Objectives

• Analyse how Dorfman constructs Paulina Salas as simultaneously victim, judge, and unreliable witness in Acts One and Three.
• Explain how the three-character power dynamic shifts across Acts One, Two, and Three through stage directions, dialogue, and physical staging.
• Evaluate the extent to which Roberto Miranda's Act Three confession can be read as authentic guilt or coerced performance, using specific lines as evidence.
• Analyse how Dorfman uses non-verbal stagecraft — Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden', the gun, darkness, and silence — to generate dramatic meaning.
• Write an evidenced analytical paragraph that makes and sustains a precise argument about justice and revenge in the play.
• Assess how the play's historical context (Chile's Rettig Commission, post-Pinochet transitional justice) shapes its refusal to resolve questions of guilt and accountability.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Paulina in the Dark: Trauma, Vigilance, and First Encounter (Act One)

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   On the board: 'Take a moment to write two sentences about an experience when you identified someone — or something — just by its sound, without seeing it. What gave you that confidence? How would you feel if you were mistaken?' Students will write independently for four minutes without any prompts.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the Act One passage where Paulina hides in the shadows and listens to Roberto's voice before he sees her — from 'PAULINA: (to herself, barely audible) It's him' to her retrieval of the gun. Analyze how Dorfman entirely withholds visual confirmation: the stage direction 'she does not move into the light' positions the audience within Paulina's perspective. Illustrate how the sentence fragments and dashes in her internal speech reflect a mind under pressure, rather than one reasoning clearly — and pose the question: does this indicate trauma or certainty?

   Independent task

   Students will re-read the opening of Act One, starting with Paulina waiting alone until Gerardo arrives. They will write one PEEL paragraph that answers: 'How does Dorfman portray Paulina as both vulnerable and dangerous in Act One?' They need to include quotes from at least two moments—one before Roberto arrives and one after—and they must discuss at least one stage direction along with one line of dialogue. The paragraphs will be collected at the end of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   On a slip of paper: 'Provide one reason a reader could trust Paulina's identification of Roberto, and one reason they might doubt it. Include a word or phrase from Act One in each response.'

2. Lesson 2: The Chair and the Gun: Power, Control, and Gerardo's Dilemma (Act Two)

   60 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   Three quotations from Act Two are displayed on the board — one from Paulina, one from Gerardo, and one from Roberto. Students will rank these quotes from 'most powerful character' to 'least powerful' and write a sentence justifying each ranking. This is done prior to any group discussion.

   Teacher input

   Model a staged reading and analysis of the Act Two exchange where Gerardo quietly tells Roberto, 'She's not well — she never got over what happened.' Roberto replies with a calm and measured demeanor. Note how Dorfman gives Roberto complete sentences at this moment, featuring full subordinate clauses and no interruptions, while Gerardo's lines are interrupted by stage directions that indicate his physical anxiety. Discuss how this grammatical control represents a form of power and how Dorfman shifts that power away from the person holding the gun.

   Independent task

   Students will annotate a printed excerpt from Act Two, specifically the scene where Gerardo tries to negotiate Roberto's release and Roberto starts to express his own voice. They need to identify at least four moments where power dynamics change, using arrows and brief notes in the margins. After that, they should compose a short paragraph (six to eight sentences) discussing which character has the most power by the end of Act Two and the reasons behind this. The annotated excerpt and the paragraph should be submitted together.

   Exit ticket

   By the end of Act Two, the character with the most power is the antagonist because Dorfman gives them control over the fate of the protagonist.

3. Lesson 3: 'I Did Those Things': Reading Roberto's Confession in Act Three

   60 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   On the board: 'Is a confession made under the threat of death really valid? Can it be considered justice? Write three sentences in four minutes.' Students write in silence.

   Teacher input

   Read aloud Roberto's full confession speech in Act Three — starting with 'It's true. I did those things' — and display two contrasting interpretations side by side on the board in two columns: Column A ('This is authentic guilt') and Column B ('This is a performance to survive'). Pay special attention to the phrase 'I told myself it was for the good of the country' — illustrate how this line serves as both a genuine justification a perpetrator might believe and a calculated statement designed to resonate with a traumatized victim. The text resists a definitive interpretation, which is precisely Dorfman's argument.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a structured comparison of two scenes in Act Three: Roberto's confession speech and the stage direction that describes Paulina's expression while she listens. In one to two paragraphs, they should argue whether Dorfman wants the audience to trust Roberto's words. They must also address the opposing viewpoint before either accepting or rejecting it. This assignment will be collected and graded according to the rubric provided in Lesson 1.

   Exit ticket

   On a slip: 'Choose a word or phrase from Roberto's confession that can be interpreted as both genuine and manipulative. Write one sentence for each interpretation.'

4. Lesson 4: Schubert's Quartet as Weapon and Wound: Stagecraft Across All Three Acts

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3

   Do now

   Students listen to ninety seconds of Schubert's String Quartet No. 14 in D minor ('Death and the Maiden'), second movement, played from a speaker as they enter. On the board: 'Write three adjectives that capture what you hear. Then, describe the kind of scene you would pair with this music and explain your choice.' No further instruction.

   Teacher input

   Model a cross-act analysis using three specific stage directions: (1) Act One — Roberto hums the Schubert unprompted; (2) Act Two — Paulina compels Roberto to listen to the quartet on the cassette player during her interrogation; (3) Act Three — in the concert hall, the quartet performs live, and Paulina and Roberto's eyes connect in the mirror. Illustrate how the same piece of music takes on various dramatic roles: identification, a tool for torture, and ultimately, unresolved coexistence. Show how to discuss stagecraft as a structural element rather than just an atmospheric detail.

   Independent task

   Students select two of the three Schubert moments highlighted in the teacher's input and write a comparative paragraph discussing what Dorfman accomplishes by revisiting the same music at various points in the play. They need to include the words 'structure' and 'audience' in their paragraph and must reference at least one stage direction by quoting it exactly. The completed paragraphs will be collected.

   Exit ticket

   Complete this sentence on a slip: 'Dorfman uses the Schubert quartet in more than one act because it adds emotional depth and continuity to the narrative. Without it, the ending would lack impact and resonance.'

5. Lesson 5: The Mirror at the Concert Hall: Justice, Revenge, and the Unresolved Ending (Act Three)

   60 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   On the board: two definitions — (A) Justice: 'a process for finding the truth and delivering a fitting consequence'; (B) Revenge: 'a personal act of retaliation that brings satisfaction to the injured party'. Students write: 'Which of these, if either, does Paulina achieve by the end of Act Three? In one sentence, include one word from the play.'

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the final stage direction in Act Three: the concert hall, the semi-transparent mirror, Paulina and Roberto visible at the same time to each other and to the audience, with Schubert playing in the background. Discuss how the mirror operates as a theatrical device that denies the audience a singular viewpoint — both characters exist on stage, yet neither takes precedence. Argue that Dorfman employs the mirror to draw the audience into complicity: we are also left to determine what we've seen. Relate this to the context of the Rettig Commission — truth commissions similarly generate records that are often incomplete and subject to debate.

   Independent task

   Students will compose a complete essay response (three to four paragraphs) to the question: "How does Dorfman use the ending of Death and the Maiden to challenge the audience's assumptions about justice and guilt?" They need to reference at least two of the three acts by number, include quotes from at least three specific moments, and discuss the historical context of transitional justice in at least one paragraph. This will serve as the summative piece and will be graded according to the full rubric.

   Exit ticket

   Dorfman invites the audience to reflect on the tension between self-perception and external judgment through the mirror, Schubert, and the locked gaze.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checks whether students can hold two competing readings of Paulina's identification of Roberto simultaneously — looking for acknowledgement of ambiguity, not a settled verdict.
• Lesson 2 annotated extract: checks whether students can identify power shifts using specific textual markers — stage directions, sentence structure, interruption — rather than general impressions.
• Lesson 3 exit ticket: checks whether students can locate the double-readability of a single phrase in Roberto's confession — looking for two distinct, textually grounded readings of the same words.
• Lesson 4 collected paragraph: checks whether students can write about stagecraft as a structural device across multiple acts, not just as mood-setting in a single scene.
• Lesson 5 exit ticket: checks whether students can articulate Dorfman's dramatic purpose in the final image — looking for a claim about audience effect, not a plot summary.

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.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, 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.
• W.11-12.1 — Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Explain the function of a character, including how characters develop, interact, and change, and how they contribute to an interpretation of a text as a whole.
• Figurative Language and Imagery (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including how they contribute to meaning.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain the function of structure in a text, including how an author sequences events or ideas to achieve an effect.
• Narrator and Speaker (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view in a narrative, including how an unreliable narrator or limited perspective shapes meaning.
• Literary and Intellectual Concepts (LIC-1) — Explain the relationship between a work of literature and the historical, cultural, or social context in which it was written.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use 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.
• AO5 — Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences.

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 reference to language, form, structure and dramatic technique.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including post-authoritarian political contexts.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, including connections between Death and the Maiden and other post-colonial or testimonial drama.