The conventions exhibited in
Gerstenberg’s play Overtones are, in
my opinion, not that strange. I mean, sure, there are two characters whose sole
purpose is to relay the deep, dark implications of two women’s otherwise
pleasant conversation, but apart from that, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
The characters of Hetty and Maggie are just a tool by which Gerstenberg
expresses the inner conflicts of the two characters, Harriet and Margaret. The majority
of the interaction between Hetty and Maggie occurs only after the others speak
to convey the real way in which Margaret and Harriet interpret what the other
is saying. A few times the “primitive selves” (Hetty and Maggie) speak to
Harriet and Margaret before saying something in an attempt to influence what
will be said, and near the end of the play, the “primitive selves” yell at each
other as the tension rises in what would otherwise be complete silence.
In terms of actually sticking to
the conventions she set herself, I don’t believe Gerstenberg does that great of
a job. In the description of the characters, it is stated that “HARRIET never sees HETTY, never talks to her but rather thinks aloud looking into space.”
But on the very next page, Harriet is responding to Hetty’s prodding and even
asks “Am I presentable, Hetty?” Within the first two pages, the convention is
broken. Perhaps I am misinterpreting what the description on the first page
meant, but to me it seemed that Harriet and Margaret were never meant to speak
directly to Hetty and Maggie, respectively. I know that the characters never
look in the direction of their “primitive selves,” but they certainly acknowledge
their presence.
Apart from being slightly confused
about maintaining the integrity of the conventions Gerstenberg set in place, I
really enjoy the choice to have the “primitive selves” onstage with the other
characters, because, albeit a little bit strange, it gives the audience insight
into the subtleties that would have otherwise gone unnoticed in the otherwise
bland situation.
I didn’t read the stage descriptions that way at all—I think what Alice Gerstenberg meant by that was that Harriet does not address Hetty and speak to her in any way that resembles human interaction because, to Harriet, Hetty does not physically exist—she is just the primal voice in her head, essentially. When Gerstenberg says that Harriet “thinks aloud looking into space,” she means that Harriet is blankly considering whether or not to listen to her primitive self, which is a kind of realism, if you think about it. I mean, when you have intense internal dialogues about your primitive desires and what society expects, you don’t look around the room and shout at “Sammy,” do you?
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