THTR 2130 Script Analysis
I. World of the play
- Space; Living room of Harriet/Hetty. Two overlapping worlds taking up the same space for the duration of the entire play.
- Time; Present day
- Climate; Indoors, well regulated.
- Mood; Tense, focused, desperation, and despair.
- Unseen; Characters Charles Goodrich (Husband to Harriet) and John Caldwell (Husband to Margaret).
II. Social World
- Private conversations in a living room.
- Groups, small 2 women, but can be larger with the two primitive selves taking up space in the world as influences.
- Interactions; There are a large amount of interactions between the 4 characters real or primitive. Mostly very full of emotion and conflict. Not alot of compassion.
- Dress; Upper class gowns with the primitive selves in very similar attire but slight alterations making the primitive distinction.
- Language; Class determined by status of the characters. Very quick and impulsive speech, tone is very harsh and mixed.
III. What Changes
- Initial Image; Lights up on a Harriet taking to herself (primitive self Hetty) about the meeting with an old friend that she hasn't seen in a very long time, but is married to an old love of hers that she didn't marry due to fact that at the time he was poor. We are told that he has since, made a large amount of money as an artist in Paris and looks very desirable to Harriet and mostly her primitive self Hetty who blames Harriet for never staying with John.
- Striking Image; We are told throughout the story that John has money we find out through Margaret and Maggie that they are poor and John is not the accomplished artist as Harriet may have thought.
- Resolution; Everyone gets their way when the ruse is played through by Margaret and she schedules a portrait by her husband John to make some money for them. Harriet is also resolved when she knows she will have another chance to take her love for John forward. Questions are left unanswered though, since we do not know what will happen next.
IV. Don't Forget Yourself
- I was looking for a resolution and think the play leaves you with something untold.
- I am still asking myself what I should be rooting for Margaret or Harriet, both characters just are unappealing to me and unrelatable.
- Ethically both of the characters have hidden agendas and that is one thing that brings you in to hear the story.
V. Theatrical Mirrors
- I did not see any clear mirrors present in the play.
VI. The Characters fit the Pattern.
- Harriet is aware that she married the wrong man and for the wrong reasons and Hetty acts as the very abrupt conscience, that help to clear the thoughts that are not conveyed by Harriet herself.
- Margaret is very fake and presents herself that way very well enough to fool Harriet and Margaret seems to be much more of a realistic conscience and tries to bring her back to reality.
- The play writes the characters intentions well and we can see who is who from the beginning.
