It would appear in The Glass of Water that there is no main
protagonist nor is there no main antagonist. Every character wants something
for themselves but finds obstacles in their way. The way this play is set up is
very much based on cause and effect. Every action that happens to one character
affects another. For example, Masham has a secret protector that moves him up
in rank and forbids him to be married. This affects Abigail since she’s in love
with him and the idea of getting married is something that they hopefully want
to achieve, which does happen by the end of the play, but not before the reader
finds out that Masham’s protector is the Duchess who is also Abigail’s cousin
and that the Queen is also in love with him. Masham’s main enemy, the finger snapping
man, turns out to be Bolingbroke’s brother but finds this out only after
killing him in a duel. There is an endless circle of characters interacting
with each other and each of their actions affecting or influencing one another.
Bolingbroke appears to be a main force in the play, but he’s not central enough
to be considered the protagonist. He does have interaction with every character
and gets what he wants by means through them. He gets certain papers signed by
Masham, Abigail is an informant to him in the court, and the Duchess is a rival
that he’s looking to beat at her own game. There is so much gossip and going
behind people’s back to get what people want that it can almost get a little
overwhelming if one isn’t paying close enough attention. Based on everyone’s
dependence of each it leads me to believe that there is no main protagonist in
The Glass of Water.
Hi Taylor!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you when you say that there are so many characters that could be the protagonist because their stage time is divided so equally that it's difficult to choose one. However, I argued in my post that Bolingbroke was the protagonist. I believe this because he is the one who take the initiative and sets the the action into motion. Masham tells Bolingbroke about his secret protectress and Bolingbroke comes up with the idea to use it to his advantage. Masham also tells Bolingbroke about his job as a palace guard. He tells Bolingbroke that he delivers a newspaper to the Queen every morning. Boligbroke then is the one who takes the initiative to use this to get messages to the Queen. Abigail later in the script asks Bolingbroke for help and advice, Bolingbroke again is the one who is steering the action of the plot. Bolingbroke is seen yet again when he convinces the Queen that the Duchess is in love with Masham. The plot is controleled by Bolingbroke more than any other character in the play, That is why I personally believe Bolingbroke is the protagonist.
Though I think that Bolingbroke is the main character of this play I agree with you assertion that not a real clear protagonist to the play. That debate can be argued for ages. What I’m confused about is that you don’t think that there is an antagonist. There is a pretty big argument that could be made for the Duchess being the antagonist. I’m not saying I think you’re wrong, I just think it’s interesting that you don’t seem to agree with the argument that she is.
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