Character synopsis: The Countess
I have done a character synopsis to delve a little deeper into the countess’ traits and personality to get a better feeling of how she acts. All of the following information has been discussed in rehearsals and workshops, and is still being worked on as we get further into the script.
What is the personality of the Countess?
The Countess is one of the protagonists of the play. She is a dynamic character that changes as the story unfolds, allowing the audience to see big changes in her. At the beginning of the play, the Countess is a naïve young lady. She is marrying the Count who is an older, wealthier man. The thought of her new life scares her – all of the wealth and power is intimidating. The beginning scene of the play shows the housekeeper getting the Countess ready for her wedding. The Countess seems quiet and shy, nervous about what her new life will bring. She barely talks, but when she does she remains reserved and respectful. Although she is nervous, the wedding goes ahead. As the play carries on, all is not what it seems.
The Countess does not remain innocent for long. Quite soon into the play, she has a sexual awakening. She starts to enjoy the relationship between herself and the Count, and soon gets used to all of the wealth and power that they now share. Her speech and movement is now bigger and more confident. She begins to get a little arrogant about her power within the castle. Her character responds to the play as it unfolds more.
When the Snow Child is introduced, jealousy takes over the Countess because the Count pays attention to somebody that is not her. She does not want the Count admiring anybody but herself, and she certainly does not want to let go of the wealth she has found herself in. Her new life and her new found independent woman is too good to give up. All of these aspects of her life excite her, and she does not want to give that up for anybody. She becomes selfish, and there is an obvious change in her in relation to the Count.
How does her behaviour affect other characters?
When the Countess is vulnerable and shy at the beginning, there is some sort of hierarchy between herself and the housekeeper. The housekeeper has been in the castle a lot longer than the Countess, so the Countess has a lot of respect for her. The housekeeper is used to new women coming into the castle, so she remains quiet and keeps her opinions to herself. The more the Countess becomes comfortable in her new role and wealth, the more selfish she becomes with little care about the other characters. The respect that was seen in the beginning slowly disappears.
The relationship between the Countess and the piano tuner is a lot different to all of the other characters. She sees the piano tuner as a character she can talk to and confide in. He shows her a kindness that the Count does not, so she feels at peace around him. When she is with him, her original sweet self can be seen, instead of the arrogant, selfish new personality she seems to have changed to. Their actions show a slight chemistry between them and the audience can see that there is an obvious difference between the Count and the piano tuner.
Any other information/opinions
Although the Countess comes from a family without much money, I believe that her marriage to the Count was what she needed to come out of her shell – to finally be the person she really is. Her sexual awakening plays a big part in her personality change, and the independent woman she becomes is much more like her than the shy character at the beginning.
The wealth she has found herself in means that she can be a woman – she can have all the jewellery and rich clothes that she wants. These objects are connotations of power to her. She enjoys having something to show off.
All in all, she is a confusing character with many traits to her. The audience will be taken through a range of situations where they like her and sympathise with her, to not liking her and sympathising with the Count instead.
Francesca Simeoli
Word count: 726