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.