Okay, so it seemed to me as though Glass of Water adhered perfectly to the "well-made play" standard. All of the pieces of the puzzle made sense together, and there weren't very many moments that didn't match up with what was currently going on in the plot. However, if I was to say one that didn't add up, there is an odd encounter between Bolingbroke and the Duchess towards the end of the play.
Bolingbroke says, "You honor me, madame...especially since you don't even know my best qualities." Then Duchess replies with, "But I have an excellent imagination. However, milford, let me claim the first privilege of a wife..." and then they kiss. This incident stands apart from the conflict that has gone on between them throughout the play. They've acted hostile towards each other the entire time, so this moment definitely seemed random to me. The Duchess has been in love with Masham the entire time, so it seems unlikely that she'd be over him so quickly.
As I read Glass of Water, I struggled to find this moment. When I came across this little encounter with Bolingbroke and the Duchess, I did notice that something was off. It seemed thrown into the play almost. It was a disruption in the structure of a well-made play. The moment did not throw off the play, it just gave me a little question mark above my head.
ReplyDeleteIt was tough to find a error, but after reading a second time the quote you chose really began to stand out. It didn't match the rivalry they seemed to have throughout the play.
ReplyDeleteWhile you are right about the pieces of the puzzle all coming together nicely in the play, I would love to see some examples to help clarify. I had some trouble identifying the moments in the play which strayed from the well-made play structure. I think, however, there may be some parts of the play that stray further from this moment than the one you mentioned. In a way, this moment wraps up at least a smaller portion of the play.
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