina” whereas Paulina turns slowly, looks at him and then, after their eyes “interlock”, turns away. What do you feel this implies?

I feel that this implies that Roberto is haunting Paulina in her mind, he is a figment of her imagination that follows her wherever she goes. And with Paulina turning slowly to look at him, I believe this implies that she is still afraid of him or afraid of what he has done or what she had done to him. Roberto's eyes being fixed on Paulina makes it seem as if he is only relevant to her, as in she is the only one he can see which implies that he is part of her imagination. And when their eyes 'interlock', it gives the scene a mysterious and eerie atmosphere. The audience will find this scene particularly intense and be pressingly curious as to whether Roberto is actually there or not. However in my opinion, with their eyes interlocking, it gives the sense that whether Paulina goes this fear in Roberto will always follow her.

Act 3 Scene 2

1. Gerardo and Paulina are in front of the mirror with their backs faced to the audience and they are acting as though they are in a concert hall and the music they are listening to is about to end. This place and positioning is significant because it is required to convey the message for the use of a mirror in the end of scene 1.
Unlike typical positioning on the stage in drama, Gerardo and Paulina has their back faced to the audience and they face the mirror. This does not focus attention on the two characters, but rather position them in the same way the audience is positioned. This links the audience and the two characters together so that the message that Gerardo and Paulina are like any other humans amongst the audience, is conveyed.
The use of an “invisible public” includes a further sense that Gerardo and Paulina is part of the audience. The two characters are acting as audiences to a concert and the “invisible public” applauding is meant to be part of the audience in the concert in the play but because of the claps that can only be heard, it also as though the audience of Death and the Maiden is within the play.
The fact that Gerardo interacts with the audience by beginning a “talk [with] a member of the audience, as though they were at the concert”, also adds on to the effect that Gerardo and Paulina is part of the audience.
In doing this, the audience is given the message that characters such as Paulina and Gerardo is like any other human being and can be found amongst anyone, even the audience. In addition with the mirror they are obliged to reflect about themselves.

2. The truth commission’s aim was to investigate and exploit the human rights violations under Pinochet’s regime. The old woman represents those who are in the hands of the truth commission after a long distressing era of Pinochet. An old woman in a democratic society will be embraced with hospitality but the old woman here has not been shown any hospitality or care that she notices simple polite gestures such as being “asked to sit down”.
The old woman portrays the contrast between the uncivilized society under Pinochet’s regime and the re-established society under the truth commission. This therefore exploits the difference in the society and thus the effects of human rights violations o the society.

3. Roberto is presented to the audience in a “faint phantasmagoric moonlight quality”. This suggests that Roberto is not actually there but part of an illusion. One way to interpret this appearance of Roberto is assuming that Paulina has killed Roberto and he is a stalking phantasmal figure.
Paulina “does not see him yet” and Roberto continues to be in a “distance” “watching” them. This implies a haunting intent from Roberto, and the fact that he is a “faint” light hint that he cannot be clearly seen. The audience is therefore influenced to think that if Paulina had killed Roberto than she has a guilty conscience to live with.
However, on the other hand, the fact that the image was from “moonlight” links to how previous Paulina was presented under moonlight and she was suggested to be disturbed or lunatic. This therefore tells the audience that Paulina could just be disturbed and mentally unstable and thus creating an image or illusion in her mind. This makes the audience think that Paulina has not resolved her vengeance against Roberto because her mind still looks back and even creating images of Roberto.

4. This act of Paulina “turning slowly and looking at Roberto” and having “their eyes interlock” suggests the obsession Paulina still has with the issue involving Roberto. The audience clearly knows that Roberto represent the rapist when she was tortured in Paulina’s view. She is still “interlocked” with Roberto in a way that she is unable to overcome her vengeance. The “interlock” suggests that she is attached to her past forever and that she will never be free from her past.

Act 3 Scene 2: The Ending

1) Where are Gerardo and Paulina at the beginning of this scene? What importance does this have?

They are in the concert hall, [they sit down facing the mirror, their backs to the spectators, perhaps in two chairs or in two of the seats in the audience itself.] the effect that Dorfman wants to highlight here is that Paulina and Gerardo are not only the fictional characters in his play, but they are a part of the audience. Dorfman wants the audience to understand that anyone in the spectator seat can have the same experiences as Paulina and Gerardo. The additional effect of having a “mirror” facing the audience, which suggests that Dorfman wants the audience to reflect on what is happened and also put the audience in the characters place and questioning themselves what will they do in the situation they see. Also the “mirror” also suggests the audience to look at the other people watching the play, and aware of the fact that this situation of the play can be apply for anyone.

However, at this stage Dorfman still left the audience in question of what happened after the last scene. There are some suggestion make by Dorfman in this stage direction of what the audience can judged from. Such as the different reaction from Gerardo and Paulina to the concert, Gerardo “begins to applaud” and Paulina “does not applaud” this suggest to the audience, relating to the previous scene, that he is free from Paulina’s judgement as the evidence has proof her case. Opposite to Gerardo, it suggests that she stills not satisfactory of what happen and still not as happy as Gerardo. However, the evidences to support this in the start of the scene are too loose therefore the audience stills cannot figure out what have happened to Roberto.
2) “It was the first time anyone had ever asked her to sit down” – Gerardo tells this anecdote as though it is proof of success. Do you agree that, if this is what the Commission achieves, it has been a success?

As the woman was the first of those who came to testify the missing people. The audience can say that this woman is the first experience of what the truth commission could be and will they will be more helpful than those from the Pinochet’s regime or not. For asking a woman “to sit down” is like a polite and usual thing in a normal society would have done, for the absent of politeness in the Pinochet’s regime shows the audience how degraded the society had been. For the truth commission to be the first to restore the society through these words helps the society as well as the people such as this woman to see hope and have faith in what the commission can do.
3) How do you think the audience would understand Roberto entering lighted by a “phantasmagoric” light?

At first, the audience will feel like Roberto is a ghost, a phantom that haunted Paulina. Therefore the audience would conclude that Paulina had taken her revenge on Roberto and now she is haunted by him. However, it will be more reasonable to think that Roberto is a part of her imagination. The fact that Roberto is surrounded by “moonlight” suggests that he is a part of Paulina’s imagination because “moonlight” throughout the play is always associated with Paulina and a part of her madness. Therefore there are many ways to interpret this.

It could be that Paulina had killed Roberto, and now she is haunted by the fact that she killed someone. Or it could be that Paulina haven’t kill Roberto, but she is still haunted by the image of the man who torture her. Both of this suggestion can fit in to this situation. But there are more, Paulina maybe traumatise about a different part of the play. At the start of the play, during the conversation between Roberto and Gerardo, the audience is hinted that Roberto is traumatised about torturing people. And now as Paulina adapted the role from Roberto, as she was torturing him. This shows that Paulina is now having another trauma about hurting other people like Roberto used to.
4) The play ends with Roberto “always looking at Paulina” whereas Paulina turns slowly, looks at him and then, after their eyes “interlock”, turns away. What do you feel this implies?

Roberto “always looking at Paulina” suggests that he is trying to remind Paulina about him that he will be a part of her for the rest of her life and will “always looking” at her. For the audience this would be quite a disturbing image to watch. However, Paulina “looks at Roberto” and “interlock” their eyes shows the audience Paulina’s fighting spirit that she knows that he will always be there as a part of her. Then she turns away shows that her acceptance that Roberto will be a part of her nightmare forever, but she doesn’t care anymore and wanting to put him and his tortures as a part of her past.

Act 3, Scene 2 -- Jessica

1. 1. Where are Gerardo and Paulina at the beginning of this scene? What importance does this have?

Gerardo and Paulina are in a concert hall in the beginning of this scene. I personally thing that it is important to acknowledge that Paulina and Gerardo may be sitting “in two of the seats in the audience”, through this the audience is made to reflect on the play in a more personal light, it makes them think about how Paulina and Gerardo are just like anyone else in the audience which then forces them to think about themselves. They are then forced to look at themselves in a mirror and so Paulina and Gerardo’s presence in the audience suggests that they’re just like everyone else, thus helping the audience to reflect on themselves and their actions and to think back on the play and think about what they would do if they were in Paulina’s position. Another way this is important is not only for the audience to look at themselves as individuals but also to think about those around them. The audience is aware of Paulina and Gerardo's situation (they've just been watching them and judging what they did) but when they join the audience, the audience no longer focuses on Paulina and Gerardo as characters. They see them more as figures through which REAL situations and emotions have been fed through. Then makes them think about the people around them, what have each of them suffered? Has anyone gone through the same struggles and suffering as the characters. Also, this can show that there is regularity back in Paulina’s life. The fact that Dorfman has decided to have “Death and the Maiden” playing in the background suggests that Paulina has accepted her past and gotten over (lessened) her suffering from the rape and torture.

2. 2. “It was the first time anyone had ever asked her to sit down” – Gerardo tells this anecdote as though it is proof of success. Do you agree that, if this is what the Commission achieves, it has been a success?

In my opinion, the whole idea of the truth commission was to bring justice to those who had suffered and continue to suffer since the change in government. If this is the case then the truth commission being the people who were the first to have asked a lady to sit down since the disappearance of her husband, then they have not achieved what they had set out to do. However, if the aim of the truth commission is to make those that suffered during Pinochet’s presidency feel as though they have some form of worth once again, then I believe that they have done so successfully.

3. 3. How do you think the audience would understand Roberto entering lighted by a “phantasmagoric” light?
The fact that Roberto enters “under a light which has a faint phantasmagoric moonlight quality” suggests to the audience that he is a fragment of Paulina (and their own) imagination. This also suggests that had Paulina followed through with her threats about killing him as a “faint” light surrounding a figure suggests the death of the given figure, as angels are usually surrounded by a faint, pearly light. This would then suggest that either Roberto had been released of all his sins by confessing to Paulina or that he was never guilty to begin with.

Also, the “moonlight quality” links back to all throughout the play, as the moon is one of the main features used by Dorfman to create an eerie and tense atmosphere, and links directly back to when Paulina was “drinking in the light of the moon” in the opening scene of “Death and the Maiden.”

4. 4. The play ends with Roberto “always looking at Paulina” whereas Paulina turns slowly, looks at him and then, after their eyes “interlock”, turns away. What do you feel this implies?

The fact that Roberto is “always looking at Paulina” suggests to the audience that he’s trying to make her feel guilt of some kind (whether he is really there or just a fragment of her imagination is beside the point) however the fact that she looks at him for a short period of time and then looks away, suggests that his ‘presence’ there is unimportant to her, that she has gotten over her fears and that she is no longer bound down by her thoughts of her torturer and has successfully moved on in her life.

Homework:

Please complete the homework on the blog

Homework (Due Thursday 11th):

1) Where are Gerardo and Paulina at the beginning of this scene? What importance does this have?
2) “It was the first time anyone had ever asked her to sit down” – Gerardo tells this anecdote as though it is proof of success. Do you agree that, if this is what the Commission achieves, it has been a success?
3) How do you think the audience would understand Roberto entering lighted by a “phantasmagoric” light?
4) The play ends with Roberto “always looking at Paulina” whereas Paulina turns slowly, looks at him and then, after their eyes “interlock”, turns away. What do you feel this implies?

Work for Monday 8th March:

1) Compile notes (mind-map) for a character comparison between both:

a) Hedda and Paulina
b) Tesman and Gerardo

If you need A3 paper, you can find it in my room

2) Re-read and annotate Act 3

Have fun - see you on Tuesday

Mr Ballantine