Transcript File

Death and the Maiden
In a democracy, the midnight knock on a door can be friendly. -Gerardo
The Plot
• On April 6, 1975, Paulina Salas, then a university student, was abducted by agents of
her country’s right-wing government. For more than two months, she became one
of Latin America’s many “disappeared”; she was interrogated, tortured, and raped
in order to elicit from her the name of a leader of the leftist opposition: Gerardo
Escobar, then her lover, later her husband.
• The play takes place fifteen years later, just hours after Gerardo has been appointed
head of the new, democratically elected government’s Truth and Reconciliation
Commission. The commission is charged with investigating those human rights
abuses by the previous government that resulted in the death, or the presumption
of death, of the victim.
The Plot (Cont’d)
• After waiting fifteen years for justice, and after years spent nursing the physical and
psychological wounds that have left her pathologically apprehensive and unable to
enjoy sex or bear children, Paulina views Gerardo’s appointment as a vindication of
the pain she endured but also a mockery of her suffering: The commission’s
mandate demands that victims’ pain remain private and the wrongs they suffered
unheard.
• Key concepts you can explore for context: PTSD, torture methods of men vs
women, Chile’s right-winged government and previous socialist (lefty) government
Dramatic Techniques
Dramatic techniques are methods used during a play to create tension, an
impact or a certain atmosphere. In general it makes the scene more interesting
to watch.
•
•
•
•
Stage direction (such as entrances and exits; physical movements)
Lighting (such as end of 3.1)
Sound effects
Props
Dramatic Techniques (cont’d)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pauses (lacunas) …----…. (such as pg 6)
Linear progression
Foils (Juxtaposing characters to illustrate differences based on similarity)
Dialogue (Structure and Form)
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
Themes (and the ambiguity of it all)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fragility
Truth (the real real)
Power
Susceptibility
Atonement and Forgiveness
Misogyny?
Justice
Revenge
Consider…Open Fishbowl Activity
• Explore (Compare and contrast) justice and revenge in this play. Are they
different?
• Consider the ambiguity in what characters say and what they are truly
thinking. Do we trust what the characters say? And if not, how can we
characterise characters in this play?
Consider…Open Fishbowl Activity
• How does the structure and form of dialogue create meaning in the play?
Exemplify with one scene.
• Explore the role of stage directions and props in the play.
Timeline
• 20 minutes prep (5 minutes per prompt)
• Random assignment of discussion topic
• 25 minutes of discussion
You must reference and quote moments in the play to support your discussion
Consider
• What are the character’s objectives throughout the play?
• Paulina
• Gerardo
• Roberto
• Subtext activity
• Creating objectives to understand character
Subtext Activity- Concept Check
• Subtext
• What are the characters thinking when they say their lines? Subtext is the underlying
thoughts behind the words we say
• Remember: This activity requires your subjective thinking based in the play
EXAMPLE
Act 2, Scene 1, pages 20-21:
What is Gerardo thinking?
• Gerardo: Don’t interrupt. If something revolted me about them it was that they accused so
many men and women, that they forged evidence and did not give the accused any chance of
defending themselves, so even if this man committed genocide on a daily basis, he has the
right to defend himself.
• What are Gerardo’s innermost thoughts right before he says this line?
What is Paulina thinking?
• PAULINA: Ready. It’s recording marvellously. We already have a statement about
forgiveness. It is Doctor Miranda’s opinion that it is inexcusable—that he could never
forgive as long as he lives—tying someone up for a few hours, holding that person without
the right to speak for a few hours. Agreed. More?
• What are Paulina’s innermost thoughts right before she says this line?
What is Roberto thinking?
• Roberto: I do not know you, madam. I have never seen you before in my life. But I can tell
you this: you are extremely ill, almost prototypically schizoid. But you, Escobar, you, sir,
are not ill. You’re a lawyer, a defender of human rights, a man who has been persecuted by
the former military government, as I was myself, and your case is different, you are
responsible for what you do and what you must do is untie me immediately.
• What are Roberto’s innermost thoughts right before he says this line?
Objectives
• Objectives are the reasons why characters in a play behave as they do. It is
their reason for acting. Using verbs, discuss and determine the objectives of
each character. You can identify objectives for the play as a whole, each act,
each scene, or even each line.
What are the characters’ objectives in D&M?
• Concept Check- Use the INFINITIVE VERB form: to survive, to persuade
• Gerardo
• Paulina
• Roberto
Class Activity
• Using either objectives or subtext, analyse each scene assigned to you in
groups (provide the subtext or objective for each line).
• Act 1, Scene 1- Paulina and Gerardo
• Act 1, Scene 2- Gerardo and Roberto, Paulina hiding
• Act 1, Scene 4- Paulina and Gerado, Roberto tied and gagged
• Act 2, Scene 1- Paulina, Roberto, Gerardo