Death and the maiden character summaries?

Answer 1

there already is a character summary on wiki answers along with other information about the play itself, but here is a character analysis document i found on Yahoo.answers:

CHARACTER ANALYSIS: Gerardo Escobar

AGE: 45ish GENDER: Male

VALUES/MORALS

Very moralistic. He believes that the newly democratic government is doing the best it can to make right the wrongs of the previous Dictatorship, even if it is only able to find out what happened to those who disappeared or died. Obviously still feels guilt about what happened to his wife, Paulina.

INTELLECT

Very intelligent if a bit naïve.

EMOTIONAL BALANCE

Other than his obvious guilt, he seems to be the more emotionally balanced part of the marriage. At least until Paulina starts to tell him...

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Very stately. He stands tall, proud. While he tries to be a good man, he knows that he is better than some other people and it shows in the way he carries himself.

PHYSICAL STATE OF HEALTH

Healthy. Could go two ways here: either he has indulged in decadence or he purposefully has kept his body in tip top shape to get ahead. I see either working with his personality.

PHYSICAL TALENTS

Nothing really outstanding: he is more of a thinker. He could have changed his own tire if the jack had been there.

SOCIAL STATUS

Higher class. He is a politician. His family is obviously wealthy and he has the fame to go along with it after being appointed to this new committee.

VOCAL QUALITIES

I feel like he might sound a little condescending at first to his wife, even though he totally loves her. Its just his personality. His voice is gonna break though during his confrontation, I think that vocal quality is very important to the scene. A stately voice when talking in the final scene. Impressions of Chilean accent.

TYPE/FUNCTION

I'm not sure how to describe Gerardo's function. To me he is the audience representative on stage. He pushes both Paulina and Roberto to the conclusion.

RELATIONSHIP TO MAJOR DRAMATIC QUESTION

He wants to know the answer: is this the guy who raped his wife? He is a catalyst to discover the answer.

LEVEL OF MEMORIZATION REQUIRED HIGH

CHARACTER ANALYSIS: Dr. Roberto Miranda

AGE: 50'ish GENDER: Male

VALUES/MORALS

Well, this is the question, isn't it? He certainly seems to think he has a high moral standard; he, at one point, lectures Gerardo on how he could have such low standards as to allow his wife to kidnap another man. But, is it all one big lie? Does he actually have a moral code that would allow him to rape and torture a woman and then lie about it? I say yes...but...

INTELLECT

High intellect, is a doctor. Tries to use logic to get out of his current predicament.

EMOTIONAL BALANCE

Sociopath? Perhaps. Other than the fact that he is being held captive and threatened with death, he seems to be handling things well.

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Older. Needs to look 10 years older than Paulina. This is important, I think.

PHYSICAL STATE OF HEALTH

Other than being older, he seems to be in peak condition.

PHYSICAL TALENTS

Well, he used to be able to torture bound women? He's tied to a chair for most of the show. There are no talents shown other than his (non?)ability to endure.

SOCIAL STATUS

Higher status, perhaps not as high as Gerardo's. Doctor, so rich. He probably was higher up in the former regime, but status has fallen since then as he tries to stay off the register.

VOCAL QUALITIES

Fear needs to be shown. Impression of Chilean accent.

TYPE/FUNCTION

Antagonist.

RELATIONSHIP TO MAJOR DRAMATIC QUESTION

He plays a major part to it: did he rape and torture her?

LEVEL OF MEMORIZATION REQUIRED HIGH

CHARACTER ANALYSIS: Paulina Salinas/Escobar

AGE: between 39-41 GENDER: Female

VALUES/MORALS

She seems to be a moral person. However, she holds a need for revenge that goes beyond her morality. She throughly believes that someone needs to be punished for what happened to her, and she has finally found that person.

INTELLECT

VERY intelligent. Her entire plan for Roberto shows this. Plus she had been in medical school. She just hasn't had a chance to

EMOTIONAL BALANCE

Yeah, this is questionable. She could be considered quite insane, however, she is VERY deliberate in her actions. She has planned this moment, and has thought of pros and cons. But she has been holding all of this rage in for 15-20 years and it has finally exploded out of her. For what it is worth, I think she is sane. Whatever that means.

She has become very secluded for her own mental well being. Obviously very wary

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Good health. Maybe frail? I feel that Paulina could really look like any female. She needs to look a bit higher class, but that is a matter of costume and make-up and accessories. She doesn't have to be thin or anything. I don't think she is physically frail, but I think with her slight emotional imbalance and her wariness, she comes off as frail with her body language.

PHYSICAL STATE OF HEALTH

Obviously in good physical. She has to have been in order to kidnap and tie up Roberto.

PHYSICAL TALENTS

Can manage to tie up a man, drag him out of bed, and tie him to a chair.

SOCIAL STATUS

She has a high social status. Even before she was kidnapped and raped/tortured, she had come from a well off family and had aspirations to become a doctor. After her "incident" those dreams were forgotten. However, she married Gerardo, who is definitely a political somebody. They obviously have money, as evidenced by their secluded beach house, which is simply a vacation home. She does not like social gatherings, but because of her husband's status and need for a public life, she puts up

with it.

VOCAL QUALITIES

Quiet in the first act, before she realizes that Roberto is the man she has been waiting to punish. Very caustic and sharp and harsh after that. Some softness with her husband, but they need to battle out some issues first and therefore she is VERY sarcastic with him. Impressions of Chilean accent.

TYPE/FUNCTION

Protagonist? She is the center of the action, it all revolves around her.

RELATIONSHIP TO MAJOR DRAMATIC QUESTION

Well, she is the one who asks it: is this the man who was the cause of her rape and torture and how will it affect her marriage?

LEVEL OF MEMORIZATION REQUIRED HIGH

source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090304025230AAfezUP

by: catlover, a yahoo member