Objectives

• Analyse how Dorfman uses stage directions, silence, and the off-stage past to construct Paulina as simultaneously victim and aggressor in Acts One and Two.
• Explain how the play's three-character structure and confined setting function as a dramatic metaphor for transitional justice.
• Evaluate the dramatic and moral effect of Roberto's Act Three confession, distinguishing between what is stated, what is implied, and what remains unresolved.
• Write a fully evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds quotation from a named moment in the text and links language choices to Dorfman's wider concerns about memory and institutional power.
• Assess how Dorfman uses the Schubert quartet — both as on-stage sound and as a symbol of complicity — to deepen the play's thematic argument about guilt and beauty.
• Construct a sustained analytical argument that weighs competing interpretations of the play's ending, using textual evidence to support a clear, contestable thesis.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: The Stranger at the Door: First Impressions and the World of the Play

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Without opening the play, take a moment to read the title 'Death and the Maiden' and review the cast list: Paulina Salas, Gerardo Escobar, and Roberto Miranda. Based on this information, write down three predictions regarding the dynamics of power among these three characters, along with a rationale for each prediction. You have four minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the Act One opening stage direction — 'A beach house. Half-built, on a cliff. The sound of the sea' — along with Paulina's initial action of turning off the car headlights and reaching for the gun. Illustrate how Dorfman conveys themes of threat, isolation, and female agency all at once before any dialogue begins, teaching students to interpret stage directions as an authorial argument rather than simply a way to set the scene.

   Independent task

   Students annotate the passage starting from Roberto's arrival at the door up to the end of Act One Scene 1, pinpointing three instances where Dorfman employs stage directions or brief, abrupt dialogue to build dramatic tension. For each instance, they write two to three sentences explaining the technique, how it shapes the audience's perception of Paulina's mental state, and what it implies about the characters' environment. Students submit their annotated excerpt along with their three written analyses.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, explain what the audience knows about Paulina's past at the end of Act One Scene 1 that Roberto and Gerardo do not, and why that gap in knowledge matters dramatically.

2. Lesson 2: Capture and Control: How Paulina Reverses the Power Dynamic

   60 min · ch. 1, 2

   Do now

   Paulina's line in Act One, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you — tied up," reveals that her intentions are to exert control over someone rather than inflict physical harm. This duality might evoke both sympathy and fear in the audience, as they can understand her desperation while also recognizing the unsettling nature of her demands.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the Act One passage in which Paulina gags Roberto and drags him to the chair while Gerardo sleeps — focusing on the stage direction 'She works quickly, efficiently' and Paulina's whispered monologue to the unconscious Roberto: 'You don't remember me, but I remember you.' Explore how the adverb 'efficiently' portrays Paulina as someone who has mentally prepared for this moment, and how the imbalance of memory — she knows him; he does not know her — drives the play's central moral conflict.

   Independent task

   Using the passage from Gerardo's waking in Act Two Scene 1 to his first attempt to negotiate Roberto's release, students will craft a structured paragraph that argues whether Gerardo's reaction to Paulina's actions shows him as a supportive husband, a man who doubts her, or both at the same time. The paragraph should include at least two direct quotations from this passage, incorporate the word 'simultaneously' or 'contradictory' at least once, and conclude with a sentence linking Gerardo's behavior to the play's broader theme regarding how institutions respond to victims' testimonies.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence identifying the single stage direction or line of dialogue from Act Two Scene 1 that most clearly shows Gerardo's private doubt about Paulina's accusation, and explain in a second sentence why Dorfman might have chosen to make that doubt visible to the audience but not to Paulina.

3. Lesson 3: The Mock Trial: Justice, Theatre, and the Rules of Evidence

   60 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   Think about the word 'tribunal'. Write down what a formal legal tribunal needs to reach a fair verdict — aim for at least four conditions. Then write one sentence explaining which of those conditions Paulina's tribunal in Act Two cannot fulfill, and why.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the Act Two passage where Paulina lays out her 'rules' to Gerardo — 'I'll give him all the guarantees of a fair trial… except one: he doesn't get a defence lawyer' — illustrating how Dorfman employs legal language ironically, turning the very terms of justice into a means of its subversion. Guide students in identifying the dramatic irony at play on two levels: Paulina is both enacting and mocking the truth commission that Gerardo is part of.

   Independent task

   Students will write a comparative paragraph of 150–200 words that explores how Paulina and Gerardo each employ the language of law and justice in Act Two to advocate for opposing actions. They need to include direct quotes from at least one speech by both characters, identify at least one rhetorical technique used by each speaker, and conclude with a sentence explaining what the clash between their two viewpoints reveals about Dorfman's skepticism regarding formal transitional justice mechanisms.

   Exit ticket

   In two sentences, explain what Dorfman gains dramatically by making Gerardo a human rights lawyer rather than, say, a doctor or a journalist: what does his specific profession add to the moral tension of Act Two?

4. Lesson 4: The Confession: Authenticity, Coercion, and the Limits of Truth

   60 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   Read Roberto's confession speech in Act Three silently to yourself. Underline any phrase that feels like a true admission of guilt, and circle any phrase that seems like it could have been created by someone who read Paulina's file or paid close attention to her accusations. Be prepared to share one of each.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the central section of Roberto's Act Three confession — specifically the passage beginning 'I began to change… little by little the virtue I thought I had began to erode' — illustrating how Dorfman crafts the confession to be both persuasive and questionable. Show how the language of moral decline ('erode', 'little by little') feels more literary than spontaneous, and how this literary quality suggests that the audience should remain uncertain about Roberto's guilt.

   Independent task

   Students will craft a 150–200 word analytical paragraph arguing whether Roberto's confession in Act Three is more genuine or a performance of authenticity aimed at surviving the night. They need to include at least two quotations from the confession speech, identify a specific word or phrase that has ambiguous meaning to bolster their argument, and recognize the opposing viewpoint in a concessive clause before reaffirming their own stance. This paragraph is to be submitted at the end of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining what the audience would lose — in terms of dramatic meaning — if Dorfman had made it unambiguously clear that Roberto was guilty. Then write a second sentence explaining what the audience would lose if Dorfman had made it unambiguously clear that he was innocent.

5. Lesson 5: The Mirror at the Concert Hall: Writing a Sustained Argument on Justice and Revenge

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3

   Do now

   Look at the final stage direction of Act Three: Paulina and Roberto's eyes meet in the mirror at the concert hall while the Schubert quartet plays. This moment hints at the weight of guilt and the haunting nature of memory, reflecting their shared past. It raises questions about whether Paulina truly finds justice or revenge, or if she's still caught in a cycle of unresolved feelings.

   Teacher input

   Model the construction of an essay introduction based on the question below, using the final scene's mirror image and the Schubert quartet as your starting point. Illustrate how to transition from a specific dramatic detail — the stage direction 'their eyes meet in the mirror' — to a debatable thesis regarding Dorfman's refusal to choose between justice and revenge. Show students that an introduction that asserts an argument from the very first sentence is more compelling than one that simply outlines the topics to be discussed.

   Independent task

   Write a detailed analytical essay of 500–600 words in response to the following question: 'In Death and the Maiden, Dorfman presents revenge and justice as indistinguishable. How far do you agree?' Your essay should: start with a clear, arguable thesis in your opening sentence; analyze at least one moment from each of the three acts, specifying the scene and including direct quotes from the text; examine how at least one of the following dramatic techniques conveys meaning — the Schubert quartet, the stage directions, the three-character structure, or the confined setting; include a paragraph addressing the strongest counterargument to your thesis and then explain why your interpretation is more convincing; and conclude by revisiting the question without merely repeating your introduction. You can use any quotes from the play, but the following suggested anchors might help: Paulina's 'I just need you — tied up' (Act One), her 'rules of a fair trial' speech (Act Two), Roberto's 'little by little the virtue I thought I had began to erode' (Act Three), and the final mirror stage direction (Act Three).

   Exit ticket

   Read back your thesis sentence — the very first sentence of your essay. Does it make a claim that someone could reasonably disagree with, or does it merely state a fact about the play? Write one sentence explaining how you would strengthen it if you had five more minutes.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket checks whether students can articulate the dramatic function of the audience's privileged knowledge — specifically that Paulina has a traumatic past unknown to Roberto — rather than merely summarising plot.
• Lesson 2 annotated paragraph checks whether students can hold two contradictory readings of Gerardo simultaneously and connect character behaviour to the play's thematic concern with institutional credibility.
• Lesson 3 comparative paragraph checks whether students can identify rhetorical technique in dramatic dialogue and connect it to Dorfman's scepticism about formal justice processes, rather than simply paraphrasing what characters say.
• Lesson 4 exit ticket checks whether students understand that Dorfman's deliberate ambiguity is a structural and thematic choice, not an oversight — they must articulate what is lost by certainty in either direction.
• Lesson 5 thesis self-assessment checks whether students can distinguish between a contestable analytical claim and a descriptive statement, and whether they can revise their own opening sentence under pressure.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama, including where a story is set, how the action is ordered, and how the characters are introduced and developed.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about an interpretation of literature and explain the significance of that interpretation.
• Textual Evidence (LAN-1.D) — Identify and explain textual details that prompt a credible interpretation, including details that are ambiguous or contradictory.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of a character, including how characters' choices and relationships develop the text's central ideas.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain the function of structure in a text, including how dramatic form and stage directions shape meaning and effect.
• Figurative Language and Symbol (FIG-1) — Explain the function of a symbol — here, the Schubert quartet — in contributing to the meaning of the whole work.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts, maintaining a critical style and developing an informed personal response, using textual references including quotations to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received, including the political context of post-Pinochet transitional justice.
• AO5 (spoken language/drama) — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which texts are produced and received.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular attention to Dorfman's use of dramatic irony, stage directions, and the three-character structure.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including the Chilean political context and the Rettig Commission.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, including the relationship between Death and the Maiden and the tradition of post-authoritarian testimonial drama.

IB Lit

• Readers, writers and texts — Analyse how Dorfman's choices of dramatic form, setting, and symbol position the audience in relation to unresolvable moral questions.
• Time and space — Examine how the play's compressed time frame (one night and one morning) and confined clifftop setting intensify the thematic exploration of justice and memory.
• Intertextuality — Explore how the Schubert quartet functions as an intertextual reference that links aesthetic beauty to moral complicity throughout the play.