Summary
First Act: Paulina recognizes Roberto's voice when he visits her husband Gerardo, a lawyer appointed to a commission investigating human rights violations. She decides to take him hostage and put him on trial for his crimes, while Gerardo tries to dissuade her and convince her to follow the law.
Second Act: Paulina interrogates Roberto and forces him to confess on tape, using the same methods that he allegedly used on her. Roberto denies any involvement and claims to have an alibi, but Paulina is adamant that he is lying. Gerardo is torn between his loyalty to his wife and his duty to the commission, and tries to find a way to resolve the situation peacefully.
Third Act: Paulina plays the tape for Gerardo, who is shocked to hear Roberto admitting to the torture and rape. However, Roberto reveals that he only confessed to save his life, and that he still maintains his innocence. Paulina then gives Gerardo a choice: either he kills Roberto, or he lets him go. Gerardo chooses the latter, and Paulina reluctantly agrees. The play ends with the three characters listening to Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" quartet, which was played during Paulina ordeal, and wondering if they can ever move on from the past.
Historical Context
Death and the Maiden is a play by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman, first performed in 1991. The play is set in an unnamed country that is emerging from a dictatorship, and deals with the themes of justice, revenge, trauma, and forgiveness. The main characters are Paulina, a former political prisoner who was tortured and raped by a doctor; Gerardo, her husband and a lawyer who is appointed to a commission to investigate human rights violations; and Roberto, a doctor who visits Gerardo and is accused by Paulina of being her torturer. The play explores the moral and psychological dilemmas faced by the characters, as well as the historical and political context of the transition from dictatorship to democracy.
The play is based on the historical context of Chile under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who ruled the country from 1973 to 1990. During this period, thousands of people were killed, disappeared, or tortured by the military and the secret police. Many of the victims were never identified or given a proper burial, and their families were denied any information or compensation. After the dictatorship ended, a truth and reconciliation commission was established to investigate the crimes and provide reparations to the survivors. However, the commission faced many challenges and limitations, such as the lack of cooperation from the military, the amnesty granted to the perpetrators, and the fear and silence of the witnesses. The play explores the ethical and moral dilemmas of how to deal with the legacy of violence and oppression, and how to heal the wounds of the past.