Believe it, OR NOT, I had not idea that there were only two characters in this play until I was halfway through the reading and Margaret actually showed up at Harriet's place, where Hetty and Maggie stirred one another up. When that was discovered, I then understood the controversy between Harriet and Hetty. The line where Harriet tells Hetty that "I am your subtle overtones," explained a lot about the relationship between Margaret and Mattie as well. Which leads to one of the things I enjoyed the most about this play. All dialogue between Maggie and Hetty was not as structured as the dialogue between Harriet and Margaret. Which allowed the audience to understand clearly that the conscious does not verbally speak clearly and concisely to the world around it. Power of the OVERTONES!
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I concur, I too was first confused when reading this play. It took me a bit but I started to notice patterns between the two girls and their overtones. The similar dressing color and the short and long versions of their names and how they were almost similar. Many people I feel are like this, that they act a certain way to society's standards and not to their own.
I think the relationship between the overtones and their inner selves is the most compelling thing about this play. Maggie and Hetty are the driving force behind everything that Margaret and Harriet do, but without the overtones' elegance and tact, Maggie and Hetty would not be able to attain their desires. I like what you said about the speech patterns of Maggie and Hetty being less structured and I think that Gertsenberg made that choice because the inner selves of Margaret and Harriet don't know how to speak elegantly. Throughout the play, Hetty and Maggie tell their counterparts what to say and then Harriet and Margaret find the words with which to say those things. In that way, they work together to achieve what they want.
I concur, I too was first confused when reading this play. It took me a bit but I started to notice patterns between the two girls and their overtones. The similar dressing color and the short and long versions of their names and how they were almost similar. Many people I feel are like this, that they act a certain way to society's standards and not to their own.
ReplyDeleteI think the relationship between the overtones and their inner selves is the most compelling thing about this play. Maggie and Hetty are the driving force behind everything that Margaret and Harriet do, but without the overtones' elegance and tact, Maggie and Hetty would not be able to attain their desires. I like what you said about the speech patterns of Maggie and Hetty being less structured and I think that Gertsenberg made that choice because the inner selves of Margaret and Harriet don't know how to speak elegantly. Throughout the play, Hetty and Maggie tell their counterparts what to say and then Harriet and Margaret find the words with which to say those things. In that way, they work together to achieve what they want.
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