AISG Student Study Guide of Death and the Maiden
Language & Literature —HL
Mr. Webster
April 2014
Topic 1: The Context of Composition
 Kristin Ali, Jeremy Lam, Jung Min Cho, David Won, Ivan Lo, Sabrina Pu
& Momoi Suda
Topic 2: The Context of Interpretation
 Darren Tirto, Christie Zheng, Jackline Raggi, Alex Zhou, Ashley Kim &
James Guo
Topic 3: Drama and its conventions
 Christine Yang, Jacob Curry, Hee Chul Byun, Keisha Burns, Mickey Ting
& Clarence Lee
Topic 4: The Setting of the Story as Revealed in the Play
 Connie Li, Tony Leung, Joong Hoon Lee, Patrick Chang, Diana Seo &
Daniel Kim
Topic 5: Themes
 Jameson MacPhie, Tammy Hong, Crystal Justason, George Sawamura,
Halin Cho, Emily Tai & Justin Tan
Topic 6: Characters
 James Fan, Nidhi Bhasin, Stephanie Park, Vikas Sharma, Martin Chou &
Tien Tien
Topic 7: The Most Important Conflicts in the Book
 Victoria Gonzalez, Eric Lu, Alice Cha, Shu-yu Hsiao, Kevin Kim, Jeffery
Kim
Topic 8: Tone and Mood
 Kirk Cheng, Jie Yi Lim,Kaylina McKelvey, Michael Woldemariam, Hugo
Setyadji & Mano Lee
Topic 9: Stylistic Features
 Chris Zhang, Caleb Sng, Kayla Mohr, Karthik Padmanabhan, YeaSeul
Park, Christy Choi, Lion Lee, Clark Lee & So Hee Park
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The Context of Composition
Students: Kristin Ali, Jeremy Lam, Jung Min Cho, David Won, Ivan Lo, Sabrina Pu &
Momoi Suda
Author’s Biography:
Ariel Dofrman was born on May 6, 1942 as Vladimir Ariel Dorfman. His family
moved to the United States shortly after his birth then eventually returned to Chile,
settling in 1954. Dorfman is an alumni as well as a professor of the University of
Chile. The country exiled him in 1973 after the Chilean military coup. He splits his
time between Santiago and the States since 1985, and has been teaching at Duke
University since 1990.
He is known as one of the greatest living Latin America novelists and has been
dubbed "The Literary Grand Master". He has had his books translated in over 40
languages as well as received many international prizes. Death and the Maiden was
his most famous play and was performed worldwide. A handful of Dorfman's work
has been written about the horrors of tyranny as well as the experiences of exile,
stemming from his background with Chile.
Ariel Dorfman is known for his works relating to Chile. Because he was
exiled from Chile in 1973, when Augusto Pinochet took control of the country, he
has had a great deal of inspiration from this event. In Death and the Maiden,
Dorfman tells the story in an extremely realistic way, which is different from his
usual allegorical approach. He portrays the harsh truths of the various struggle
people had to deal with as the country was transitioning into a democracy. Ariel
Dorfman is also known to give a voice to the people who have no say in society in
real life. In Death and the Maiden he does this with Paulina. She is given a voice to
stand up for herself and take revenge on a man whom she believes tortured her 15
years in the past. In reality, something like this would not have happened but
because Dorfman gives that voice to a woman it gives off a very powerful message
and reveals the true pain that women had to go through.
Historical/ Cultural/ Social Context
 Augusto Pinochet took control during a coup on September 11, 1973
(also called 1st 9/11)
 Chile under the rule of Augusto Pinochet lasted from 1973-1988
 Before the coup, the country was facing an economic crisis
 Secret police called DINA created (Directorate of National Intelligence),
outside the country, DINA spied on Chileans living abroad
 New constitution came into effect where Pinochet was to remain in rule for 8
more years
 He was dubbed "Senator for Life"
 He was to remain in control of the military even after his rule
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Lots of people arrested and tortured for information by the secret police
Around 3197 people were killed, 29,000 tortured
Torture methods: Parrilla-attached electrical equipment to sensitive parts of
the body/ most violent of them all: pushing pregnant women
Many people tortured in National Stadium
On 1990, Augusto Pinochet stepped down, but still had control of the
military, meaning he could attempt another coup
Democracy restored on 1990
Authorial intent
 Authorial intent refers to an author's intent as it is encoded in his or her
work.
 Dorfman tried to portray Chile’s military dictatorship through his work
 To let the audience reflect on the society
 To inform more people about what happened and acknowledge events that
happened
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Dorfman is an Argentine-Chilean novelist
Works at Duke University as a professor of lit and Latin American Studies.
He is an political activist for Latin American countries such as Chile, which
left behind the Pinochet dictatorship and talks about how the countries are
coping with it
He talks a lot about revenge and touches on political issues about betrayals,
corruption, humanity etc.
He believes writing is a way to heal politics and through understanding his
text the readers can understand the different and inner side of humans.
A lot of his themes focus mainly on Chile and he incorporates a lot of Chilean
political issues and events within his text
As a male writer, he speaks up for females in many of his texts.
Chilean people did not like the play because it was too authentic
Literary Influence
Harold Pinter
 Dorfman claimed that it was Pinter who unlocked a world he had never seen
 His works denounce politics directly, which was provocative at the time
 Revealed the many gradations and degradations of power with a starkness
Tennessee had not noticed before in other authors who were supposedly
dedicated to examining or denouncing contingent politics
 "it is in language where the other parallel violence, the cruelty exercised on
the body, originates"
 Pinter was able to tell the stories of the neglected narratives, respecting the
uncertainty of those existences on the rim of extinction, mercilessly stripping
the masks forged out of the lives we made for ourselves and yet also be
gentle, oh so tender, with these victims of their own delusion
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Pinter taught Dorfman about stagecraft and character, cruelty and subtlety
and tenderness
 Dorfman followed Pinter's aesthetics and was influenced by his works
 Depiction of the primal scenes of betrayal that could be transpiring anywhere
on our planet, embodiments of a vast and disquieting landscape of dread, the
precarious condition inhabited by most of contemporary humanity
Julio Cortázar
• According to Dorfman, Cortázar has often been characterized as an "escapist"
and that his won reading may be more politicized than the norm
• Political precisely because he does not feel compelled to limit himself to
narrating Latin American politics
• Dorfman is drawn to Cortazar's construction of stories in which "people are
shut up in incredibly narrow worlds"
• Revealed the hybrid nature of Latin American identity and represented the
conflict and synergy between European and Native American culture sources
• Understands the colloquial, the way in which he understands fantasy, and the
way in which he dares to experiment, yet he creates stories in which emotion
and intellect are wedded
• Dorfman is able to subvert and renovate the literary forms with which he
works
Literary Trends and Movements
• Dorfman's explorations of violence and language and in his rejection of
realism
• Both Pinter and Cortázar refuse the literary style of realism, considering it to
be a form that is decidedly unreal and that tends to distort and distract from
reality
• Both sense that language has hidden layers of meaning but that is equally
incapable of truly expressing that which it hopes to describe, that there is
always something inexpressible about existence
• In both Pinter and Cortázar confinement leads to conflict and violence
• Postmodern literature - post war
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The Context of Interpretation
Students: Darren Tirto, Christie Zheng, Jackline Raggi, Alex Zhou, Ashley Kim &
James Guo
The stage direction of the Death and the Maiden states that it is "a country that
is probably Chile but could be any country that has given itself a democratic
government just after a long period of dictatorship." (Cast of Characters)
Chilean militant Salvador Allende became the president in 1970. However, on
September 11th, 1973, General Augusto Pinochet planned a coup d’état. President
Salvador Allende committed suicide, and his supporters were killed. Then, General
Augusto Pinochet led the junta, and became the dictator of Chile. When the play was
written, Augusto Pinochet was still in command of the armed forces, still able to
threaten another coup if people became unruly or, more specifically, if attempts
were made to punish the human rights violations of the outgoing regime.
In 1990, the first president of Chile was elected after Chile was restored to a
democracy. Patricio Aylwin was the elected president, and he created a commission
called the Rettig Commission, that would investigate the crimes of the dictatorship
that had ended in death or its presumption. But it would "neither name the
perpetrators nor judge them." (pg 72-Afterword) Through the context of living
through Pinochet's regime, Ariel Dorfman heavily relies on historical biographical
context in his play, Death and the Maiden. Dorfman, who returned to Chile after the
end of Pinochet's dictatorship, encountered many Chileans wondering about the
things that happened during the dictatorship but were afraid to speak up. He
pondered over how a country that was in a new, democratic era, trying to let go of
it's oppressive past, had a fear to speak freely. All this observation culminated into
his play Death and the Maiden, of which he had been devising for a long time. This
historical context had led him to the creation of 3 characters, of which he had used
to represent different populations; furthermore, he had taken the idea of the
struggle between revealing the truth and democratic stability towards resolving the
issues of the country, heavily into his play.
During that time, the commission only investigated the crimes that ended in
death. There were many instances in which people were secretly abducted by the
government, and they couldn't do anything about it, which made it very hard for
people to seek justice. Supporters of Augusto Pinochet were able to occupy powerful
seats, such as the senate and the town councils. This meant that although Chile
transited to democracy, it was uneasy and Augusto Pinochet was able to control
armed forces, and threaten other coups.
 Chilean culture is mixture of Spanish and groups of indigenous people.
(National language is Spanish).
 Roman Catholic is the common religion.
 Modernization allowed development.
Social Literary Criticism intends to analyze how ruling majority in literature
oppress minority. In Death and the Maiden, Paulina represents political victims who
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survive after the dictatorship. Since the democratic government still faces remaining
military power of Pinochet, it can only carry investigations of crimes resulting in
death. In this sense, victims like Paulina are from the minority group of the play,
fighting against the legacy power of Pinochet in the seeking of justice. Through the
lenses of social literary criticism, audiences will be able to understand why even
though the democratic government has taken over, the process of healing the
country is still limited. Throughout the play, the atmosphere of gloominess and
tension resembles the conflict ongoing in the country, and while readers interpret
this play using social literary criticism, they will better realize the position Gerardo
takes as the middleman trying to alleviate the conflict between the ruling military
power and the minority survivors.
Even though Augusto Pinochet wasn't the dictator anymore, he was still in
command of the armed forces, and he secretly imprisoned and tortured thousands
of Chileans.
 Chile has a relatively young population.
 Both women and men are equal, and they are equally influential. (Women
gained full election right in 1949)
 Middle and upper class women are better educated.
 Women participation in labor market increased
 Certain class conflicts still exist.
Although Death and the Maiden primarily focuses on justice and truth, due to
different context of interpretation, it is still valid for readers to read this play
through the lenses of feminist literary criticism. This criticism analyzes plays'
portrayals of female characters and accentuates bias towards these characters. In
Death and the Maiden, Paulina, as the main and only female character, had gone
through torture and rape under the rule of Pinochet, as a political victim. Since then,
she has never recovered from the horrifying memory and is described as"locked" in
the basement where she was tortured for the past 15 years. The significance that the
main victim in this play is a female is that the contrast between a common woman
and Paulina exaggerates the tormenting power of political dictatorship. While
woman is commonly portrayed as fragile, weak and the minority of the society, the
fact that Paulina transforms to be a almost cold-blooded murderer with evil
thoughts of torturing and killing her suspected criminal, Doctor Roberto,
demonstrates clearly to the audience the theme of finding justice and truth.
However, this criticism is most likely to be used by modern audiences because of the
rising female power in current society.
Depending on readers, there can be different conclusions. A long period of
dictatorship can hardly be found in today's world; advances in technologies open up
people's mind decades ago. Although a huge portion of the world today operates
under a system of democracy, they usually did not form directly from a dictatorship.
Since then, several generations have passed and this work is hardly relevant to
modern audiences.
Historically, the setting of the book is in the twentieth century where sexism
remains a serious issue. Yet again with evolution in mind settings the equilibrium of
gender right gradually shifts to the women side. Regionally, in today's life, there are
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still gender discriminations. Furthermore, the legacy set of mind brought about by
the previous generations can also cause resonance in readers when they read about
this.
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Drama and its Conventions
Students: Christine Yang, Jacob Curry, Hee Chul Byun, Keisha Burns, Mickey Ting &
Clarence Lee
DEFINING DRAMA
Drama can be defined as the portrayal of a plot or story as in other types of
literature, with the main distinction being that drama is meant to involve audience
interaction (visible in plays through asides, soliloquies, monologues, etc.). While this
particular definition of drama is broader and fits all kinds of plays, the word drama
has also come to mean a specific type of play that does not fit the common divisions
of comedy and tragedy. In Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden we see the use of
conventions that help place the work as a drama, as it contains the plot structure
and common movement identified as belonging to 'drama'.
DRAMATIC STRUCTURE
Acts and Scenes
A drama is composed of multiple acts, and within each act, the plot can be broken
down further into scenes. Death and the Maiden follows a typical three-act-structure
that is quite common in dramatic writing in the 19th and 20th century. The plot of
Death and the Maiden can be analyzed within each act. Act 1 introduces the three
main characters as well as the social setting of the drama, which is a society that is
still haunted by the shadow of the previous dictatorship. In terms of plot, it is the
exposition of the story. Act 2 builds onto the expositions and starts creating
complications that will eventually lead up to the climax in Act 3. Act 3 contains both
the climax and resolution of Death and the Maiden, which conforms to the
traditional structure of a three-act drama/play.
Number of Characters
This play has a total of three characters, Paulina Salas, Gerardo Escobar and Roberto
Miranda. With the story centered around ambiguity of the guilt of Doctor Miranda,
the fact that the play only has three characters is quite effective, as it allows the
audience to focus in on these three characters and try really hard to figure out
whether Doctor Miranda is truly guilty or not. The fact that this play only has three
characters makes it quite different from most other plays as most plays have a
relatively larger cast. This is apparent even in A Streetcar Named Desire as it has
over 10 different characters.
STAGE DIRECTIONS:
Stage directions are instructions written into the script of a play, indicating stage
actions, movement of performers or production requirements. Stage directions are
typically found at the beginning of each scene, however, there are also instances
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when stage directions are written in between dialogues and the purpose for that is
to help actors and actresses better understand what the playwright hopes for the
scene to look like and perhaps also help them get into character.
In Death and the Maiden, there are stage directions written at the beginning of each
act and scene. The first stage directions of each act inform the stage director about
the setting and context of the play (time, place, specific set-up such as where the
chair or certain furniture should be). For example, the first paragraph of Act I Scene
1 includes information about the time and place of that act by stating “After
midnight” and “The Escobars’ beach house.” This provides the information that the
setting of this act is set near a beach to the director, therefore the audience is also
informed of its location. The location and time of the play could have great effect on
the audience, as different context would lead to different interpretation of the
plot. Further more, stage direction are use to inform actor/actress position and
what he/she should be doing. For example, “Paulina Salas is seated in a chair on the
terrace, as if she were drinking in the light of moon.” Actions of each character
inform the audiences about their characteristics and attitudes. Never the less, a
specific movement is needed to create the same effect each time the play is shown.
It is important to remember that stage directions are for actors and actresses, stage
director, and backstage crews not audiences. Yet, since stage directions help deliver
a play better, it affects the audience to the extent that it will help bring them a better
performance. Stage direction during dialogues could be short and direct through
use of brackets such as “(voice off) “ or “(He laughs)”; or long and descriptive in
sentence(s) such as “Paulina edges out onto the terrace from where she will be able
to hear the men but not see or be seen by them”.
Without stage directions, the play is just a matter of dialogue, as if listening to a
radio. Stage direction acts as the five senses, especially the eyes. It plays a role in
setting the right mood for the play and creates tension between the audience and
the plot. Ariel Dorfman was able to engage the audience on an emotional level from
the start ‘til the end of the play.
Unlike other forms of literature, a drama does not only have a story-telling aspect,
but also involvement of an audience. There are many different ways that a drama
can involve the audience, such as using asides, soliloquies, monologues and stage
props. There were no monologues or soliloquies in Death and the Maiden, but the
drama is enhanced with the usage of props. At the end of Act III Scene 1 as a part of
the stage direction, a huge mirror descended on the stage and was shown at the
audience. This is a very effective technique, as it causes the audience to raise the
question as to why such mirror is presented before them. The director and
playwright then achieves its purpose of letting the audience reflect themselves and
truly ponder about the message that is put forth from the author through the play
Death and the Maiden.
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Setting of Story as Revealed in Play
Students: Connie Li, Tony Leung, Joong Hoon Lee, Patrick Chang, Diana Seo & Daniel
Kim
Setting is the time, place, circumstances in which the fictional story takes
place as well as the cultural, political and social background within the story. Death
and the Maiden has a contemporary setting, meaning that the cultural, historical and
social background within the story is similar to background context when the play is
written. This section will introduce the setting of Death and the Maiden by analyzing
the music, stage direction, plot, dialogue and set design.
Music:
The music used in the play, Death and The Maiden:
Death and the Maiden is a musical composition by Schubert, a talented
musician who died young because of his illness, when he was 20 years old (1817).
The well-known name of this piece is quartet in D minor series. While there are four
parts in the piece, only the first part of the piece is played in the play. All of them
were related because other three parts came from the variation of the first part. The
song describes how a crying maiden is getting seduced, and is dead in the end. The
song could be somewhat related to death.
When is Death and the Maiden played in the play?
The piece of the song was played in the play a few times. Once was when
Paulina tried to tell Gerardo that Roberto was the doctor involved in her torture
sessions. She found the cassette from Roberto's car and tries to prove rationally that
he is the person responsible for her pain. Another time was when Roberto was
making his disposition about what he did to the prisoners. The voice of Roberto
overlapped the second part of Death and the Maiden piece. The last time when the
piece was played was when Gerardo was making speech at the concert hall. The
ending of the play was ambiguous by not specifying if Roberto was alive, but ended
the play with Paulina staring at Roberto with the music on.
How does the piece relate to the setting of the play?
Death and the Maiden helps to depict the background story of the play that
Paulina was tortured and raped by the doctor because the story the music depicts is
very similar to the background story of the play. The song represents the relief of
the people who were in arrested. Paulina describes herself "I am the Maiden". The
song was played every time after when the torture was done. As the song represents
maiden walking steadily towards the crying young girl and persuading her to go
with him to death, the piece suits perfectly with the situation of when the doctor
was torturing Paulina. Most of the girls would be crying after undergoing the torture
process and would be anxious to just rather die than staying like this. Also when Dr.
Roberto says that he played the music to earn the trust from the prisoners, that’s not
what it really was to the prisoners eye. It actually seemed like a maiden in the piece,
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trying to lead the prisoners to death. Overall, the song emphasizes the traumatism
Paulina undergoes, and tells audience the reason why Paulina is so determined on
making Roberto to confess the crime and punishing the Roberto as the Commission
does not.
Stage Directions:
Stage directions tell the audience about the atmosphere of setting in the play.
Ariel Dorfman starts out the play with a description of the setting in Scene 1, while
mentioning "on a sideboard is a cassette recorder and a lamp" (p. 3) hints that the
play takes place back in the twentieth century. Also, the play is set in "the Escobars’
beach house" in Scene 1 and the audience realizes that one of the main characters of
the play, Paulina Salas, is on a somewhat higher social class since she is able to relax
"in a chair on the terrace, as if she were drinking in the light of the moon" and has a
gun, too. The directions that describe Paulina's reaction to Gerardo coming in the
room creates a sort of tense mood, especially with Paulina hiding behind the
curtains, the appearance of the gun and "the lights sweeping the room."
The stage directions on music or sound effects are also meaningful in shaping
the atmosphere. For example, in the beginning of scene 2, the "sound of the sea" and
"the sound of a car approaching" then having someone knock on the door "first
timidly, then more strongly" and "the knocking on the door gets more insistent," the
mood changes fast from peaceful and calm to alarming and hostile. When we know
that "Paulina edges out onto the terrace from where she will be able to hear the men
but not see or be seen by them," the confining and tense mood is formed again.
Also, effects of brief pauses in the middle of dialogues play a role in forming
the mood. such as on page 4 when Gerardo says "that depends on you" and "takes an
enormous nail out of his jacket pocket." Like the use of a caesura in poetry, pauses in
the middle of speeches or dialogues allow tension to build up. In this case, a violent
mood is formed as Gerardo stops and takes an action that involves "an enormous
nail" that seems like it would be used for inflicting pain, although it is not. The pause
creates the cold, threatening and even nightmarish atmosphere that fits the
conversation that is close to a fight. Ariel Dorfman uses more "brief pause" onwards
during the whole conversation, making it sound more grim and the audience to feel
uneasy.
Furthermore, the lighting 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. Also in the beginning of Scene 3 in ACT I, "a cloud passes
over the moon," using lights to foreshadow a discomforting incident of Roberto
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getting threatened by Paulina. The whole scene is just stage directions, raising
tension by not using any dialogues. The absence of natural light during the whole
scene stresses the brutality, and the scene ends with "darkness," forming a barren
mood.
The illustration of the physical set-up on the stage is important because the
audience needs to be able to imagine where the dialogues are taking place in what
mood that might affect how the readers receive and respond to the play. The
audience can explore the setting that the playwright produces and this helps for a
better understanding of the characters in the play. The significance of being able to
do this is because The Death and the Maiden is not enforcing any morals or lessons
on the audience but rather questioning social and personal values and demanding
for answers. It is important to place oneself in the setting of the play and apply one's
own existence on the stage.
Plot:
Plot is the main events of a play, movie, novel, or similar work, devised and
presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence
How is the plot organized?
The plot starts with Paulina Escobar’s exposition of Dr. Miranda, the stranger
that drove Paulina’s husband home. This can be seen in the scene where Paulina is
convinced that Dr. Miranda was part of the old military regime that tortured and
raped her. The conflict in this play can be represented in the scene where Paulina
takes Dr. Miranda captive in order to put him on trial and extract a confession from
him. The climax of the play happens when Gerardo, Paulina’s husband, is
unconvinced of Miranda’s guilt and attempts to save him, however, Paulina
threatens to kill Dr. Miranda if he did not confess. The falling action happens when
Gerardo formulates a confession with Dr. Miranda to appease Paulina’s madness.
The story is resolved when Paulina records the confession and has Roberto Miranda
write it out and sign it, she then sets Roberto Miranda free. However, throughout the
play it is uncertain whether Roberto Miranda is guilty or not, therefore the plot is
not “resolved” since at the end of the play it is unclear who is innocent.
How does the plot tell you when and where the play is set?
The plot provides plenty of examples that display the atmosphere of the play
as well, which is part of setting. An example of the uneasiness and tense mood is
conveyed in Scene 2 when Roberto takes a page to open the door for Roberto.
Gerardo says himself that he is "unused to democracy" and all the peace that comes
along with it. The fear of Gerardo's household is shown in the sentence "That
someone knocks on your door at midnight and it's a friend and not...."
Dialogue:
The majority of the play consists of dialogue, which is the conversation
between two or more people. Dialogue not only can not only lead the plot trends,
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shape the characters, but more importantly, it can also inform audiences about the
cultural, historical and social setting of the play.
First of all, dialogue gives a lot of information, for example, the positions of
the three main characters, Paulina, Gerardo and Roberto. In page 9, Paulina's
indication on the Commission Gerardo is selected to work for "only investigate cases
that ended in death", her repetitive questioning on if "human rights violations that
ends in death" are the most serious case and Gerardo's refuse's to continue
discussing about crime are the first depictions of conflict in the play. This short
dialogue not only implies the dispute between the couple, but also between their
opinions on the new government actions. Through this conversation, the audiences
can know about the basic social and historical setting of the play. Especially for the
Chile audiences, after Paulina mentioning about the Commission, they can probably
immediately know that the play is set in one period in their country's history.
The dialogue can also indicate the cultural setting of play. Though
unintentionally, the play show all characters' cultural values or the mainstreamed
cultural value of the society in which the characters live in as they speak out their
opinions. In page 46, Paulina mentions "mother is not responsible for what [the
kids] do", and she questions "why people always say son of a bitch instead of son of
the father" after Roberto asked her to "leave [his] mother out of it" when they talk
about the possible crime Roberto may have committed. Paulina's line indicate one
cultural value of the story in which woman is looked down compared to man. More,
Paulina is also making reference with such cultural value to the fact that, her being
weak woman and being raped and tortured, is ignored. In other words, this line
indicates both the cultural setting and the background of the story.
Set design:
Set design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery.
Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds
Example:
Act 1: "The Escobar's beach house. A terrace and an ample living/dining rom where
dinner is laid out on a table with two chairs. On a sideboard is a cassette recorder
and a lamp."
Explanation:
First it gives a peaceful atmosphere, then by changing of the set design, dark and
moonlight set, it gives a contradicting atmosphere.
Example:
Act 2:" Both Gerardo and Roberto exit in different directions to their respective
bedrooms. A brief pause: silence and moonlight"
Explanation:
This set design builds up the intense atmosphere. The 'silence and moonlight'.
Example:
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Act 3: "A concert hall. An evening some months later. Gerardo and Paulina appear,
elegantly dressed. 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."
Explanation:
Dorfman ends his play with mirrors dropping down, implying that the plot directs
towards the audience, and is suppose to catalyze self-exploration amongst them
Example:
"mirror which descends, forces the audience to look at themselves."
Explanation:
It's a clever theatrical device, but it has already taken the discussion away from the
ground of history and into the realm of individual morality
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Themes
Students: Jameson MacPhie, Tammy Hong, Crystal Justason, George Sawamura,
Halin Cho, Emily Tai & Justin Tan
Theme: The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an
exhibition, an idea that recurs in a work of art or literature.
A play or any type of literature revolves around its theme. The theme constructs the
message, and the plot of a play.
Ambiguity
The theme of ambiguity in the play is used to emphasize the political backdrop of
the play as it demonstrates how a government can undermine the rights of its
citizens. It identifies the loopholes in a government's constitution and their methods
of instituting justice, as they cannot fully tend to the needs of every individual
despite their good intentions. The use of ambiguity in the play puts "truth" into
question by providing multiple interpretations to Dr. Miranda's guilt and death as
well as Paulina's sanity.
In various parts of the play, Ariel Dorfman hints or shows behaviors that engage the
audience to decide for themselves how the play might have ended or if Miranda was
actually dead or alive or the fact that he was one that tortured Paulina. Dorfman
purposely included evidence that could be used to argue the guilt and death of Dr.
Miranda in both directions. For example, when Paulina remembers that Schubert's
"Death and the Maiden" was what her torturer played as he tortured her, and Dr.
Miranda has a copy of the song in his car. This can be a point to prove that Dr.
Miranda was in fact the one who tortured Paulina. Or a point that can prove his
innocence since "Death and the Maiden" was a popular tune in the late 1990s.
By creating doubt into the play (mentioning that Roberto might be a figment of
imagination in Paulina's mind) Ariel Dorman gives the audience a sense of not
knowing the truth, which is a very important aspect in Death & the Maiden
The purpose of using ambiguity was to question the outcome of the situation and of
course not being able to discover the truth. In relation to play, at the very beginning
of the play it mentions that the setting could be "a country that is probably Chile but
could be any country that has given itself a democratic government just after a long
period of dictatorship". It gives of a clue that this play is set during the birth of a new
government where everything is undergoing a dramatic change, this on the other
hand also gives us the feeling the ambiguity of whether or not change in the country
is good or that it would end up exactly the same as the old government. The use of
ambiguity also muddles the truth emphasizing the flaws of a newly established
democratic regime.
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On page 66, everyone freeze in their positions and become covered by a mirror from
the viewers (Ambiguity is symbolized as the mirror descends on the stage
and reflecting the audience, this symbolizes that we are different and that it reflects
our other side). Another example is the found in the play is in page 66 to 68, during
the time when they are in a concert hall (this is probably many years later since
Gerardo did mention the "Final Report of the Commission"), it mentions that
Roberto is there in the concert hall with them, but instead of stating it, it gives
suggestions to the audience like ".... Roberto enters, under a light, which has a faint
phantasmagoric moonlight quality. He could be real or he could be an illusion in
Paulina's head." page 67.
Justice
Justice is an important theme in the play. In the play, Paulina and Gerardo both
experience how justice plays out however they have different perceptions and
thought about justice. They have different thoughts on how justice can be served on
different situations.
Gerardo thinks that justice can be solved through the process of country court
finding justice of human rights and abuses through the government was his duty as
a lawyer and a person who works at government commission. He strongly believes
that the commissioners can authentically find justice through these formal
processes after the country has changed its state to a Democratic government.
Gerardo watches Paulina’s acts and says “please, Paulina, could we start being
reasonable, start acting if –“ and she cuts through saying “you be reasonable. They
never did anything to you” showing controversy thoughts and acts between the two.
(p. 25)
On the other hand, Paulina doesn’t believe that the government will find the right
justice. She doubts that justice can be followed as to what really happened. That is
why she took action by her self and seeks for justice by her self after her
unforgettable past experience. She shows her own way of how to resolve this case
and find justice: First she says, “ I want him to confess. I want him to sit in front of
that cassette recorder and tell me what he did- not just to me, everything, to
everybody… That’s what I want.” (p. 41) But after doctor Roberto confesses she later
says, “To kill you. So I can listen to my Schubert without thinking that you’ll also be
listening to it…that’s what I need…” (p. 63)
Moreover, Forgiveness and justice are not necessarily tied together in the Death and
the Maiden. In the play Death and the Maiden, Paulina cannot forgive Dr. Miranda
because she she considered Miranda as the person who raped and tortured her. For
her, Miranda is the devil that brought her nightmares therefore she found no
reasons to forgive her. However, Paulina's husband, who is a member of the
Commission, understands that such justice is almost impossible to be achieved in
their country as it has just turned democratic while the Commission only investigate
the incidents with people have died. In Paulina's perspective, the justice is to punish
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the people who have done immoral things such as raping. As she knows that the
government cannot help punishing the person for her, she is willing to commit
justice by herself by killing Dr. Miranda. Therefore, there is no forgiveness in justice,
according to Paulina's perspective.
Power
In Death and the Maiden, one of the biggest themes is who holds the power. During
Pinochet's rule, he asserted brutal power and force to all his people. They felt taken
advantage of as they were treated as lesser beings. In the play Death and the
Maiden, it is about Paulina fighting back to gain the power that she lost alongside
other people who were tortured. Gerardo says, "As long as you're holding the gun,
we have nothing to discuss." This quote signifies the amount of control Paulina has
over the situation, to the point where she is even scaring her own husband as he
tries to comfort her. The whole play dances around who HAS the power. Does Dr.
Miranda still have the power because he is the one that has been controlling her for
the past 30 years in her thoughts? Dr. Miranda and Gerardo quote, "She's mad, she
needs therapy", followed by, "You ARE her therapy." This shows that Dr. Miranda
almost still has a mental control over her regardless of Paulina holding the gun to
his head. Although Paulina is speaking and acting up, we can see how Dr. Miranda
has power over her mind, even though Paulina has power over the situation.
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Characters
Students: James Fan, Nidhi Bhasin, Stephanie Park, Vikas Sharma, Martin Chou &
Tien Tien
Characterization:
 Things to determine character: appearance, names, props, mannerism and
actions
 Writer may also use grammar and other characterization in order to convey
the personality and views of a character
 Main types:
o Direct Characterization: When the writer or character explicitly states
the character is a certain type of person or has certain characteristics.
o Indirect Characterization: Characterization by actions. Showing how
intent in actions, and implicit assumptions based on way they are
dressed, what they say, and how they interact with others
Characters in Storytelling:
 Protagonist: the leading character of a plot, most often one who is moving
towards a goal and experiences change by the end of the story
 Antagonist: the character that is either an obstacle to the protagonist's goal
or is also actively competing for that same goal. They do not need to be evil,
just in contention with the protagonist. The antagonist does not have to be a
specific character, it could also be a group or system
 Foil: a character that is specifically used to have opposite values and
behaviors to another character in order to create conflict as well as for plot
purposes.
 Round Character: a character whose characteristics, thoughts, and
background etc. are fully described and shown. This character archetype is
more commonly seen in the main character to make them more relatable to
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


the audience.
Ex. Paulina in the Death and The Maiden. Her traits, characteristics,
ideas, and experiences are clearly shown to the audience, giving them
a better understanding of her as well as why she is so upset at doctor
Miranda.
Flat Character: a character that is not fully described or shown in the play.
The audience is only shown bits and pieces of the characters life, personality,
and experiences. This type of character is usually used for a specific purpose.
Ex. Dr. Miranda in the Death and The Maiden. Unlike Paulina, Dr.
Miranda is not fully shown in the play. Only specific traits, and aspects
are shown of his life are shared with the audience.
Dynamic Character: a character archetype used in many literary works, and
is a character that goes through a change within the story. This could be a
change in terms of attitude and or personality.
Ex. Gerardo is an example of a dynamic character because he shows a
gradual change in ideas in the play.
Static Character: a character archetype also commonly seen in literary works
of fiction, and is a character that has little to no change within the story. Stays
the same throughout the play.
Ex. Paulina is an example of a static character because her views,
ideas, and goals stay they same throughout the play.
A Character Analysis of the Play’s 3 Characters:
 Gerardo Escobar
o Lawyer, Paulina's husband, around 45 years old
o Works for and believes in the government's ability, even though
commission only investigates crimes and human rights abuse that end
in the victim’s death.
o High moral values, makes him somewhat naïve.
 Gerardo in defense of commission: "Limited, let's say we're
limited. But there is so much we can do... We'll publish our
conclusions. There will be an official report." p10
 Gerardo tries to be honest with himself and feels guilty to work
in the commission even if no one else knows about the
Paulina's cruel acts. "Even in that case -- I have to resign no
matter what, and the sooner, the better" –Gerardo, p37
o Rational: lacks empathy
 Tries to explore the crimes in an objective manner
 "A vague memory of someone's voice is not proof of anything
Paulina" –Gerardo, p22
 Values future stability, therefore careful not to stir the pot
o Represents democratic citizen of country
 Believes that reconciliation is the best way to end the tragedy
 Supports human rights
 "but let's say he was -- even in that case, what right do you
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
have to bind him like this.." –Gerardo, p25
 "What happened will be established objectively, so no one will
ever be able to deny it, so that our country will never again live
through the excesses that..." –Gerardo, p10
 Resents dictatorship, He poses the question to Paulina: "You
want the times back when these people decided our life and
our death? –Gerardo, p36
 "You satisfy your own personal passion, you punish on your
own, ... -- the whole return to democracy can go screw itself --"
–Gerardo, p36
 Shows anger towards Paulina's acts because it is not what a
"democratic" citizen would do. Chaos may lead to the return of
dictatorship
o "Lawyer" Gerardo vs. real Gerardo
 Towards the middle of the play, Gerardo's attitude changes;
believes his wife
 "Gerardo is gone. I'm here. Me. An eye for an eye is here, a
tooth for a tooth, right, isn't that our philosophy?"
 "I'm tired of being in the middle, in between the two of you." –
Gerardo, p48
Paulina Salas
o Wife of Gerardo, in her 40s
o Her morals
 Paulina is a very moralistic, her intense desire for revenge
shows this, but her need for revenge can also become immoral
in the ways she wants to achieve it
 Has a strong sense of justice and what’s right, strongly believes
that someone should be punished for what was done to her.
o Knowledge
 Rather intelligent women, has done higher medical studies but
was unable to complete it, also her extensively thought out
plan for when she finds her torturer is also evidence of this
o Emotional state
 Very fragile emotional state, gets worried at the slightest offset
in her plans, starts to develop very far-fetched thoughts.
 Can be considered clinically unstable, due to the immense
mental trauma she’s suffered
 However, she is also very methodical and extensive in her
plans and actions, depicted in her scheme to exact revenge
from Dr. Miranda
 She has considered all the up’s and down’s for when she finds
her torturer, and has held all this anger, stress, frustration for
years and it finally blows up
 Due to all the torture and abuse, it is plausible she is very
detached from her true self and her inner human as she’s
driven by this infectious need for revenge
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
o Social interaction:
 Of high social status. Married to a well-known government official
 Has a beach house with her husband, means they are of wealthy
background or at least have enough of their own wealth
 Attended medical school with aspirations of becoming a doctor,
means her family held high values for education
 Avoids social interaction due to her damaged emotional state, only
has to face any interaction due to her husband being an important
political figure
Dr. Robert Miranda
o Doctor, middle-aged man
o Acquaintance of Gerardo
 Described by Gerardo as kindhearted, stops to help Gerardo with his
car when his tire is dis-inflated on the road
 Admires Gerardo’s work, travels to the Escobar’s house in the middle
of the night upon hearing about Gerardo’s post on the commission
from the radio, he is also pro-democracy
 Although he has certain views that differ from those of Gerardo's, he
is for the death penalty while Gerardo is against it
o Paulina’s memory of him
 Hinted that he was one of the doctor consultants for the dictatorship
during its torture sessions, but is left ambiguous
 However, he does not show that he is be able to recall past events,
including Paulina's torture
 Has experience of both non-democratic and democratic, including the
transition between the two phases
 "real real truth" is a phrase mentioned by him throughout the play
(*also repeated by Paulina at times)
 Represents dark side of democracy due to his past
o Quotes:
 "No, I am telling you, and this is said straight from the heart, this
Commission is going to help us close an exceptionally painful chapter
in our history, and here I am, alone this weekend, we've all got to
help out - it may be a teensy-weensy gesture but-" -p14
 "I'm for killing the whole bunch of them, but I can see that..." -p16
 "I wish I could share your optimism. I'm afraid there are things we'll
never know." -p17
 "It's very kind of you but I like being by myself, watching the waves,
listening to my music. Look, I came to help, not be a bother. I'll be
back tomorrow, say at-" –p17
Characters’ Representation of Social Groups in Chile:
 Paulina
o Women
 Paulina represents the subservient role of women to men
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

 Education, job opportunities, and rights improved after Chile becomes
a democratic country in 1990 the government forbade sexism
 Many were involved in politics and protests
 Paulina can also to other women around the world - women were/are
mistreated and controlled- inequality between men and women in
many countries (now and during the time the play was first
performed)
o Victims of the Dictatorship
 Paulina kidnapped and kept as a prisoner during dictatorship
 Accuses Roberto of the crimes done to her
Gerardo
o Government (Law enforcing)
 Gerardo works for the government in investigating the crimes done to
those who are dead, he is a lawyer
 Wants to right the wrongs during dictatorship - thinks rationally justice in Chile
 Acts as the mediator in Paulina’s trial of Roberto at the house
 Audience can related and feel Gerardo's frustration when trying to get
Paulina to free Roberto
Roberto
o Oppressors (regime)
 Aligned with the dictatorship that was previously in power
 Helped the torturers of the regime against rebel groups
 A group of people whose crimes the commission is to investigate
 Has now fallen out of power as the dictatorship has been overthrown
 May or may not show remorse for actions done
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The Most Important Conflicts
Student: Victoria Gonzalez, Eric Lu, Alice Cha, Shu-yu Hsiao, Kevin Kim, Jeffery Kim
Definitions:
Conflict – Conflict is an essential element in literature that involves a struggle
between two different forces (forces could be people, feelings, nature, etc.). Conflicts
are usually between antagonists and protagonists. The two main types of conflicts
are internal and external conflicts.
Internal Conflict — A struggle within the mind of a character. This creates suspense
within the plot.
External Conflict – The struggle between one character and an external force (e.g.
another character or nature). This type of conflict is an important element to drive
action of the plot.
Central Conflict – The main conflict within the story that is usually faced by the main
character. The plot of the story will revolve around this conflict.
Conflicts:
The conflict between Paulina Salas and Dr. Roberto Miranda (Victoria Gonzalez):
This is known as the central conflict within the play. The external conflict
between Paulina and Roberto begins when Paulina eavesdrops during the
conversation that her husband Gerardo has with Roberto. Paulina claims to have
recognized him as her rapist and torturer. “Paulina: It’s his voice. I recognized it as
soon as he came in here last night. The way he laughs. Certain phrases he uses,”
(Dorfman 23). This causes her to tie Miranda up to the chair with a gun to his head,
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putting Paulina in control of him from the start of the play. Throughout the play,
Paulina speaks graphically of the prior conflict between herself and her rapist (who
she believes to be Miranda). However, during this conflict, it is Roberto who is
control of Paulina.
Paulina searches for the justice that she wants to be provided for her for all
her suffering years back. She considers justice in different forms. She says, “I
thought the only thing I wanted is to have him raped… But you know what
conclusion I came to, the only thing I really want? I want him to confess,” (41). The
conflict continues due to Miranda’s refusal to confess to something he does not
admit to doing.
Through the beginning of the play Gerardo acts as mediator between
Miranda and Paulina, trying to resolve the problem in the most peaceful way
possible, but after a while Gerardo seems to get frustrated and doesn’t know who to
trust leaving Paulina and Miranda to deal with the problem between the two of
them. “Gerardo: I’m tired of being in the middle, in between the two of you. You
reach an understanding with her, you convince her,” (48).
Towards the end of the play, Paulina holds a gun to Roberto’s head telling
him to admit to the crime and to repent sincerely. She claims that is what she needs
to feel that justice is served. However, Roberto feels that no matter what he says at
this point Paulina will never feel that justice is served. “Roberto: No. I won’t.
Because even if I confess, you’ll never be satisfied. You’re going to kill me anyway,”
(65).
The ambiguous ending of the play never reveals if Miranda was shot or not.
There are many indications that Paulina killed Roberto, but in the last scene of the
play Gerardo and Paulina are shown as audience members of a concert. The stage
directions indicate that Roberto then enters the scene, “He could be real or he could
be an illusion in Paulina’s head,” (67). This ending indicates that the conflict
between Paulina and Miranda is never ending. Either Doctor Miranda is still alive
and he haunts her, or he is dead but she still thinks of him and imagines him
everywhere she goes.
The conflict between Gerardo and Miranda (Jeffery Kim):
Even though the main external conflict happens between Paulina and
Miranda, conflict between Gerardo and Miranda is important as well. Intentionally
Gerardo was trying to help Miranda get out of the situation caused by Paulina, but as
the play went on and emotional struggle with Gerardo he started to doubt Miranda.
Near the end of the play we see a scene where Gerardo explodes with rage and
curses Miranda for the actions that he may or may not have done. Miranda is
constantly trying to convince Gerardo to help him and do something about Paulina's
actions. On the other hand Gerardo tries to be the fair man doubting Paulina's
thoughts.
Between Paulina and Gerardo (Kevin Kim):
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Although not as significantly obvious as the external conflict between Doctor
Miranda and Paulina, the conflict between Paulina and Gerardo should not be
ignored. During the beginning of the play, Gerardo attempts to talk Paulina out of
kidnapping Doctor Miranda, believing that she has tied up an innocent man. There is
another main conflict in the beginning of the book, when Paulina is frustrated with
Gerardo, who is part of the commission that give righteous punishment to those
affiliated with the previous dictatorship, because the culprits were only punished if
their acts ended up in death. As the story progresses, the conflict is not simply about
whether to free Doctor Miranda or not; it culminates to Miranda's painful past and
the trust issue between Gerardo and Paulina. It is revealed in one of the arguments
between Paulina and Gerardo, during the time that Paulina has been supposedly
captured by Doctor Miranda and was tortured and sexually abused, Gerardo has
been having affairs with women.
Paulina’s Internal Conflicts (Shu-Yu Hsiao):
15 years ago Paulina was kidnapped, raped and tortured. Not knowing whom
the rapist and torturer was, she only recognized him by his voice, skin and his way
of speaking. She was certain that Dr. Miranda Roberto was the rapist, but Gerardo
and Roberto both made her question whether her judgment was right. “Paulina: It’s
his voice. I recognized it as soon as he came in here last night. The way he laughs.
Certain phrases he uses. Gerardo: But that’s not…” This scene was right after
Gerardo saw Miranda being tied up and he did not trust her judgment right away.
Dr. Miranda kept denying that he raped her, saying that he has no idea what she is
talking about, making her appear to be crazy. Gerardo is clearly taking Dr. Miranda’s
side as he tricks Paulina into telling him what happened the day of the kidnap so
Gerardo can tell Dr. Miranda about it. She believes that she is right, however, she
also doubts her own judgment because she never shot him in the play. Even though
it was an ambiguous ending, she still struggles in whether or not she should kill Dr.
Miranda.
Another internal conflict Paulina has is that she can’t forget about being
raped, tortured, and kidnapped. These thoughts keep coming back to haunt her and
they never really go away. In Act One she seems paranoid when she sees an
unfamiliar car parked in front of her house. She gets scared and grabs a gun, until
she realizes Gerardo is in the car. Additionally, Paulina tells Miranda that she cannot
listen to Franz Schubert’s quartet “Death and the Maiden” because it reminds her of
the incident in which she was raped. “If [the quartet] is on the radio, I turn it off, I
even try not to go out much…I always pray they won’t put on Schubert,” (Dorfman
21). This quote shows Paulina’s struggle to let go of the past.
Gerardo’s Internal Conflict (Eric Lu):
Gerardo's conflict is internal. Throughout the book, Gerardo faces Miranda
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and Paulina and he does not know whom to trust. On one side is his wife that he
trusted and lived with for a long time, but he also knows that she has some issues
with her past (related to the rape years back). On the other side is Dr. Miranda.
Gerardo just met Miranda; he is a stranger to him. However, he does not know
whether or not Miranda can be trusted. This internal conflict remains with Gerardo
throughout the whole play. In the text when Gerardo and Miranda had a private talk,
it shows that Gerardo is leaning towards trusting Dr. Miranda.
Tone and Mood
Students: Kirk Cheng, Jie Yi Lim, Kaylina McKelvey, Michael Woldemariam, Hugo
Setyadji & Mano Lee
Tone: the way feelings are expressed in the literary work.
Mood: the atmosphere portrayed, overall feeling of the literary work.
Act 1 Scene 1
Mood
Scene 1 is begun under an ambiance of peacefulness, portrayed by the sound of sea
in a quiet midnight. An approaching car and Paulina’s reaction breaks this
tranquility, that is to say, the mood turns tense with Paulina on guard and taking out
a gun. But this sudden tension breaks away with Gerardo's rather casual, amiable
conversation with Roberto; after the conversation Paulina hides her gun away, and
hides herself behind curtains as the tension eases. The following five-page long
lover's spat between Geraldo and Paulina is shrouded by many emotions, the most
tangible, and perhaps Dorfman's strongest intention, is the great intimacy between
the two.
But it is nevertheless accompanied by few malevolent comments that stem from
their conflicts in their pasts. In detail, the two turn bitter against each other when
Geraldo complains of his car accident, and when Paulina assumes Geraldo's helper is
a woman, moreover, as Geraldo confronts Paulina of the jack's whereabouts, and
when Geraldo explains the tasks and goals of his new commission to Paulina's
dissatisfaction. But bitterness is quickly drowned by loving affection each time by
the two embracing each other, or by Geraldo suggesting the pointlessness of
arguing.
The stage directions portray, "Sound of the sea. After midnight." These Six words,
though simple, elicit an atmosphere of utmost tranquility. A peaceful evening by
the beach can be imagined.
Tone
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"You sure you don't want to come in? ... I really want you to know how much I
appreciate ... (He laughs)"
Geraldo expresses great amity towards yet-unknown Roberto in this clip of
conversation between the two.
"Paulie?"
"Poor little love."
"Silly. Silly girl, my baby."
Geraldo's affection for Paulina is expressed through these lovers' names he calls
her.
"You know what this is? This is the son of a bitch that gave me a flat."
"Now. What the hell did you do with the jack?"
"While I can go fuck myself."
"... and this son of a bitch of a nail is lying in wait for me"
"without a spare and without a jack on the goddamn road."
These vulgar swear words of Geraldo show hostility and anger during his
conversations with Paulina, expressing his great annoyance at Paulina not replacing
his spare tire and lending his jack to her mother without permission.
"Was she pretty at least? Sexy?"
"I already said it was a man."
"You said nothing of the kind."
"Why do you always have to suppose there's a woman..."
"Why indeed? I just can't imagine why."
This short fuss between Paulina and Geraldo reveals a past incident in which
Paulina, on her return from her abductors, found Geraldo in the middle of an affair.
Paulina is aggressive and directly attacking Geraldo, her tone bitter and biting, and
her sarcastic question in the end is tangibly caustic. Geraldo tries to defend himself
and protests in a hurt and vulnerable voice that Paulina is being unfair.
"To the president? You said that to the president?"
The question, with a tone of strong doubt and inquiry, shows Paulina's incredulity
towards Geraldo's statement.
"Only if the result was death, huh?"
"Only the most serious cases?"
"Only the most serious?"
"Beyond repair. Irreparable, huh?"
Paulina's acerbic questions are directed towards the unjustness of the new
commission in their negligence of cases that did not end in death, yet nonetheless
have done irreparable damage to the victims, like to Paulina herself. Her questions
are strong sarcasms, indicating that the cases that ended in death are not "the most
serious cases" and those that did not end in death are often too "irreparable."
"The judges? The same judges who never intervened to save one life ... That judge?
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What did you call him? A judge? A judge?"
"(As she speaks, Paulina begins to laugh softly but with increasing hysteria.)"
Paulina reacts very bitterly to Geraldo's explanation of the commission's inability to
punish criminals and that the judges will try the criminals. Her tone regarding the
judge is accusing and discontent, indirectly stating in the rhetorical questions that
the corrupt judges of the government are not just.
Act 1 Scene 2
Mood
Scene 2 begins in a fashion similar to that of Scene 1. The tranquility of a silent night
by the beach is interrupted by the return of Roberto in his car to speak with Geraldo.
The insistent knockings and Geraldo and Paulina's wariness incite nervousness from
the readers. The tension disappears when Geraldo expresses relief and invites
Roberto inside. The two then engage in a conversation in a very polite and quite
formal manner, which make the readers feel the two have respect for each other and
both intend to maintain a good relationship between the two. The friendly
atmosphere is then led to the two's discussions on Geraldo's new commission, and
Roberto's support of Geraldo in his work of justice. In the midst of the positive
dialogues on the importance and risks of Geraldo's new job, Geraldo politely offers
and insists Roberto to stay overnight, to which Roberto initially declines but is soon
convinced to stay. Overall the scene illustrates a friendly and bonding conversation
between two newly befriended friends.
Tone
"Oh, it's you. God, you scared the shit out of me."
Geraldo expresses his relief from anxiety.
R:"I'm really sorry for this - intrusion."
G:"You must excuse my ... - do come in."
...
R:"Of course, of course, it's my fault, I just thought..."
G:"Please sit down, please do..."
R:"Okay, but just a minute, no more than - ..."
G:"Excuse me, would you like a drink?"
Geraldo and Roberto engages in extensive exchange of pleasantries after their
encounter. The two expresses over-the-top politeness and respect for each other,
revealing that both characters have high regards for each other.
G:"You know women...."
R(laughing):"All too well. The last mystery..."
Both men remark on the 'incomprehensible' nature of women in a tone that belittles
women. The notion is fairly traditional of older-generations who hold sexist biases
against women, enlisting women in an inferior social status than men, which, in this
short exchange of comment on women by Roberto and Geraldo, is shown by
mocking Paulina for lending the jack to her mother by her own will.
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Act 1 Scene 3
 Mood: suspenseful, mysterious
 "A cloud passes over the moon. The sound of the sea grows, then recedes.
Silence."
 The stage directions initially set up the eerie atmosphere, and thus also the
mysterious mood. It also tells the audience how late at night it is, as the only
things that seem to still be moving are the clouds and the sea.
 The scarcity of light and lack of dialogue further accentuates the suspense of
the situation. Paulina's use of clothing (her stockings and panties) adds a
slight sensuality/intimacy to the mood as well.
Act 1 Scene 4
 Tone: Slightly humorous
 " Good morning, my darling. Sorry breakfast isn't ready yet."
 Paulina's behavior is in extreme contrast with Roberto and Gerardo's. In this
situation, Paulina acts as though nothing is wrong, and casually says she
hasn't made breakfast, placing that minor detail aside from her obvious
kidnapping of Roberto.
 Threatening
 " Besides you know that if the police do show their noses here I'll put a bullet
straight through this man's head."
 Paulina continually threatens Gerardo using her gun, as well as taking
Roberto hostage against the police. The shift in power is made obvious, with
Paulina dominating the other characters, as opposed to her role as housewife
before.
Mood: Suspenseful
 "Paulina! What is this? What in the name of...Roberto...Doctor Miranda."
 The sudden change of pace from the last 3 scenes is rather jarring, as
Paulina's actions are a surprise to both the characters and the audience. The
sudden rush of events and information revealed continues throughout the
rest of the play, making everything seem to spiral out of control.
 "Not me. You and me. We're going to put him on trial, Gerardo, this doctor.
Right here. Today. You and me. Or is your famous investigating Commission
going to do it"
 Paulina has challenged the integrity of Gerardo's commission, referring to
how her specific case (which did not result in death) would have been
overlooked under normal circumstances. At the same time, it also
foreshadows events later on in the play, ending the scene with Paulina's plan.
Act 2 Scene 1
In the beginning of the scene, everything is really intense. Both Paulina and Roberto
are just standing/sitting there for a while. Paulina then speaks in long rants, which
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shows that she is passionate about explaining to Roberto about what he did to her
Paulina repeats word for word what the attacker says to her. Gerardo is also in this
scene, and he clearly is the one thinking rationally. "Paulina, you are going to listen
to me" (p. 30) shows that Paulina in it of herself is losing her mind, and being very
obsessive about proving Roberto guilty. This all together shows that the mood of the
situation is very hectic, and a lot of different personalities of the characters are
being shown in a very short amount of time.
The tone of this part of the scene is also intense because Paulina realizes how much
power she has over Roberto, because of the presence of the gun in Paulina's
possession. “[puts the gun to his temple] who are you threatening?" (p. 32) Paulina
says this, and it shows her true nature of being dominant in a situation where she
can be dominant and have the upper hand against someone, much like how the
attacker (maybe Roberto) had over her when he was raping her.
She continues, "Tie him up again.... tighter Gerardo"(page 33), and this shows that
even Paulina has the more dominant side even against her own husband, Gerardo.
This shows the reader that the tone and mood of this situation is getting out of hand,
and that there are high stakes riding on what Paulina is going to do with that gun.
Even though later (page 34) Paulina explains to Gerardo that she has no intention
on killing Roberto, or him, the audience knows that because of the situation,
something could easily go wrong, and Paulina's emotions could take hold of her and
cause her to do something irreparable.
In the end where Paulina says, "if he is innocent? The he's really screwed" (page 42)
This overall shows the uncertainty of what Paulina may do to Roberto, and shows
the audience that this is a very intense situation and that ANYTHING could happen.
Act 2 Scene 2
As Gerardo and Roberto sit at a table having lunch, Paulina is outside, and there is a
very hostile environment at the table. The stage direction read, "Roberto and
Gerardo remain for several silent instants looking at the food." This shows the type
of mood and atmosphere that is set within the house, which is very serious and a bit
like a hostage situation as Roberto has been held up for a pretty long time.
As Gerardo is feeding Roberto some soup, "he cleans Roberto's mouth with a
napkin", he is also trying to ease the tension at the house. Although, Paulina is still
furious and demanding, Roberto is playing more of a grandma role protecting her
grandchildren when their mom is mad. Roberto is not pleased with what Gerardo
might have done, but he surely is not pleased with the way Paulina is handling the
situation either.
Roberto: (raises his voice, indignant): " She's got nothing to pardon me for.... Do you
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understand?" Here, Roberto acts like he has an equal say in negotiating his freedom
and even raises his voice. This affects the mood of the play in a way that the
audience are now expecting a heated argument. As for the tone, the audience can
infer that Roberto is very mad, and wants to be freed as soon as possible guilty or
not.
Gerardo: "Paulina, would you please do me the favor of leaving so we can continue
our conversation? Would you please do me that favor?" Gerardo here has a mellow
tone that shows his patience and the way he is dealing with this situation. He is
trying to be as reasonable as possible, and he knows that all Paulina needs is a little
spark to go off on, so he chooses his words wisely and tries to keep the peace for as
long as possible.
"Gerardo stands up."
"I'm going to get the gun and blow your fucking brains out."
(Brief pause. Angrier and angrier)
In this passage, Gerardo is clearly angry at what Roberto had said.
This sets the mood for the audience such that they are a bit startled and surprising,
seeing that the rational side of Gerardo has disappeared, they do not know what to
expect next. This plays a role in the play overall as the audience's characterization of
Gerardo tweaks a bit, as they had seen his other side as well.
In response to this, Roberto pleads: "Don't go. Don't call her." From this, the
audience can certify that Roberto is clearly afraid of Paulina than Gerardo and the
tone he uses here is scared. This shows Paulina to be an even stronger character
than the audience may have thought before.
Act 3 Scene 1
The tension seems to have fallen slightly at the beginning of the scene when Paulina
and Gerardo have their conversation. Paulina brings up the past and talks in a
frustrated tone about the woman that Gerardo was with: "That bitch came out of
your bedroom half naked...". Paulina becomes very sensitive to the details of
Gerardo and Paulina's relationship: "How many times did you do it?..." Paulina is
shown to be very demanding and this makes the mood tenser. There also are many
examples of profanity used in this scene such as: "She wasn't a bitch." This use of
such words makes the tone of the play seem realistic.
Paulina is conscious of the fact that she is intimidating Gerardo by asking about his
relationship with the other woman: Gerardo: "Don’t do this to me, Paulina." Gerardo
speaks in an oppressed sort of tone and is ashamed of talking about his relationship
of the other woman. After Gerardo confesses about his relationship details, he picks
up an aggressive tone: "You want me to leave? Is that what you want?" "That's what
you're going to get." At this point Paulina's only words are "No." This shows the
immediate shift in power between the two as Gerardo frightens Paulina that he will
leave.
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Paulina changes from a demanding tone a sorrowful tone and tells Gerardo she
"want(s) you in the air (she) breathes..." From then on, 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).
The mood becomes intense after the confession when Paulina wants Dr. Miranda to
become killed. Paulina did not know that the confession Dr. Miranda gave was false
and becomes frenzied. 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."
Act 3 Scene 2
The mood of this scene is incredibly suspenseful. It's the last scene of the play and
the readers are told that this is months later after the incident at the Escobars’
house. After the cliffhanger of the scene before where the readers are left untold of
what has happened to Roberto, they are brought to a scene where the setting is
completely different than before.
There is a tension that builds along with an unsettling mood as a mirror is presented
in front of the audience, some members might even be confused. The only two times
that there is spoken word is when Gerardo addresses members of the audience
pretending that they are all in the concert hall together. The rest of the scene is
nothing but the description of the environment and surrounding, which makes the
atmosphere of this scene very suspenseful. The second time is when an old replies
to the president of Commission when he told her to sit down. She repeats “For the
first time” multiple times, this part of the scene reveals a tone and mood of relief and
revelation, a final gratification towards the Commissioners of all the suffering that
she has been through.
The mood of this scene takes a deeper turn as the writer introduces the existence of
Roberto into the scene when he enters “under a light which has a faint
phantasmagoric moonlight quality” (page 67), the tone of the writer makes this
ending of the play very ambiguous, especially with the way that Roberto’s
reappearance is described, leaves the readers in a sense of ambiguity of not knowing
if it is actually Roberto or it’s just a phantom from Paulina’s imagination.
The end of this scene/play shows that Roberto is watching Paulina and Gerardo
from a distance, creating a suspenseful atmosphere because they have no idea if this
is real or just a fiction of Paulina’s imagination. Some of the phrases from the
beginning of the play are repeated such as “Pau mixes a margarita that’ll stand your
hair on end” (page 68) that Gerardo has said to Roberto in the beginning of the play.
This scene/play ends with the realization that Gerardo and Paulina is listening to
Death and the Maiden, with Paulina exchanging eye contact with “Roberto”, bringing
this scene to an ending of ambiguity and suspense.
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Stylistic Features
Students: Chris Zhang, Caleb Sng, Kayla Mohr, Karthik Padmanabhan, YeaSeul Park,
Christy Choi, Lion Lee, Clark Lee & So Hee Park
Motif of Death and the Maiden
 Popular art theme during the late 15th century (Renaissance) in Germany
 Often depicts a young girl with a skeletal figure representing death
 The author may have used this as the title in order to illustrate Paulina's
resentment towards her unjust torture and rape. Using this theme to
perhaps imply that Paulina's experience was just as bad as being so close to
death.
 This is also the name of a piece by Franz Schubert that comes up many times
in the play
 Franz Schubert's Death and the Maiden
 This piece was played by Paulina's torturer during the time of her capture
 The torture would play this piece hours on end while performing
unspeakable things to Paulina
 As a result, Paulina has a extremely bad attitude and emotions connected to
this piece
 Her hearing the piece is one of the reasons she believes Roberto to be her
torturer
 This motif comes up again and again to illustrate Paulina's pain at the crimes
committed upon her and her inability to let go of these events (including
Gerardo cheating on her)
 Through the acceptance of this piece at the end of the play, it shows the
audience that she has gotten over her internal conflict and has come to
terms with all the pain she experienced during the dictatorship
Main Conflict
 Death and the Maiden
o Paulina and Gerardo
 One of the main conflicts in this play is the one that exists between
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Paulina and her husband Gerardo. Though Gerardo seems supportive
of Paulina throughout the play, it is obvious that Gerardo has his
doubts. Though Gerardo is generally supportive, he tries to keep one
foot in reality and look at Paulina's arguments and accusations
towards Roberto from a "distant" point of view. Their marriage is
strained because of this fact. Paulina feels like she can't trust and
depend on Gerardo, which causes conflict.
o Paulina and Roberto
 The conflict between Paulina and Roberto is quite obvious, as it is
basically the play's main plot. Roberto is "captured" by Paulina after
she accuses him of capturing, torturing, and raping her many years
ago. She thinks that because of his interest in Schubert (Death and the
Maiden) and the fact that he is a doctor, among other facts, that he
was, in fact, the person that captured her. Roberto expresses how he
feels that her accusations have no grounds. The conflict lies where
Paulina and Roberto have these disagreements.
o Paulina and herself
 Paulina can be considered an unreliable character. Her past (victim of
kidnapping, rape and torture) makes her perception of reality is
warped because of the trauma she had to go through. She sometimes
doesn't know what to believe in certain situations and that's where
her conflicts lie--where she has inner uncertainty.
Symbolism
 Death and the Maiden
o "Death and the Maiden", which is also the title of the play, is an allegory to
a popular theme of art and literature in late 15th century Germany during
the Renaissance. Many artists painted illustrations of a young lady and a
(mostly skeletal) figures representing death.
o In the play, the phrase is also the title of the famous music piece written
by Franz Shubert. This piece holds a great significance in the play because
the torturer played it when he was torturing her fifteen years ago.
Therefore, Paulina has a very deep and resentful emotional attachment to
this music, which symbolizes the resent and great rage she feels about the
torture and injustice.
o Paulina is the only "maiden" in this play. Although she stays alive
throughout the whole play, Gerardo, her husband, says that she is still a
prisoner without any freedom. Paulina cannot set herself free from the
memories of her traumatic experiences from 15 years ago, so she
desperately seeks for a way to grant herself justice, even though it might
not be a practical solution. This creates the violent and irrational yet
highly vulnerable character of Paulina, as if the sprit of death always
accompanies her. The ending of the play suggests that she never achieves
a resolution for her lingering pain.
o Another connection between Paulina and death can be made as she
consistently blackmails Dr. Miranda that she will shoot him if he
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continues denying his guilt and refuses to make a confession. Even in the
end of the play, whether or not Paulina has killed him remains
ambiguous.
o Putting death and the maiden can be an example of juxtaposition. The two
have opposite characteristics:
 Death: Maiden
 Depravity/sin: Purity
 Ugliness: Beauty
 Death: Life
 Eternal: Young/short-lived
 The Concert hall and the mirror
o In Act 3 Scene 2, which is the very last section of the play, Gerardo and
Paulina sit in a concert hall. In front of them, and there is a mirror, which
allows the audience to see itself. Dr. Miranda, whose faith is determined by
the audience's decision and interpretation of the play, also enters the stage
and takes a seat far from the couple.
o One role that the mirror plays in this scene is that it blurs the boundary
between reality and fantasy. Dorfman leaves the story ambiguous by not
explicitly telling if Dr. Miranda is the true torturer and rapist. The tense
eye contact between Paulina and Dr. Miranda reveal the ongoing tension
between the two characters. As the Dorfman put, however, it is in the
audience's hand to decide whether he is real or just an illusion in Paulina's
head.
o At the same time, the mirror also allows the audience to see themselves
through the reflection. This perhaps has an effect of impelling the audience
to reflect upon themselves after watching the play and before the exit the
theatre- for example, how would I act if I were Paulina? Could I truly
forgive Dr. Miranda? By using a mirror, the playwright brings out the
audience from being passive spectators and makes them become part of
the play, both physically and mentally.
Use of characterization
 DAM utilizes has very unique characterization
o 3 man cast - 2 men and 1 woman
 Paulina
o An aspiring medical student who was kidnapped, raped and tortured
o As a result of this she is shown to be aggressive, constantly scared,
and paranoid.
 Act 1 Scene 1 - She hears some car outside and immediately
pulls out her weapon and goes to a vantage point
o She is unable to forget the past. A common character trait for post
modernist plays
 Gerardo Escobar
o Lawyer who has been recently appointed by the president to a
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o
o
o
o
commission that will examine human rights abuses during the
military dictatorship.
Throughout the conversation between him and Paulina, it shows
that he has a high ideal of justice.
He tries to persuade his wife to release Miranda.
He believes the new democratic government would do the best to
make fix the wrongs of previous dictatorship.
His action shows that he still feels the guilt about what happened to
his wife, Paulina. He doesn't forcefully rejects Paulina's idea and
releases Miranda. He tries to persuade her.
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Bibliography
Berman, Jenifer. "Ariel Dorfman Interview." BOMB Magazine. BOMB Magazine, n.d.
Web. 17 Apr. 2014. <http://bombmagazine.org/article/1833/>.
"Ariel Dorfman." Ariel Dorfman. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.adorfman.duke.edu/index2.html>.
"EXCERPTS." Clown-enfant. Clown-enfant, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.clown-enfant.com/leclown/eng/drama/livre.htm#1STRUC>.
"Jeune Fille Et La Mort." La Mort Dans L'art. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.lamortdanslart.com/fille/maiden.htm>.
"Dramatic Structure: Climactic, Episodic, and Other Forms." Dramatic Structure:
Climactic, Episodic, and Other Forms. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
<http://department.monm.edu/cata/rankin/classes/cata171/lectures/chapter
15.htm>.
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