Symbolism: Death and the Maiden

String Quartet Nr.14, Schubert

One of the most prominent symbols in the play is the Schubert quartet "Death and the Maiden", which gives the play its title. The quartet is a piece of classical music that Roberto claims to love and that he played to Paulina while he tortured her. The quartet is based on an earlier lied (song) by the same composer (Schubert) that depicts a dialogue between a young girl and Death, who tries to comfort her and take her away. The quartet symbolizes the contrast between beauty and horror, life and death, and innocence and violence that pervades the play. It also represents the ambiguous relationship between Paulina and Roberto, who are both drawn and repelled by each other, and who both seek and fear the truth.

The gun

Another symbol in the play is the gun that Paulina uses to capture and threaten Roberto. The gun is a symbol of power, violence, and revenge, but also of vulnerability, fear, and insecurity. Paulina uses the gun to assert her authority and to demand justice, but she also reveals her fragility and her trauma. The gun is also a symbol of the legacy of the dictatorship, which left behind a culture of violence, mistrust, and impunity. The gun poses a moral question for the characters and the audience: is violence justified as a means of achieving justice, or does it only perpetuate the cycle of oppression and suffering?

The Recorder

A third symbol in the play is the tape recorder that Paulina uses to record Roberto's confession. The tape recorder is a symbol of memory, truth, and evidence, but also of manipulation, distortion, and deception. Paulina uses the tape recorder to preserve Roberto's confession and to expose his crimes, but she also uses it to coerce him and to control the narrative. The tape recorder is also a symbol of the role of media and history in shaping the collective memory of a society. The tape recorder raises a question for the characters and the audience: what is the value and the validity of memory, and how can it be used or abused for different purposes?

The Mirror

The mirror in the play "death and the maiden" by Ariel Dorfman is a symbol of truth and self-reflection. The mirror forces the characters to confront their past and their present, and to face the reality of their actions and their consequences. The mirror also reflects the power dynamics and the role reversal between Paulina, Gerardo, and Roberto, as they switch from being victims, perpetrators, and witnesses of torture and violence. The mirror challenges the audience to question their own moral judgments and their complicity in the human rights violations that occurred under the dictatorship.

Death and the Maiden Quartet:

Death and the Maiden lied (song):