Power In Death And The Maiden English Literature Essay

Power is defined as a ownership of control, authorization or influence over others. Power unfairnesss have been in being throughout the history of humanity and the ways of manifestation evolved from utmost to subtle, subjugation. This thought can be seen in the dramas Lysistrata by Aristophanes and in Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman. In Lysistrata, the supporter, Lysistrata, does n’t desire to see Greece rupture itself apart while in Death and the Maiden the supporter Paulina wishes to take retaliation on person she believes tortured her many old ages ago. Both Lysistrata and Paulina find themselves experiencing powerless within a society which sees them as something to be conquered. Through the usage of gender, both adult females are able to derive power and utilize it to asseverate themselves within society nevertheless, whether or non they reach their ends is dependent on what issue characters wish to work out, an issue with society or an issue with themselves.

Both Paulina and Lysistrata believed that they required power to make their ends, ends that could ne’er be achieved in their former place in society, a 2nd category citizen. In Death and the Maiden, Paulina wishes to penalize who she thinks tortured her, Roberto. She required power in order to pull strings her hubby, Gerardo, to play along with her “ game ” and she believed that the power to instil fright in Roberto would convey her strength to penalize him and convey closing to her life. However, Roberto keeps seeking to state her that killing him will ne’er convey the closing that she wanted. The deductions from slaying him will farther attest the job and the emotions that come with it. Paulina responds be stating “ And why does it ever have to be people like me who have to give, why we are ever the 1s who have to do grants when something has to be conceded [ aˆ¦ ] ” ( Dorfman 66 ) . She keeps inquiring the inquiry “ why? ” and this shows the audience all the emotions that have been bottled up over the old ages are rupturing her apart. This is a major turning point for her as a character, whether she will forgive Roberto, kill him, or allow him travel. Either manner she understands that with or without her power, no affair what she tries to make she will ne’er hold a piece of head. On the other manus Lysistrata is able to accomplish her end through the usage of her gained power. After the dialogues she declared “ Well gentlemen, so it ‘s all merrily settled. [ … ] And allow us for the hereafter all endeavour Not to reiterate our mistakes, ne’er of all time! ” ( Aristophanes 191 ) . Lysistrata was successful at making her ends utilizing the power she had gained because she had the support of all the adult females in Greece while Paulina merely had herself. Lysistrata ‘s declaration is anticlimactic and unlike Paulina ‘s duologue. Although Lysistrata reached her end of doing peace, she simply falls back into her function of being a adult female nevertheless throughout the drama Lysistrata used a more serious tone than the other adult females and is portrayed as being smarter than the other adult females. Unlike in Death and the Maiden, Paulina is portrayed as weak, baffled, and interrupt up emotionally. Paulina ‘s bravery seen in the drama stemmed from choler. This simply created an semblance of a strong and powerful individual. Whether the adult females reached their ends or non, the dramas shows the reader that power to command and pull strings others will ne’er be able to work out struggle and hurting from within oneself nevertheless power to assist a big group in society will decidedly hold an ageless impact.

Both Paulina and Lysistrata are able to derive power and utilize it to asseverate themselves within society nevertheless, Paulina was non able to make her end because power can non wipe out memories and emotions that everlastingly changed us. However, Lysistrata wants to assist society as a whole and this allows her to derive support from the adult females of Greece. Paulina was merely a tattered individual seeking the terminal a chapter of her life that she will ne’er bury while Lysistrata wanted to stop a war that had no terminal in sight and taken countless lives. By understanding the ends of the characters every bit good as their mentality, we can do proper opinion on our ain society. If a homo is given the proper environment to develop and boom, people wouldn`t be seeking retaliation on those that did them wrong. Besides people wouldn`t have to contend for their sentiments to do an influence in society because society would accept them. Humans experience growing in different ways at peculiar points in our lives but the chief underlining similarities allows the species to assist one another advancement through the adversities faced in life. Otherwise every individual would merely decompose in the shadows of what they could hold been and what they wished they had done. By understanding the power plays with the supporters, it can be applied to heighten the developments of our ain characters and hopefully society.

Word Count: 1320