In most plays, the audience can easily determine which
character the protagonist is. This is the playwright’s intention, so that the character’s
goals and objectives are better understood. For plays such as Glass of Water, however, the fact that
there is not a clear protagonist is also intentional. Scribe does not want the
audience to focus their attention on the struggles of a single character. He
wants the audience to sympathize with Abigail and Masham’s love story, but he
also makes Bolingbroke equally important, for the story is motivated the most
through his actions.
If I were
to choose which of these three characters the protagonist is, I would have to
go with Bolingbroke simply because of how much the other character’s stories
depend upon his presence. The plot is driven by his ambition and the
manipulation he uses to gain political power. He helps his friends along the
way, but it isn’t clear whether or not this was intentional. The point is, that
without Bolingbroke’s influence, Abigail and Masham’s story would be stuck and
they would not have fulfilled their goals. A protagonist moves the story forward
so that they can eventually attain their objectives. All three characters do
this, but Abigail and Masham could not without Bolingbroke.I honestly don’t feel that finding the protagonist is necessary in this story. Abigail and Masham’s love and Bolingbroke’s quest for power are equally important, and Scribe meant for the audience to focus on all of the characters’ desires and how they achieve them.
I agree. There isn't a clear need for a well defined protagonist and antagonist in this play. The story and relationships themselves are more important than determining the protagonist and antagonist.
ReplyDeleteI agree and disagree. Yes, I think Bolingbroke is important and essential to the progress of the play as the success of Masham and Abigail's relationship is very much dependent on him. However, I think that Masham is the protagonist, and I think the union of he and Abigail is the main focus of the play. Three different characters loved and wanted Masham, his presence was more essential to the progression of the plot than Blingbroke's was. Furthermore, the protagonist is involved with the main goal of the audience, or of the event that the audience is hoping for and concerned about most. That event, in this case, is the tentative marriage of Masham and Abigail, that which the audience is most worried about.
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