Scene 11-
‘The Fight’
The most notable aspect of scene 11 in regards to its
significance in the play is that it presents to us the first and only physical
fight between any of the characters. The fight itself involves Peter and John,
two characters who both like to see themselves as the superior person in their
group. As to the actual fight itself, it could be seen as the quest for power
as well as a tool used to determine and establish who belong where in the
hierarchy. Following on from this the sensitivity of how one reacts or
empathises is symbolised through Audrey, more specifically in terms of where
her loyalties lie and this is influenced by her perception of power: ‘She
stops, watching him recede. Her expression changed horribly.’ This shows that
her perception of Peter changes as she realises that Peter is the weaker one of
the two and hence he becomes in her eyes less ‘powerful’. Maybe one idea that Potter
is trying to present through Audrey is power being symbolic of protection.
Audrey ‘supports’, gives her loyalty to the one who possess the most power because
of her own insecurities- she doesn’t
want to get bullied herself. In this respect you could also see this scene as
an allegory of war, in particular the alliances countries make with one
another, mainly for their own self-interest in protection.
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