The character I am focusing on is Fraulein Schneider.
- 'You see Herr Bradshaw! All comforts! And with breakfast only one hundred marks.' Here Fraulein Schneider is trying to persuade and assure Bradshaw of the quality he can receive if he decides to rent the room.
- 'But for a friend of Herr Ludwig...' The verb I imagine to be used here is 'attempt'. Schneider is attempting to use the status of someone in society to persuade Bradshaw that he deserves this standard of room and treatment.
-'But you will give English lessons. Many pupils will come. And they will pay you. And then you will pay me. Ja?' Notice how most of Schneider's lines are starting with the word 'but', reaffirming the characters need to convince. Here, Schneider is commanding what will happen when Bradshaw rents the room. Being optimistic even.
- '(Shaking her head) Unacceptable.' The disprove Schneider feels here is clear from the stage directions given. Perhaps the shaking of the head was to make Bradshaw feel guilty in to not giving Schneider what she wants.
- 'But for a professor - this is more suitable.' Because the word 'professor' was placed in bold on the script I thought that this part would be more dramatized. Hence the pause, shown by the hyphen. I can imagine this being said on stage, with the words exaggerated to convince.
- 'An Author! A Poet! You have the look!' Here Schneider is establishing to the audience who Bradshaw is. The exclamation marks show that Schneider is exaggerating the words to entice Bradshaw and the audience into believing her that the room is the best place for this character to be.
- 'And you will be the most famous. There is no doubt. This is your room. Here is for your clothing. Look-there is even a table for writing. Come...sit' Here Schneider is foreseeing how the scene could look if Bradshaw rents the room. By making Bradshaw sit at the writing table, the scene is being set for the rest of the play. Here Schneider is using her forceful persona to predict what could be, In the stage directions, Schneider admires the scene. Therefore she is examining and trying her hardest to get Bradshaw to rent the room.
- 'This room is worth one hundred. More than one hundred. (Frl.Schneider looks at Cliff hopefully. He shakes his head and gets up from the chair) Fifty? (Cliff nods. Frl.Schneider suddenly surrenders) Sit! You say fifty Marks, I say one hundred marks, a -' The verse here is focusing on the negotiation between the two characters. Schneider has to eventually back down with her efforts and get what she can for the room. This line shows how she can't say no to extra income, even if it is less than what she would like.
- 'When you're as old as I - (Spoken in rhythm) Is anyone as old as I? What diff'rence does it make? An offer comes, you take.' The song used to break up the scene is acting as an informative to the audience. It gives background information into the character of Schneider. The line here shows the vitality mentioned in the opening stage directions. It also shows her attitude towards taking what she can get.
- 'So once I was rich, now all my fortune is gone. So what? And love disappeared, and only the mem'ry lives on.' The later verses of the song reflect on Schneider's earlier life and shows her acceptance to the new life she now has to lead. The verses touch on her moments of suffering and those of happiness but always end with a so what? showing the characters attitude to what has happened to her. I admire the character as she doesn't let things affect her.
There are many verbs that can describe the passage between the characters Fraulein Schneider and Cliff Bradshaw. The ones I have chosen describe how I think the character should be portrayed on stage.
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