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.
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