1. Iconic Scenes:
[The doors] open and reveal a silver cauldron that holds the body of AGAMEMNON shrouded in bloody robes, with the body of CASSANDRA to his left and
CLYTAEMNESTRA standing to his right, sword in hand.
WOYZECK comes to the window. MARIE and the DRUM-MAJOR dance past without noticing him.
MARIE [as she dances past]: Go on! Go on!
WOYZECK [choking]: Go on! Go on!
There are many scenes in the plays we have read that carry iconic significance. They are the moments that seem laden with symbolic meaning and stick in the mind, exemplifying the play’s treatment of larger issues—they are the single moments that stand in for the whole play in some way. We don’t all agree, of course, on precisely which moments are the iconic ones, but most of us carry a pretty common set of these in our mind—they are what pop up on first recollection when we think about a play.
With reference to at least three different plays that we have read this semester, discuss what you think to be the most powerful iconic scene or scenes. What makes them iconic? What ideas or problems do they represent or embody? How does the way they are constructed affect the way we understand the play in which they appear?
Remember to use concrete detail, and try to offer in-depth analysis and not just summaries. You do not need to discuss each of the three different examples at length, as that may not work very well, but you do need to bring at least three into your essay.