Death and the Maiden

This has been by far my favorite read. Not only is it engaging, but it really ties up a lot of things that we have been discussing. In this play, we not only understand the victim’s experience, but we also get to hear about the torturer’s mindset. During Roberto’s confession, whether true or not, he expresses his tactics and why he did what he did. Initially, he had good intentions, thinking he was saving people, but eventually the power to control someone else’s life overcame him. Forgetting his original motives, he becomes power hungry and treats the women like test subjects. He begins manipulating the victim’s world by playing Schubert, to make them feel comfortable after so much suffering. It was a song that made the prisoner, Paulina, feel safe, but he betrays that trust by raping her and torturing her. While she did not die, the psychological torture is what really drives her to behave the way she does in the play.

Confession, although always a very puzzling subject, plays a heavy and interesting role in the play. I found myself getting lost in Roberto’s confession and to be quite honest, even though I feel like he is guilty, I’m still not quite sure. How can we prove something by confession? It is not concrete evidence. Also, what makes a confession true? Initially, the audience assumes his innocence. We see him trying to fake a confession and in order to lie; he requests a detailed story from Gerardo. As speculators, we like to believe a confession is true if it is vivid. However, as the play goes on, the confession becomes more layered. Knowing Gerardo’s plan, Paulina gives him a slightly different story and every change is corrected during the confession. It’s a very interesting twist on the confession. More of Roberto’s character progressively comes to light in confession, but also in his speech. He repeatedly says “the real real truth is…” The excessive “real real” words makes it seem like his plain “truth” is not accountable.