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Dani Honeyman
Sara Galloway
Drama 40
10 June 2016
Threads of Continuity: Women and Power in Modern Theater
Drama morphs with the society that surrounds and
contextualizes the art form; as views have progressed, so has the
depth of the subjects of dramatic literature. This quarter, we have
explored many plays dealing with a wide variety of subject written by a
wide range of playwrights, many of which deal with major female
characters as the focus of their stories. In this paper, I will explore the
exemplifications of this restraint in The Maids by Jean Genet, Cloud
Nine by Caryl Churchill, and Machinal by Sophie Treadwell. Each of
these plays deals with the relation of the woman in society and the
power of lack thereof she is attributed because of her sex. These
female-centric plays weve read this quarter focus on the development
of female characters and the constraints placed on them by society,
including the social, political, and ethical expectations placed upon
women.
In Genets the Maids, Solange and Claire find themselves stuck in
their class position- lowly maids, constantly submitted to abuse and
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domination. Their overarching goal is to break the mold that has been
thrust upon them through the ritual of killing madame. These two
women are self-acting, they use their imagined power to free
themselves of their position. The erotic elements of this piece play
around with the idea of sexual power in a relationship, as well as the
power dynamics in a characters own make believe world in addition
to their own reality. By nature, the switching off as Madame is a
really interesting power shift; each woman can be madame in the right
moment. The power itself is transferable as long as the girls complete
the ritual; it is an ideology, not an innate right. At one point, Solange
remarks that shed do all in [her] power (Norton 829). This statement
seems very ironic in the moment as, at first glance, neither of the
maids seem to have very much power at all. However, as the play
progresses, we see that the maids have all the power- in the end, they
are we are beautiful, joyous, drunk, and free! (840), their goals met
and free of their previous burden. This freedom is in complete
juxtaposition to their prior situation- the girls are trapped in thankless
jobs, and have to resort to violence towards each other to serve as an
outlet for their aggression. The physical and vocal dominance gives
them a falsified power towards each other, which the girls then try to
actualize in their performance of the ritual. When the girls are
roleplaying, at one point Solange tells Claire (who is portraying
Madame), Im arranging your fall from grace (830). This prophetic
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sentiment establishes a power over madame, a divine power that the
maids have assumed in their attempts to carry out the ritual. Claire
sees them as gods, Solange as scum, and this contrast is intensified
when they switch power dynamics in their private time. The idea of
their salvation is rooted in their powerlessness; the girls see their
actions as the start of a revolution, a new age. Additionally, the
delivery of the last speech to the audience defeats the audiences own
power of invisibility; up to this point, they have merely been onlookers
observing the events before them. In this moment, the magic fourth
wall is broken and it is aggressive and may be interpreted as
uncomfortable.
Caryl Churchills Cloud Nine is a piece that explores the politics of
gender and ethnicity in two similar yet different iterations of the same
society. Betty in Cloud Nine is a beautiful example of a woman
breaking free of the constraints placed upon her by the world around
her. In Act 1, Betty is completely stuck in conformity- the perfect wife
and mother, quiet and submissive- a perfect woman, if you will. In act
two, Betty is able to find strength in her daughters liberation as well as
her freedom from Clive. The forward-thinking times also have an effect
on Bettys viewpoint of life- as society changes, so does its
expectations of women. This shift exemplifies the idea that society
(specifically Britain) are stuck in past, but can change their ways as
time goes on. In act two, the family becomes a matriarchal institution-
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Betty is the head, the women make descisions and take responsibility
for their children. Lin, Victoria, and Betty all go on to live freely and
independently of their original roles dealt them by society. The gender
shifts of characters messes with the audiences perception of gender
as a preconceived notion. By having a man play Betty in act one,
Churchill characterizes her as the typical woman, which allows for an
even greater shift in her characterization throughout the play. Her
freedom from Clive allows act two Betty to be portrayed by a woman,
which is representative of her bursting into her true form. At the top of
the piece, Betty comments I live for clive. The whole aim of my life is
to be what he looks for in a wife. (1254) This robotic womanhood is
present in theatre as the clich presentation of a perfect housewife;
the June Cleaver archetype who lives to serve her husband and
children and has no true intentions in her life. At one point, Clive asks
Betty no hysteria? and she responds I have been very tranquil
(1256). Up to this point, Bettys life has consisted of tranquility- every
word, action and interaction involve her tiptoeing around Clives male
fragility. In response, Clive treats Betty like dirt and jokes about her
with Joshua over her head. Clive treats Joshua, his manservant, with
more respect than his wife. Betty is overruled by every man in her life,
even her seven-year old son, who she asks to protect her from Joshuas
rudeness. In act two, Betty completely transforms as she is freed from
Clive; she speaks in monologues as opposed to short responses and is
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allowed to speak her thoughts. In the end, the two Bettys
reconciliation is quite poignant, Clive tries to tell her You are not that
sort of woman Betty (1303). She ignores him and makes peace with
her original self- the two pieces of her soul coming together as one.
In the second act, Victoria complains about Martins behavior,
asking why cant he just be a wife and come with me? (1290). This
gender reversal is foreshadowing of more to come. During the sance
orgy business in act two, victoria tells the story of matriarchies pasthow women were assumed to be in charge and the men were
worthless. This is, essentially, what happens to the family in the endall the women live independently of their men in their own way. Martin
tells the women I was all for the sixties when liberation meant just
fucking(1296). This statement completely disregards any strides
woman have made towards independence and reintroduces the
chauvinistic behavior from the first act- Martin is in support of female
freedoms as long as he gets a good fuck out of it. By the end of the
play, each female character has freed herself from her prior constraints
and is one step closer to achieving what she wants in life.
In Sophie Treadwells Machinal, society wins against the young
woman. She fulfilled the expectations forced upon her-job, marriage,
baby- however these stresses break her down and essentially condemn
her to death. The young woman is unnamed until after she is married;
her status is defined by her marriage, as is her identity. Young womans
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perception of femininity is based in society, however that same
institution condemns her in the end. Helen has no real control over her
life. In Helens original character description, Treadwell says she is not
homely and she is not pretty. She is preoccupied with herself- with her
person. (580). This description sets up young woman as an average
person; she could be any woman walking down the street. This
lackluster persona lends itself to the beautiful ambiguity of the source
material: an average girl went a little crazy and did the unthinkable.
Societys various opinions of Young Woman are portrayed throughout
the piece; at the top, 2 of her coworkers remark Shes artisticshes
inefficient (Norton 584). This duality really encapsulates the double
standard placed on women by society. Helen remarks Ive submitted
to enough- I wont submit to any more (599) at the beginning of her
breakdown. This is the opposite of Cloud Nines Betty- Helen actively
decides to break free of her chains. In a way, her rebellion resigns her
to her inevitable fate- she tried to free herself, but trapped herself in
her insanity. As she remarks, [her] machines out of order (585). In
the end of the play, Helen turns to God to save her; as she prepares to
die, she prays for divine intervention to save her. This return to the
constraint seems appropriate as Helen came from everywhere and
nowhere, and she is left in solitude, ostracized from society.
In modern drama, more playwrights have started to focus on the
inclusion of female characters in their work and their own journeys and
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interactions with the world around them. Women are the basis of
creation yet are oppressed by the patriarchy that has been born from
history. Traditionally, female power has been founded in their sexuality
as the outside world has never allowed women to break out of
constraints. Theatrical pieces that explore the power allowed to and
denied from women in the world create relatable pieces of art that are
relevant to the society surrounding them.
