Here is an essay that I had written for my Playwriting class, looking at a particular scene in-depth to understand how the playwright uses characters’ knowledge of secrets to engage tension. Just so you know, if you’re looking for help with your essay or something for a class (because I know those are most of the hits I get on this blog), this essay got an A. Just remember it is copyright and you can’t use it for your own, or any of my words. I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN! Is he kidding…?
In Scene 5 of Betrayal, which marks the beginning of act two, Emma and Robert are sitting together in Venice discussing a trip to Torcello when Robert makes mention of a letter that Emma has received from Jerry. Emma begins by asking about Torcello, where she says that she can’t wait for it and then pauses. Her pause seems to indicate that she really does not wish to go to Torcello, but the beat changes because Robert changes the subject to the book that Emma is reading.
Emma relates that she is reading a book by Spinks, who Jerry has told Robert about. In this instance, one wonders if Emma has heard of the book through Jerry as well, and when Robert tells her about Jerry’s reference, Emma acts surprised that Jerry has heard of the book. Robert replies with, “Unsolicited manuscript,” and then a pause, which seems to reference the fact that Robert is both jealous and a little angered by Jerry’s luck at finding this new writer.
After the pause, the dialogue changes a beat again, where Robert then asks if she likes it. Emma does, and Robert says that he, Jerry, and Emma should all get together for lunch to discuss the book. Robert’s motivation in this line feels like he is trying to draw out a suspicious response from Emma; he wants to make her slip up, or make her feel nervous about the truth between her and Jerry. In fact, Emma’s response includes a pause, indicating that she does not want to meet with both of them at once because of the awkwardness that that would entail. After Robert asks her why she will not have lunch with them and she responds with an outburst, Robert changes the beat again, replying that he must read the book again. He does not dwell on the past conversation – Robert has been changing the focus of the conversation each time.
Robert and Emma discuss the publishing of the book, where Robert concludes that the book speaks too much on the subject of betrayal. Emma disagrees – almost as if she is willing herself to believe that her relationship with Jerry is not betraying Robert. This subject also suggests that Robert has a good idea that Emma and Jerry are having an affair because he has brought up the book himself. Robert pauses again, letting Emma know he might be thinking of the wrong book. This statement ties in with Robert’s affairs as well. When Robert says he may be thinking of a different book, he metaphorically states that he might be thinking of himself, because the audience has learned earlier in the play that Robert has been having affairs behind Emma’s back as well. After this, there is a silence, where both of them seem to be thinking about the other. Then Robert changes the beat once again, this time getting away from the book entirely to a new subject.
Robert begins to talk of going to American Express, where he gives in more detail than is needed what he was doing there. He explains why he was there (cashing traveler’s cheques) and why he chose to cash them there, indicating he is either lying or nervous about what Emma will think when he tells her about the letter. He probably suspects that she will think he was snooping through her mail. He explains the whole situation, and then asks if she had gotten it. Emma says yes, and then Robert asks her if she got it when she was out shopping. It is strange that he is concerned with when she got the letter; his direct question indicates that he does not entirely trust her when she says she was out “shopping.” Emma confirms his thought, and then Robert changes the subject again when he pauses to say that he was surprised that they would offer to give him Emma’s mail. His line suggests that he is hinting to Emma that he could find something out about her that he didn’t know any time. He pauses during his speech to say that he did not take the letter because he could have been a total stranger, and in a way, the audience knows that he is a stranger to Emma. They may be married, but they are not really a couple anymore. They have both betrayed each other to the extent where they are almost strangers to each other.
They talk about the letter, where Robert goes on to make comments about how he knew the letter was from Jerry. He keeps getting closer and closer to what he really wants to talk about without letting on, and he keeps pressuring Emma into making a mistake by talking about it. However, Emma does not say very much at a time, because she does not want to give too much away. Robert does most of the talking in this scene because he is trying to force Emma to open up. At the end of the conversation about Jerry’s letter, Robert changes the subject to Torcello. He at first asks her if she looks forward to Torcello, even though she has said earlier in the scene that she cannot wait. Then, before Emma has time to answer, he changes subjects again and asks how many times they have been to Torcello. He is domineering in this dialogue, not allowing her to speak and answering his own questions. He asks if she will like Torcello as much as she did when they were first married, hinting that he understands her loss of love for him. He pauses, and again changes the subject to what she thinks of Jerry as a letter writer, and then again to asking if Emma is cold. She only responds no, and then Robert discusses his friendship with Jerry, as if letting Emma know that he has known and been friends with Jerry longer than she has, and that she has broken up their friendship. He asks if he had introduced her to him, and she says she cannot remember, but Robert is trying to worm answers from her. He then asks if he was the best man at their wedding – he is indirectly inching his way towards the questions he wants answered by manipulating Emma. When Emma responds with, “You know he was,” Robert has drawn out a lie from Emma.
Again, Robert changes the subject and asks if he is mentioned in Jerry’s letter, and then asks about if Jerry sent his love. At this point, it seems Robert has gotten to his motivation for this scene – he has asked Emma (even if he has beaten around the bush) about her affair, and Emma does not lie but lets Robert know that she and Jerry are lovers. Robert then admits that he had had a feeling, and Emma apologizes, but does not seem to be too upset. Robert’s anger escalates, but after a brief silence, he switches the topic to how the affair was pulled off. He wants to know how long it has been going on, and then, after he learns that it has been five years, he wonders if the baby they had is actually his. However, when Robert ends the conversation, he doesn’t dwell on the affair but how much he liked Jerry. In fact, he does not blame Jerry for the affair, and instead asks the repeating question of if Emma is looking forward to the Torcello trip. This is an interesting way to conclude the scene. For one, the statement could be Robert’s sarcasm towards Emma’s betrayal; on the other hand, it could also be Robert’s acceptance of Emma’s affair, since he has also had one for so long that he might think it almost natural.
In this scene, both Emma and Robert are lying because both are hiding something. Robert controls most of the subject changes, because he is the one that is trying to get information out of Emma. He is able to change topics enough to get to his point, which finally causes Emma to admit her relationship. In this scene, it is important for the audience to have seen the scenes that happen later in the actual chronological order, because then the audience realizes that Robert will find out about the affair, and also that Robert has his own affairs. It makes the conflict more intense, because the reader knows that the truth is going to have to come out, but they do not know how or what will come out of it.
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