As an actor describe five strengths andor weaknesses

As an actor, describe five strengths and/or weaknesses of a character in your selected text. (You must use textual references from the play to help you justify your answer. ) Explain, in detail, five acting concepts you would use to show these strengths or weaknesses in performance. (These need to be related to the first part of this question. )

INTRODUCTION (Identify character) A character in ‘The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart’ who shows strength and/or weakness is Prudencia, the title character. (Definition of question) A strength is a positive trait of a character that helps them overcome obstacles. A weakness could be described as a negative trait that may get in the way of achieving a goal. (Identifying FIVE traits/moments) We see strength in Pru’s character as she is intelligent and manipulative. But she also shows weakness in her prudish nature, in being anti social and stubborn. (Overview) Such character traits would make Prudencia an interesting character to explore as an actor.

INTELLIGENT • ‘Pru and her dads idea of a fun day, was to browse away an endless Sunday in second hand bookshops. ’ – well read from childhood, early passion • ‘Her Ph. D was on the topography of Hell‘ - a high accolade which we know takes years of study and dedication. • ‘to contribute a paper, and join the plenary’ - she is a guest speaker at the conference, she is respected in her field so must be impressive in her work, equal to other scholars • ‘You have an original Whitelaw and a first edition of the Minstrelsy signed!’ – suggests she is well read in classics • ‘Just heaven’ - captivity would be torture for most – but not for Pru, not here. • 'Instinct took over and she just – fucking ran‘ – empowered by reading, able to stand up to the devil and make her escape

MANIPULATIVE • ‘the chance to network and perhaps to see if a publisher might take her work on the border ballads’ – attending and taking advantage of a social situation for her own gain • ‘What would happen if we talked in rhyme? ’ Prudencia shows cunning when she begins to manipulate a relationship with the devil. She suggests that they adopt the language of love to try and seduce him, and eventually escape. • ‘I’m getting a lot of knots in your back’ – willing to overcome her normally prudish nature to work the situation for her own gain • ‘don’t you ever sleep? ’ – as she tries to plan her escape. When he explains that he never sleeps, she encourages him to ‘let it go’, makes him relax and drop his guard so that she can escape.

PRUDISH (Having or revealing a tendency to be easily shocked by matters relating to sex or nudity; excessively concerned with sexual propriety) • Prudencia meets the scandalous Corbies who try to coax her into joining their party. The very thought of revealing herself is torture; ‘I’ll just keep my coat on if that’s ok’; shows Prudencia literally has a ‘buttoned up’ personality and demeanour. • Ultimately the Devil helps Prudencia to feel comfortable in her own skin. The final scene, where she finally steps up to sing on karaoke is proof that she has made it but as the Devil created this new Pru, he will also take control of her and she must commit her soul to him; ‘As Prudencia’s song gathers force, smoke comes from her mouth, her eyes turn red, blood drips from the ends of her fingers. ’ • When Prudencia meets the Corbies - a scandalous group of women who are out partying and engaging in all sorts of debauchery – she is forced to ‘hide in the toilet like a school girl’ to avoid the lude behaviour she finds so uncomfortable. • Sleeping in a bed with Colin is a no no, even in the same room • She asks the devil to knock before entering the room in case she is undressed.

ANTI SOCIAL • We know she was close to her father; ‘she became the pet of a father’; but we also know her father was ‘autistic spectrum’ and the personality traits associated with this could easily have been picked up by a young Prudencia also contributing to her anti social tendencies. • At the academic conference, Prudencia sits ‘at the extreme edge of the group’ which highlights her isolation - even those she is academically equal to and would share her interests. • Public speaking is also traumatic for Pru; ‘She blushed and finished her presentation’/‘Prudencia stood, vulnerable and raw’ • When Prudencia meets the Corbies – a scandalous group of women who are out partying and engaging in all sorts of debauchery – she is extremely intimidating for Pru which leads her to ‘hide in the toilet like a school girl’. • Her ‘self disgust at her own inability to participate’ shows it is a weakness she is all to familiar with and one that has ‘had her always stood outside observing. . . always feeling herself alone. ’ • ‘She was above the common herd’ – sees herself as better than others so will avoid talking to those beneath her

STUBBORN • ‘You’ll have to help me dig it out’; she is so determined not to stay the night with Colin, she would rather try and dig her car out of several feet of snow, despite the fact that this will never be successful. • ‘…throws herself at the window’ – desperate to escape Hell, even though it is near impossible, she tries several strategies. Throwing herself at the window, and physically hurting herself, shows she will never give up. • ‘This is not hell, you are not the devil’; Denial of being in Hell – she knows what hell is like because she has studied it, so she refuses to accept that this is where she has been lured to without realising. • ‘I love the way you cling to old forms…’ – perhaps a stubborn trait, refuses to accept evolution of modern forms • Dialogue with Colin – says ‘No’ a lot. • ‘I don’t have a bloody song’ – refusal to participate is anti social but it is her assertiveness in not giving in that makes her stubborn.

ANY TRAIT YOU DISCUSS MUST BE LINKED TO STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS

Paragraph one EXPLAIN HOW Quote/detailed moment LINK TO QUESTION One mark Opening sentence explains the paragraph topic. Firstly, Pru shows strength in (choose … one trait from opening paragraph) BONUS POINT EXTRA DETAILED DEVELOPMENT

SQA MARKING GUIDELINES SAY YOU MAY COMMENT ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING; Character motivation (What do they want/strive for? How does this show strength/weakness? ) Character development (How does the character progress throughout the play? When do we see strength/weakness? ) Character relationships (How do their relationships with other characters demonstrate strength/weakness? ) Character interaction (How does the way in which they behave with other characters demonstrate strength/weakness? ) Plot Themes and issues (Are they connected to any vital themes? How does this represent strength/weakness? ) Any other relevant features

PARAGRAPH 1 We know Prudencia is intelligent as it is stated that ‘her Ph. D was on the topography of Hell‘; a high accolade which we know takes years of study and dedication. Her passion for reading was developed early, as a child; ‘Pru and her dads idea of a fun day, was to browse away an endless Sunday in second hand bookshops’. She has therefore spent many years reading which has developed her brain, inspired her passion for study and enabled her to acquire this accolade. Her intelligence is shown as a strength when she is captured by The Devil and lured to Hell. The Hell she is presented with is an endless library which Prudencia describes as ‘just. . . heaven’. Her love of books and reading allows her to endure her captivity in Hell and keep her mind active. We see this on P 66 when she finds new information that proves a theory that her respected rival, Professor Mackintosh had contested. ‘Shove that in your late capitalist pipe and smoke it’. She feels empowered when she realises she is right and this in turn impresses the devil who is in awe of her intelligence. He later drops his guard and this allows her to break out of Hell, thus proving her intelligence in this case to be a strength.

AS AN ACTOR… As Pru reads aloud to the Devil from a book in the library, I would use a confident tone and stance and emphasise the more intellectual words. This would show the Devil that she understands this topic and can deliver it with ease which would impress him. I would also be well poised with good posture to show my comfort with the content. As she discovers the information that proves Professor Mackintosh wrong, I would start to demonstrate my intelligence as power/strength. I would use a wide eyed facial expression and increase my volume and pace with excitement. I would move towards the Devil and tower over him, almost forcing him to sit and listen, intimidating him with my intelligence. This would highlight my empowerment and the strength I have found to enable me to escape which she does in the end succeed in.

PARAGRAPH 2 We see Prudencia as STUBBORN on many occasions, particularly when she interacts with Colin. Her dislike for him fuels her desire to disagree/argue with everything he suggests. When they are snowed in after the conference, Colin suggests staying over. Prudencia can’t bear the thought of this and tells Colin ‘you’ll have to help me dig it out’ referring to her car which is buried in the snow. Despite being a near impossible task, she refuses to give up because she dislikes Colin so much. Unfortunately this is shown as a weakness in Prudencia because trying to avoid Colin is what lead to her being left alone and then captured by the Devil.

AS AN ACTOR… To show Pru is stubborn at this point, I would use rigid body language with arms held across my body to show defiance. I would also use an even stance and strong, rigid posture to stand my ground. I would maintain direct eye contact so that Colin would know I meant business and wouldn’t back down. I could use aggressive gestures such as a pulling at his arm to show my determination. For voice, I would use a confident tone and good articulation to ensure I sound matter of fact. Overall, this would demonstrate Prudencia as rude and push Colin away. This would communicate to the audience that Prudencia’s stubbornness is not advantageous to her as she is left alone and vulnerable as the Devil prowls nearby.

PARAGRAPH 3 We see Prudencia as MANIPULATIVE in Act Two when she is being held captive in hell. This is an unusual trait for Prudencia who conducts herself respectfully at all times but it is seen as a strength in this case as she does so to overcome a difficult situation. In Hell, we see her try to become intimate with the devil in the hopes that he will let her go; ‘What would happen if we talked in rhyme? ’ Here Prudencia is suggesting that they adopt the language of love to forge a relationship with him which might aid her escape. The key to this is planning, and is a long process. She asks the Devil; ‘don’t you ever sleep? ’ but is disappointed when he explains that he never does. She shifts her focus to finding ways to make him sleep, and attempts to help him relax with a massage; ‘I’m getting a lot of knots in your back’. We know Prudencia is prudish and this kind of close physical contact makes her extremely uncomfortable. However, she is able to cast this aside to work the situation to her own advantage. As she demands seductiveky; ‘let it go’; the Devil drops his guard, falls asleep and she is able to make her escape. This demonstrates that although Pru comes across as a ‘goody two shoes’, she is intelligent enough to manipulate a situation – even in ways she does not enjoy - for her own personal gain.

AS AN ACTOR… As an actor, to show Prudencia’s manipulative streak, I would use a variety of voice and movement techniques. When she is encouraging the use of rhyme, I would walk around the Devil, tilting my head close to his ear and emphasising the rhyming words. I would adopt a vocal rhythm with a steady beat that is almost hypnotic. I would maintain direct eye contact but glance away coyly, to show that she is trying to be seductive. When she is concocting her plan and enquiring about his sleeping pattern, I would use a soft, low pitched voice - almost whispering - to set a seductive mood. As she tries to make him relax, I would close the distance between Pru and the Devil by moving slowly towards him, infringing his personal space. I would use physical contact by trailing a finger up his arms and move my hands on to his shoulders abruptly so that he can’t resist my advances. As I am positioned behind him, I could grimace my face to show my personal discomfort at this action and remind the audience of my prudish nature. However this would quickly switch to determination as I continued with my mission to lure him into relaxation and ultimately allow my escape, thus showing strength in my character.

PARAGRAPH 4 Prudencia can be described as ANTI-SOCIAL which is a weakness. This character trait leads her into a difficult situation; as she runs from a social encounter, she ends up trapped in Hell and this prevents her from achieving her goal of getting home. Prudencia spent many years studying for a Ph. D which means she probably did not engage in a social life. This means she struggles socially, even in her own peer group which we see at the academic conference. Prudencia sits ‘at the extreme edge of the group’ which highlights her isolation and when asked to deliver a speech at the conference, ‘Prudencia stood, vulnerable and raw’ and ‘She blushed and finished her presentation’. We can see that public speaking is difficult for her even with her academic equals. When she meets the Corbies – a scandalous group of women who are out partying and engaging in all sorts of debauchery - she is even more intimidated as these behaviours are the kind she finds uncomfortable. This leads her to ‘hide in the toilet like a school girl’, and ultimately run away from the pub. It is then that she meets Nick and is lured to Hell, all thanks to her inability to socialise which is clearly a weakness.

AS AN ACTOR… As an actor, I would want to demonstrate Pru’s anti-social trait as a weakness, particularly in scene 7 when she encounters the Corbies. I would use body language with my arms wrapped around my body and a hunched posture to show discomfort at being in the pub late at night when social behaviour changes. As the Corbies notice Pru and come over, I would avoid direct eye contact and turn my back on them to try and appear invisible. As they become more invasive of my space, I would jump up quickly but not confidently, maintaining a hunched posture and keeping my head down. Making my excuses ‘I’m actually really tired, I really think I want to go to bed…’ I would say this line in a fast and hurried pace, stumbling over my words to show my nervous nature. This would communicate my unease at the situation and highlight my need to leave, which we know is dangerous thus proving a weakness.

NOW TRY PARAGRAPH 5 ON YOR OWN! We see Prudencia as PRUDISH when… QUOTE/DETAIL THE MOMENT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE STORY This is shown as a strength/weakness because… As an actor I would communicate this… When she – QUOTE/DETAIL THE MOMENT I would use – VOCAB!!! To show that – JUSTIFICATION