Exam Review 2015 Year 11 Literature - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Exam Review 2015

Year 11 LiteratureSlide2

Plays - Hamlet

William Shakespeare

General Information

Hamlet

is the first of Shakespeare’s four great tragedies, written

around 1600.

The

plot of Hamlet is that of a “revenge tragedy,” a popular genre at this time.

The plot centers around a noble

person (royal)

who has been hideously wronged and must take revenge on a powerful enemy.

Hamlet’s delay and inaction is considered by many critics to be the central problem of the

play and reflects human plight – a conscience, conflict within – the good and evil in man, morality and religion.Slide3

Plays - Hamlet

William Shakespeare

The Great Chain of

Being

Shakespeare’s audience believed in a great Chain of Being that determined the natural order of events.

The chain was a series of hierarchical links with God at the top.

Each level of the chain had its own hierarchy, with the king at the top of the human level.

Disruptions in the chain could also disrupt the laws of nature and cause bizarre events to occur.Slide4

Plays - Hamlet

William Shakespeare

The Moral Climate of

Hamlet

The King and the Chain of Being

The

King was believed to have been appointed by God in order to assure the stability of society.Removal of the king disrupted the chain of being and risked the collapse of order and universal disaster.

Ghosts and the Devil

Shakespeare’s audience believed in

ghosts and believed that the ghost of a murdered person could return to demand revenge on his murderer. Shakespeare’s audience also believed in the Devil and believed that he could appear on earth in many forms, including that of a ghost.

Hamlet and the Ghost

, Henry Fuseli, 1789Slide5

Plays - Hamlet

William Shakespeare

The character of Hamlet

Ambiguous and paradoxical character that reflects the duality of human beings – good and bad, selfish and selfless, action and inaction, revenge and forgiveness, faith and loss of faith.

He represents the corruption and hopeful qualities of human beings in an evolving society that has power struggles, corruption and dysfunction at the centre of all social issues.

Hamlet represents the human condition – we will all die in the end, experiencing the disappointment and futility of struggling in a flawed and corrupt world, clinging to constructions of religion and love for purpose. Slide6

Plays - Hamlet

William Shakespeare

Why we sympathize with this character…

He delays killing Claudius – he has a conscience

He is isolated and depressed and has our sympathy

We see inside his head, so we see his struggles and the torment he goes through

He is confined to a situation that he cannot control and did not causeHe loses his father, his right to the throne and is displaced by his mother’s marriage, is influenced by corruption and evilHe is intelligent, philosophical and very humanSlide7

Passage 1

Location

Act 1 Scene 2

Themes

Death, Grief, Suicide, Depression, Corruption, Relationships, Displacement, Fratricide, Oedipal complex

Characters

Soliloquy serves to reveal reason for Hamlet’s melancholia – inner dialogue Revelation of Hamlet’s relationship with Mother and Uncle (new husband)

First revelation of Hamlet’s negative attitude towards women and how he sees the world as corrupt Slide8

Passage 1

Language

Use

Passionate dialogue that contrasts to the previously spoken, controlled dialogue. It is disjointed and full of anger, grief and despair.

Metaphor of melting ‘flesh’ used to emphasise how Hamlet would like to evaporate and leave the physical world but he is captive to his flesh, which also thematically links to his preoccupation with his mother’s sexual relationship.

Melt. ‘Thaw

and resolve itself into a dew’

Contemptible and futile life is defined by the use of the metaphor of an ‘unweeded garden’ and the mood of decay, interference and corruption is emphasized by the words ‘gross’ and ‘rank’.

Alliteration – ‘

self-slaughter’, Allusion – Historical, mythological characters used to draw comparisons or parallels to the play characters - ‘Hyperion to a satyr’, ‘Niobe’, ‘Hercules’ Religious symbolism or allusion – ‘Everlasting’, ‘O God’, ‘winds of Heaven’, ‘a beast’ ‘it fed on’

Personification – ‘incestuous sheets’, ‘unrighteous tears’Imagery – ‘Unweeded garden’, ‘

That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature’Juxtaposition and contrast – ‘Hyperion to a satyr’, ‘Heaven and earth’, ‘loving’ and ‘roughly’

,’but

no more like my father/Than I to

Hercules’

Repetition -

“too” and “God

”

Sibilant

consonance at the end in the

lines

– ‘She

married. O, most wicked speed, to

post. With

such dexterity to incestuous sheets

.”

Metonymy

and synecdoche

– ‘I

must hold my

tongue’Slide9

Passage 1

Importance to text as a

whole

Reveals Hamlet’s state of mind and allows a ‘third dimensional’ aspect of character

Provides information for the audience about why Hamlet is depressed and enables our sympathies to develop

Morality of the character is established and we view him as a tragic hero

Misogynistic attitudes towards women are revealedOedipal complex is identifiedRichness of language use emphasizes key themes of the text

Significance

This passage emphasizes a contrast between the two Kings and enables the audience (reader) to identify the rightful heir to the throne (Old King or Hamlet). Reiterates the natural order or things and emphasizes the chaos and disharmony if this is disrupted – madness, dysfunction, supernatural, decay and corruption

Emphasis is on religion and the ambiguity and paradoxical nature of the passage reflects societies changing attitude towards the royal family and religion – note Shakespeare does this subtly and tends to promote the ‘natural order’ Slide10

Passage 2

Location

Act 2 Scene 2

Themes

Revenge, Depression, Guilt, Self worth, Mental illness, Action and Inaction, Oedipal complex

Characters

Hamlet’s duality is emphasized as he is at the same time passionate and fearful

Hamlet speaks his soliloquy after watching the player’s performance. Hamlet is amazed at the player’s ability to develop emotions for “Hecuba”.

He puts himself at the peak of frustration, since he has not seen anything accomplished yet. He starts to doubt his ability for revenge. He becomes fearful of dangers and death

.Hamlet escalates his hatred toward this malicious King. He eagerly looks forward to the day of his revenge.He switches his eager heart for revenge to the calmly scheming. Slide11

Passage 2

Language Use

Allusion – Greek Mythology used as a pint of comparison to the character of Gertrude

Simile – ‘like a whore’, derogatory figurative language and links to Oedipal complex

Alliteration – ‘muddy-

mettled

rascal’, ‘bloody, bawdy’Exclamations – level of emotion and frustrationRhetorical questions – searching for answers

Metaphors – ‘

I

should have fatted all the region kites/ With this slave's offal’Repetition – ‘Villain’, ‘tears’, ‘murder’Allusion and references to religion to emphasize the conflict within (good and bad) – ‘heaven and hell’Pronouns – movement from ‘he’ and ‘her’ to ‘I’ and ‘my’, indicating inaction to action

Rhyming couplet – creates the feeling of resolution after a struggle/conflict

Connotative words – ‘devil’, ‘spirits’, ‘oppression’ Assonance - ‘Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous,

kindless

’Slide12

Passage 2

Importance to text as a

whole

Important as a plot device to enable the reader to see the complexity of Hamlet as a character

Viewer can see the internal struggle of the character and we see him as a tragic hero

Hamlet’s plan to expose the King’s guilt enables the viewer to see him as reasonable and creates greater engagement in the story

SignificanceThis soliloquy also creates atmosphere because of the way Hamlet talks about himself; he uses harsh language and calls himself names such as rogue, peasant slave, ass, and whore.  This language makes the audience sympathize with Hamlet because he has a lot to worry about with his mother marrying to soon and his uncle possibly having married his mother. It gives Hamlet a reason to be acting so mad because there is a lot to deal with in his life, his character becomes relatable to the audience because he is overwhelmed therefore allowing there to be some justification of his actions.Slide13

Passage 3

Location

Act 3 Scene 1

Themes

Death, Suicide, Depression, Revenge, Justice, Madness

Characters

Third soliloquy spoken by Hamlet and is the most famous. This soliloquy shows Hamlet’s softer emotional side when he speaks of suffering and lists multiple opposing things, showing once again the inner turmoil that Hamlet is facing. The big question that Hamlet is trying to answer for himself during the course of this soliloquy is whether or not it is noble to take up arms and die defending what you believe is right. He compares dying to sleeping because it is peaceful and may lead to dreams. By discussing mortality Hamlet again allows the audience to relate to him because he reveals he is afraid of dying

.

This quote tells the audience that Hamlet has decided that seeking revenge is in fact a noble deed and justifiable. The last few lines also mention Ophelia, and as the audience knows Ophelia refuses to see him now and Hamlet is acting mad towards her. This shows that Hamlet continues to act mad and seek revenge and he is aware that he will lose Ophelia during the course of these events. This creates atmosphere for the audience and prepares them for the actions that Hamlet will take in the near future.Slide14

Passage 3

Language

Use

Metaphors – “

The

slings and arrows of outrageous

fortune“, "Or to take arms against a sea of trouble“Imagery - helps to convey Hamlet’s belief that he is alone and battling against all odds

Punctuation - Use

of rather unusual syntax, especially colons and semicolons, draws the readers attention to specific areas. Colons and semicolons tend to be a rather sparsely used form of punctuation, and its overuse indicates that something particularly significant is about to be told. “To die: to sleep; no more” and “To die: to sleep; to sleep: perchance to dream.”

Words such as “fardels,” “ills” and “calamity” in describing life, showing how much he dislikes the painfulness of living.Metaphors and inclusive language - “for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause

.”Diction

, imagery and syntax give the reader insight into Hamlet’s thoughts and feelings as he contemplates death and the afterlife, and the problems of life.Slide15

Passage 3

Importance to text as a

whole

This

soliloquy is especially important to the play because it is written with masterful language and reveals a new side of Hamlet.

This

soliloquy shows Hamlet’s softer emotional side when he speaks of suffering and lists multiple opposing things, showing once again the inner turmoil that Hamlet is facing.Isolation of Hamlet – all are conspiring against

him

Hamlet’s

state of mind – suicidal, contemplation of one’s own mortality and deathThree dimensional character – audience sees something that not even the actor is aware of – his sub-conscienceSignificanceHamlet ponders whether or not he wishes to exist, inquiring whether it's better to struggle through the trials of life or commit suicide. He declares death would be the better option if not for the unknown that death brings. It is this mystery that causes men to suffer through their mortal existence instead of ending their lives. Slide16

Passage 4

Location

Act 3 Scene 1

Themes

Relationships, Love, Madness, Revenge, Corruption, Betrayal, Sexism

Characters

Ophelia and Hamlet dialogue (she is giving back his ‘love trinkets’ which is essentially the same as breaking up with himShe has been put up to this conversation by her father and the King and is being used as a pawn

Hamlet is suspicious, rejected, angry, vengeful

The conversation has occurred after his ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy, when he was emotionally vulnerable

Subject matter is preoccupied on marriage, love and mistrust of othersSlide17

Passage 4

Language

Use

Irony - By

saying "are you honest" (Act III, sc. 1, line 113) and "are you fair,"(line 115) he watches her stumble over her answers, and in a split second, knows that she playacts as much as he. Hamlet uses this to his advantage by quickly acting mad. Through his "lunacy," he rants and raves to her, convincing her that his madness comes from her. He leads her through one more trap when asking about her father (line 141). Ophelia fails this last test miserably, and he knows that she lies to him willingly and her father locates himself within spying distance. Hamlet then falls farther into his playacting of lunacy and puts on a terrific display, leading Ophelia, Claudius, and Polonius to think that his madness sprouted from Ophelia.

Ambiguity - In

this example, Hamlet is talking to Ophelia. The conversation is wrought with emotion, and it is unclear if the term "nunnery" means, in this case, an actual convent (meaning seek a place without temptation) or to a brothel (which is a house of prostitution). Either way, Hamlet is insulting her.

Paradox-“ I am myself indifferent honest, but I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother not borne me. I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck that I have thoughts to put them in.”

Hamlet

is saying that his mother would feel shameful of him, yet he is proud of himself. This shows that Hamlet is still making sense and doesn’t seem to crazy yet.Repeated motifs – ‘marriage’, ‘love’, religionDouble entendre - W

ords with double meanings. Hamlet does this quite a bit with the innocent Ophelia. Because he believes she has betrayed him and he cannot trust her, he torments her with insults, like "Get thee to a nunnery,"Slide18

Passage 4

Importance to text as a

whole

Just after the ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy and we see Hamlet’s complete vulnerability. He is not controlled here and is completely out of control and emotional. The play’s general misogyny is emphasized here and we see women as victims of their fathers and their lovers.

Significance

Hamlet asks Ophelia if she's honest, then says beauty corrupts honesty.

Becoming angry, he tells Ophelia he loved her once, then says he never loved her.

He

commands her to go to a nunnery rather than become a "breeder of sinners" (3.1.120), and says all men, including himself, are "arrant knaves" (3.1.127).

He condemns women for hiding their faces behind makeup. Then states that there will be no more marriages—and that one person who's married already will die. Hamlet storms off. Ophelia is heartbroken. Highlights Hamlet’s isolation and terminates their relationship.Slide19

Passage 5

Location

Act 3 Scene 4

Themes

Murder, Jealousy, Revenge, Incest, Oedipal conflict, Sexism, Conspiracy

Characters

Predominantly Gertrude and Hamlet, there is mention of Polonius and the King. Roles are reversed and the mother does not act as the adult and takes her lead from HamletThis scene is known as the closet scene, it is a pivotal scene in Hamlet. Hamlet confronts his mother, Gertrude, over her recent decisions, whilst displaying his condition, his mothers position, and the relationship between them.

Gertrude’s character is displayed strongly here as one which is easily dominated and reliant on powerful men.Slide20

Passage 5

Language

Use

Explicitly

negative and is used to demonstrate Hamlet’s continued disgust at his mother’s actions and to sway her to do Hamlet’s

bidding.

Hamlet uses manipulative and extreme language to press his opinion upon his mother: ‘Good night-but go not to mine uncle’s bed.’ He instructs Gertrude to refrain from going to Claudius’s bed. By calling him his uncle, and not the king or her husband, it preys more heavily upon Gertrude’s conscience and once again shows the unnatural union he believes it to be

.

M

anipulative nature and the way in which he treats women. This is evident in his habit of openly insulting Gertrude and ordering her to follow his wishes such as ‘Assume a virtue if you have it not.’Religious imagery and references - Language such as ‘repent’, ‘blessing’, and ‘lord’ are just a selection of the religious language applied in this extract, added with the repetition of words such as ‘heaven’ and ‘devil

’Explicit language when referring to his mother’s sexual exploits and his relentless wish of her to part with Claudius: ‘Good night-but go not to mine uncle’s bed

’Allusion - Hamlet uses the image of letting birds fly from a rooftop cage. He then adds a reference to a “famous” (but now lost) fable about an ape who tries to fly–in this case, “experiments (to see whether he too can fly if he enters the cage and leaps out)”Slide21

Passage 5

Importance

to text as a

whole

This passage occurs towards the end of the closet scene and reveals the deep bond between mother and son. It suggests that Gertrude was innocent in the murder of the King and is a victim of society who uses her sexuality to establish security in her position in life. It also shows how scheming Hamlet can be as well.

Significance

Gertrude becomes confused

and she

doesn’t

know in which direction to turn. Hamlet tells her that she should throw away the bad part of her heart and keep the good part of it; he wants her to pretend that she is virtuous even if she isn’t. He tells her that when she goes to sleep tonight she shouldn’t go to Claudius’ bed, as this will make the next night away from him easier for her. He tells her that he will pray to be forgiven for what he has done and that at the same time he will also pray for her to be forgiven, he wont ask for her blessing (like a son normally should do) until she is repentant and seeks Gods blessing. Hamlet tells us such has been the will of heaven that he should be punished by being the cause of

Polonius’s

death, and that because of this Polonius will be punished in death. Hamlet tells Gertrude that he will be honest about the death of Polonius and he carries on to say that he sees the death of Polonius as the bad beginning of a vengeance that will yet be worse. Gertrude

asks him what she must do now and Hamlet tells her that she must not let the King tempt her again, she must not tell him what has happened tonight.

He

tells her that he is not mad, but that he has created this madness I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft.

Once

again Hamlet turns sarcastic towards Gertrude and asks her what reason a good and honest Queen may have to keep a secret from a bad and dishonest King, he tells her that if she lets any of this out she will live to suffer and that should do this for her own good.

Hamlet

uses a fable to illustrate to Gertrude what will happen to her if she tells anyone; she will gain nothing by it and that if she imagines that she can act with the king as cleverly as he can, independently of him, then she will be like the ape trying to fly and so will come to grief. She swears to him that she will not tell a soul. Slide22

Passage 6

Location

Act 5 Scene 1

Themes

Death, After-life, mortality, the past, social hierarchy, religion

Characters

Hamlet, Horatio, Grave Diggers (Clowns), Yorick (in retrospect)Slide23

Passage 6

Language

Use

T

endency

of using the comic in tragedy and its final canonization also became popular in Shakespeare. The comic relief is a regular feature in Shakespeare.

Dark humour, philosophical depth, and words that evoke melancholy.Allusion - Dost

though think Alexander looked o’ this fashion

i’th’earth

?, Imperial Cesar, dead and turned to clay, might stop a hole to keep the wind awaySymbolism and personification – Yorick’s skull and the graveyard are symbolic of the past Irony - ironic fact that overreaching politicians, lawyers with their tricks, self-seeking courtiers, vain court ladies even those held to be

examplars of greatness in this

world, ultimately are not more than the ’quintessence of dust’.Apostrophe and rhetorical questions – express emotion and emphasize philosophical search for answersI

mportant

motif throughout the play, as Hamlet frequently makes comments referring to every human body’s eventual decay, noting that Polonius will be eaten by worms, that even kings are eaten by worms, and that dust from the decayed body of Alexander the Great might be used to stop a hole in a beer barrel.Slide24

Passage 6

Importance

to text as a

whole

Emphasizes the theme of death. Hamlet’s

moods throughout

Hamlet are so notoriously changeable–slipping so quickly between subtle dissembling, theatrical playacting, and painful honesty. Allows us to see the more comical aspect of this character. SignificanceWhether or not Shakespeare added the scene belatedly, it certainly provides comic relief as the two Gravediggers fill the familiar Shakespearean clown role. Yet even within this scene, Hamlet’s

behaviour

is remarkably variable, and the play’s mood turns on a dime from gallows

humour to high seriousness. One minute the gravedigger is joking about corpses; the next our hero is delivering the iconic “Alas, poor Yorick!” speech, while holding the skull of the court jester who seems to have been a second father to him.Thematically the scene foreshadows the final conclusion – death. It is the first in a series of death experiences. It is a philosophical and reflective scene that enables the viewer to understand the great equalizer that death is. Used as a plot device to emphasize the following impact of Ophelia’s death on Hamlet, we know that he is affected and did love her. Slide25

PLAYS – Death and the Maiden

General

Information

It is set in the present and the place is

indeterminate (Chile)

but could be any country that has given itself democratic government just after a long period of dictatorship. Paulina Salas is a former political prisoner who had been raped by her captors (led by a sadistic doctor whose face she never saw). Years later, after the repressive regime has fallen, Paulina lives in an isolated country house with her husband, Gerardo Escobar. When Gerardo returns after visiting the president, he suffers a flat tyre. A stranger named Dr Miranda stops to assist him and drives him home. Paulina recognises Miranda as the rapist, and takes matters in to her own hands in order to get justice for herself.Slide26

PLAYS – Death and the Maiden

Ariel

Dorfman

began exploring the dramatic situation that was to become Death and the Maiden whilst General Pinochet was still the dictator of Chile. The play was eventually written and first performed after Chile has returned to democracy in 1990. Although the events of the play focus on the lives of three individuals they provide a parable for any society experiencing the uneasy transition from dictatorship to democracy, corruption to justice, secrecy to openness. As

Dorfman

points out in his afterword to the play script, the important issues for any society that has suffered enormous conflict and pain, involve deeply psychological and difficult questions.Slide27

PLAYS – Death and the Maiden

THEMES:

Atonement and forgiveness

– the play suggests that there is no concrete act that can atone for past wrongs.

Death and the Maiden –

title of Schubert’s string quartet that reflects the mood and themes of the play, as well as the characters.

Doubt and ambiguity – what constitutes just punishment? The effect on the accused and the accuser.

Freedom

– physical, emotional and political.

Justice and Injustice – ideal versus practical concepts of justice.Memory and reminiscence – obsession, living in the past.Morality and Ethics – does punishment repeat the nature of the crime.Human rights violations – rape, torture, oppression, loss of freedom, power abuse.

Masculinity –

male and female roles, social expectations. Slide28

PLAYS –

Death and the Maiden

Style of play – combination of styles

1) Realistic (Realism)

An

artistic representation that shows something as being accurate or true to

life.2) Expressionistic (Expressionism)

A

style of playwriting and stage presentation stressing the emotional content of a play, the subjective reactions of the characters, symbolic or abstract representations of reality, and non-naturalistic techniques of scenic design

.3) Absurdist (Out of harmony – Theatre of the Absurd)Plays that stress the illogical or irrational aspects of experience, usually to show the pointlessness of modern life. Samuel Beckett, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Eugene Ionesco, Edward Albee, and Harold Pinter have written plays of this kind.The play is essentially a realistic

play, until the final scene when it becomes expressionistic.

The mirror to the audience aims at evoking emotions from the audience not realism. The mirror is also non-naturalistic. It is not a part of the set (the Escobar home). Slide29

PLAYS –

Death and the Maiden

The

Ending

The

play is not fully realistic. Some critics have suggested that there is no solid resolution to the play, because the social issues presented in the play will never be resolved.

The ending is left to the interpretation of the audience and there are various ideas that could be interpreted in a variety of ways.

Some

critics have linked

Dorfman’s play to the absurdist style. The absurdist style highlights the irrationality and pointlessness of life. When we see Dr Miranda at the end of the play described as having a “phantasmagoric” – or ghost like glow, this is a form of expressionism. It is unreal and highlights and emotional perspective. Whether or not he is really dead, he is at least emotionally dead to Paulina. Perhaps it could also be seen as absurdist. Whether or not Paulina has killed Dr Miranda, it highlights the irrationality and pointlessness of life. Dr Miranda will never publicly be seen as guilty, so in society’s eyes, Paulina’s actions are pointless. Slide30

PLAYS – Death and the Maiden

Passage 1

Dialogue between Gerardo and Miranda

Act 1 Scene 2

Perspective of lawyer and justice Vs criminal or accused – dialogue indicates differences in views and positions

Roberto seems to be testing how much information has been obtained and whether he is safe

‘Mafia’ – is this an admission or a revelationMiranda’s dialogue indicates ambiguity ‘I’m afraid’ of being exposed? References to ‘God’ and ‘Lord’ indicate his concerns and possible punishment for crimes.

Themes of ‘morality’, law and religion are emphasized here – the reader is still unsure of Miranda’s guilt or if Gerardo possibly knows more that he is saying.

Gerardo – against death penalty, Miranda – for death penalty OR ‘there are people who simply don’t deserve to be alive’ – justifies taking the life of another but then makes religious references (Contradictory) Slide31

PLAYS –

Death and the Maiden

Passage 2 & 4

Act 2 Scene 1 (Towards the end)

Dialogue between Paulina and Gerardo – reveals different views about justice

Change in tone and language used by Paulina – ‘my little man’ – emasculating her husband and taking control over the situation, creates tension between the two characters

Gerardo appears to be more concerned about his job and reputation which causes Paulina to take on a different ‘voice’ and antagonize Miranda in the character of her torturer – repeating obscenities that were said to her

Passage reveals the debate about justice and punishment and the long term effects on the victim

Words like ‘prisoner’ and ‘free’ emphasize the oppositional nature of this passage

Repetition of the word ‘screwed’, emphasizes the nature and impact of the crime and the long term effect on the relationship between the husband and wifeInterrogatives and exclamations are used to highlight the lack of a real solution to the issue – Pauline is repeatedly questioning her own decisionsSlide32

PLAYS – Death and the Maiden

Passage 3

Roberto and Gerardo

Act 2 Scene 2

Roberto is provocative and attempts to get an emotional response from Gerardo – revealing that he is manipulative and is testing Miranda

Word ‘screw’ comes up again and is emphasized as the main aspect of concern

Gerardo is no longer the lawyer and is provoked into being the jealous, vengeful husband which could be interpreted as a ploy to cost him his positionGerardo uses derogatory terminology towards himself, ‘

I’m

a stupid, yellow, soft

faggot’ – indicating that he is conflicted between his belief in the law and his feelings about his wife‘An eye for and eye, a tooth for a tooth’ conflicts with the notion of law and forgivenessRoberto clearly scared of Paulina ‘I’m tired of being in the middle, in between the two of you.’ Indicating his position as the law and mediator between the perpetrator and the victim.Both men admit to being ‘scared’ of the unknown power of the woman and the dark side of themselves, as well as the situation they are all in and where it will lead to. Slide33

PLAYS –

Death and the Maiden

Passage 5

Act 3 Scene 1

Central conflict in the play is between Paulina and Miranda – their opposing perspectives are juxtaposed against each other here, two sides to the same story

Paulina

describes her experience of being raped by Dr. Miranda. Roberto's voice is also heard as he describes his crimes (forced to make confession). L

ighting

and the recurring motif of the sound of Schubert's quartet 'Death and the Maiden' helps build up a negative mood. For instance, on page 58 (ACT III), at first "the lights begin to go down," then after Paulina mentions Doctor Miranda, "

the lights go down further and Paulina's voice continues in the darkness, only the cassette recorder lit by the light of the moon." After a while, "in the darkness, we hear Roberto's voice overlapping with Paulina's and the second movement of Death and the Maiden." Then, "the lights go up as if the moon were coming out" while at the same time "the Schubert fades," where Roberto is put into light, and when he says "too late" the first time, "the lights start to slowly go down." The phrase "too late" is repeated and Ariel Dorfman keeps using lights to heighten the mood of desolation.

Repetition of specific words or repeated phrase – ‘too late’, ‘prisoners’, ‘sex’, ‘the real, real truth’ Slide34

PLAYS –

Death and the Maiden

Passage 6

Act 3 Scene 1

Dr. Miranda becomes desperate and knows that he will not survive. He speaks in a raging tone: "If you want to kill me, do it. But you're killing an innocent man

.“

Death and the Maiden never fully affirms or denies Roberto's guilt.

Although

Paulina is convinced that Roberto is guilty because he corrects certain details she has deliberately misrepresented, he maintains his innocence until the end.

This is a deliberate choice on Dorfman's part to force his audience members to draw their own conclusions and decide for themselves whether or not Roberto is guilty and whether or not Paulina's actions are justified.‘What about me?’ – Victims voice is emphasized in this passageThis shift of responsibility from the playwright onto the audience is emphasized by the stage directions at the end of this scene. For

the first time, the play departs from realism and a giant mirror descends, forcing the audience to stare directly at themselves at the moment of the play's climax. Non-naturalistic, symbolic prop used.

Paulina has a gun to Roberto's head and is about to shoot him, and instead of watching that moment play out, Dorfman instead confronts the audience with their own images, compelling them to consider the play's most urgent questions of responsibility, justice, and complicity. Slide35

PLAYS –

Death and the Maiden

Passage 6

Act 3 Scene 1

By forcing the audience to look at themselves rather than letting the climax unfold in a traditional manner, 

Death and the Maiden

 asks its spectators to consider not only their own responses to the questions it poses, but also to observe the responses of their fellow audience members during this moment of "public" self-reflection. Meanwhile

, Mozart's "Dissonant Quartet"

plays in the background. This piece from 1785 is known primarily for its divergence from the standard rules of harmony from that time, which adds another layer of discomfort and disquiet to the final moments of the scene. For Dorfman, the action of the scene is less important than having the audience take the time to consider their own stances. Where do they stand on such urgent issues of justice? Would they sit silently while acts of violence are perpetrated in front of them? In what injustices have they been complicit in the past - and what injustices might they be complicit in right now?