ipl-logo

How Does David Auburn Use Flashback In Proof

416 Words2 Pages

David Auburn use of the flashback scene in Proof contributed to the development of each character by providing the reader with an insight on the events that have taken place in the past that is hidden from the other characters in the story. By incorporating the flashback scene in his story, Auburn was able to use Modulated dialogue, the use of narrative commentary and scenic detail to extend the complexity of expression, to establish and explore past speculation thoroughly. In the story Catharine experience a flashback of a conversation between herself and her father, “I’m not talking about divine inspiration. It’s not funneling down into my head and onto the page… I- I’m sorry, I’m being rude. How’s school?” (p. 70-71). Within the flashback the reader get an insight of the severity of Catharine fathers’ illness and the actual truth on who wrote Proof. The flashback also shows the relationship between Catharine and …show more content…

Catharine’s mental illness has always been a question between both reader and characters in the book, even Catharine herself questioned her own mental sanity. In the story, the “ghost” is Robert, though it is was not specified whether she hallucinated because she was inebriated or it’s because she was mentally ill. The “ghost” scene in the story gives the reader an initial insight on who Catharine actually is and how her life turned out, “Well. Because I’m also dead. (Beat) Aren’t I?” (p.13), it also makes Catharine wonder if she is actually hallucinating or is it real. Catharine’s hallucination is a manifestation of her consciousness, in her mind her father is the person who knows what to say and do therefore whenever she finds herself in a situation he is always the person who tells her the truth and is her guide through life. The fact that she is hallucinating can also mean in her own way she is grieving for the loss of her

Show More
Related
424 Words | 2 Pages

Not only did Bertram Cates set an example for others to follow, but he also bravely defended his opinion. Cates is the most important character in the play because he had the courage to challenge his town’s views on religion. The fact that Bertram Cates knew that he would suffer consequences for teaching his students about evolution, proves how brave he was. Without Cates’ boldness, the opinions of many people in his town would not have been heard. For that reason, Cates did not care if he would suffer and did not back down.

Read More
1553 Words | 7 Pages

Jakobs PTSD really shows in the way that he sees the ghost of his sister Bella. He can recall certain specific details about her, which portray how he struggles in letting her go. Its the fear of the unknown of what happened to Bella that Jakob struggles with. She was taken away

Read More
374 Words | 2 Pages

Post traumatic stress disorder more commonly known as PTSD. According to the http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/what-is-ptsd.asp PTSD is a disorder that tends to occur when someone doesn’t recover from a traumatic event such as war, rape, abuse. Along with the disorder a series of symptoms come such as agitation, irritability, hostility, hypervigilance, self-destructive behavior, or social isolation, as well as other symptoms. Throughout the play we see a string of characters that present with possibility of having PTSD no more than our main character Macbeth. Macbeth weakened through war and an abusive wife caused him to suffer from PTSD.

Read More
1383 Words | 6 Pages

The novel, Turn of the Screw, by Henry James takes place in England and is told from the point of view of the Governess, whose sanity is questionable. The Governess is insane because throughout the novel, she is the only one who sees the ghosts, she is in love with the master, and she allows her desire to protect the children to drive her to insanity. First, the Governess is insane because she is the only character in the novel to ever have seen the ghosts. Early in the novel, the Governess claims she sees the ghost of Peter Quint, and immediately tells Mrs. Grose.

Read More
831 Words | 4 Pages

Lady Macbeth was a fictional character in the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, a tragedy set in the 12 century. She was the wife of a man named Macbeth who became very murderous and blood thirsty while trying to become King of Scotland. In this tragedy, three witches tell Macbeth that he will become king and so he shares this news with Lady Macbeth. At the beginning of this story Lady Macbeth is the more dominant and strong willed person in the relationship, while Macbeth is the coward and fragile one.

Read More
154 Words | 1 Pages

The author uses flashbacks and events to create tension and surprise in the novel. In chapter 16 Clare writes a flashback in order to create a tension. During the flashback it is revealed that Mortmain, her capturer, created Tessa who is “half-demon, half-Shadowhunter” (Clare 346). The flashback is used to answer two of the biggest questions in the Clockwork series- who is Mortmain and what is Tessa? This creates a surprise twist in the novel that the reader is not expecting.

Read More
767 Words | 4 Pages

Bryanna E. McCool Mrs. Dean British Literature 25 January 2018 Mental Illness in Shakespeare’s Macbeth The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, a play wrought with prophecies, deception, guilt, and death, brings light to the symptoms of mental illnesses and their effects on the human brain’s ability to reason, trust, and act in times of pressure. Both Macbeth and his lady are plagued by mental illness, and the effects of their illness only grow as the play evolves. Macbeth’s symptoms of schizophrenia and anxiety, as well as Lady Macbeth’s anxiety as well as hallucinations that eventually push her to suicide prove that not only can mental illness alter the way a person sees a situation, but it can also drive them to harm others and themselves.

Read More
619 Words | 3 Pages

There are many people in the world that experience mental problems and therefore affecting their personality. Not everyone though is as bad as Macbeth when it comes to mental deterioration. Macbeth is a very self-centered man and it leads him to change the person he once was. Although it is not seen much in the beginning of Shakespeare's play “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, Macbeth’s mental state deteriorates as the play progresses, which can be seen when he is guilty of murdering King Duncan, being taunted by the ghost of Banquo, and his speech to the witches.

Read More
770 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth Free will is the idea that someone can make whatever decision they want to even though they have had outside influences. In the story, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, many characters struggle to keep their free will because the have so many outside experiences and influences affecting their lives. In this story, the characters that keep their free will, and are influenced by the outside world are usually women. The men usually don 't keep their free will in this case. Characters like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are good examples on how gender plays a role on people having free will or not.

Read More
1134 Words | 5 Pages

Mental Stability in Macbeth As Erma Bombeck once said, “Guilt: is the gift that keeps on giving” (“A Quote by Erma Bombeck”). In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, guilt plays an enormous role in the development of Macbeth’s descent into madness. Macbeth is about Macbeth being persuaded by Lady Macbeth into committing heinous crimes, and it all started when Macbeth tells her about premonitions three witches gave him. In pursuit of making those premonitions come true, Macbeth kills King Duncan, which scares his children, Malcolm and Donalbain out of the country, allowing Macbeth to become King.

Read More
647 Words | 3 Pages

Imagery in Macbeth Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare in 1606. This tragedy is set in Scotland during The Middle Ages. Published in 1623 with the first folio, the story of Macbeth was destined to be a staple in any reader’s Shakespeare collection.

Read More
1355 Words | 6 Pages

The overcast skies forewarned of the storm to come. The grey clouds rumbled treason and the wild wolves howled their distress. Rough winds wreaked havoc on the brittle branches of the oak trees in Birnam Wood, but not even this could compare to the turmoil in the new queen’s mind. In her chambers, Lady Macbeth’s frantic, bloodshot eyes darted across the shadowed room like a wild animal.

Read More
942 Words | 4 Pages

The end of Roderick’s life is described as, “... in her violent and how final death-agonies bore him to the floor a corpse, and a victim to the terrors he had anticipated” (Poe 430). Throughout the story, Roderick anticipated that his sister’s spirit would try to attack him because he had always heard her voice

Read More
1183 Words | 5 Pages

In the popular play Macbeth, Shakespeare compares the gender stereotypes portrayed to those different pre-existing ideas from other generations such as the 1900’s, the 50’s, and even today 's society. Macbeth has plenty of examples of the exaggeration of gender roles that clearly differentiate male and female by construing their proper roles as polar opposite or complementary. Examples proving that there are gender stereotypes in Macbeth pertain to characters such as Lady Macbeth, The Witches, and Macbeth himself. In Macbeth, the many different stereotypes of gender roles from throughout the century to today’s society have been displayed in many aspects of the play. With examples of the exaggeration of gender constructs pertaining to the male

Read More
608 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a dark play full of witchcraft and foreshadowing. Lady Macbeth showed scheming qualities throughout the play which had a lot of influence on her husband, Macbeth. Because of her controlling personality, Macbeth was scared to disappoint her. She was the one who positioned the idea of Duncan’s murder into her husband’s mind where he was succumbed by her supremacies and made the ultimate mistake. It was also her idea to place the blame of Duncan’s death on the soldiers.

Read More

More about How Does David Auburn Use Flashback In Proof

Related Topics

Open Document