DATM Wider Text Flashcards
“So someone did terrible things to you and now you’re doing something terrible to me and tomorrow somebody else is going to - on and on.”
knew consequences
Later in Death and the Maiden, in the penultimate scene of the play, the cycle of violence becomes very clear when Roberto states, “So someone did terrible things to you and now you’re doing something terrible to me and tomorrow somebody else is going to - on and on.” One possible interpretation of this is that he was aware of the consequences that his actions would have on himself but chose to ignore them, as is a common occurrence in the play. In addition, Roberto begging her to consider the consequences of continuing the cycle is an example of the hypocrisy that continues throughout the play, which Dorfman may have used in order to demonstrate the risk of creating a cycle of consequences when people refuse to stick to the ideals they preach
“So someone did terrible things to you and now you’re doing something terrible to me and tomorrow somebody else is going to - on and on.”
didnt know consequences
Another interpretation of Dorfman’s use of Roberto saying this is that Dorfman is attempting to show a lack of awareness of the consequences that the “terrible things” Roberto did may have and so did as he desired but, due to Paulina’s attempts to enact revenge upon him and do “something terrible” to him, he’s become aware and is begging her not to make the same mistakes. In this case, we can infer that Paulina recognises the consequences of killing Roberto but wants to do so anyway, which the writer may have done to, yet again, provide an example of what dire consequences can occur when people believe that their actions are justified and that any consequences are unimportant.
repetition of terrible and “giant mirror descends, forcing the audience to look at themselves”
Dorfman may have used the repetition of the adjective “terrible” not only to show that Roberto has a sense of morality, but also to show that he knows that what he did was wrong and that he deserves what Paulina plans to do to him, demonstrating the cycle of violence and consequences. In this scene, Dorfman also uses a very unique dramatic device, in which a “giant mirror descends, forcing the audience to look at themselves”, which is a very clear attempt to “[force] the audience” to consider how this play reflects their own opinions and provoke them to consider the consequences of their future actions.
“you have ten seconds. One, two, three, four, five, six. Time is running out. Seven.”
Another significant part of the play is when Paulina counts to ten at the end of act 2 scene 1, specifically saying “you have ten seconds. One, two, three, four, five, six. Time is running out. Seven.” From the use of this countdown, we can infer that, despite what she says, Paulina may indeed care about whether or not Roberto is guilty, allowing him time to confess so she can have a clean conscience, once again showing a change in a character’s behaviour due to the fear of consequences. Through this, the writer attempts to demonstrate that nobody can escape the consequences of their actions, and that they are an inevitability, especially following an evil act such as that which Roberto perpetrated on Paulina. However, this could also be used to show that she doesn’t care about the consequences, showing similarities to Roberto in that she was willing to face punishment in order to fulfil her desires.
