Orton And Rape: Play Analysis

Now, our 5th question brings out the concept of rape and whether it’s okay for such a sensitive topic to be put under the name of black comedy. Although these remarks may have been written with sarcastic intent, could Orton be attacking social norms and authority figures at the cost of also attacking those of less authority and possible rape/sexual assault victims? Where do we draw the line? First, let’s talk about the situations we’re given in the text that concern sex/rape. In the beginning of the play, Dr. Prentice interviews Geraldine and soon enough tricks her into undressing convincing her that it’s protocol. The gullible Geraldine does just that, but he fails in pursuing her due to constant interruptions, nonetheless, he confesses his true motives later on in the play. We then find out …show more content…
One might infer this based on factors like Dr. Rance valuing Dr. Prentice’s word over Geraldine’s, or when Dr. Rance misdiagnoses Mrs. Prentice and she quickly accepts the diagnosis without objection. Going back to a quote our previous presenter mentioned, “She may mean ‘Yes’ when she says ‘No’. It’s elementary feminine psychology”. This quote by Dr. Rance could easily be applied to sexual assault. He may be shedding light on why rape happens so often due to the lack of voice/choice women are granted; whether it be in sex or in everyday situations. The main factor that defines consensual sex and rape is consent; this becomes fuzzy when one justifies their actions on “elementary feminine psychology”.
Because plays are a medium of art, and art is innately abstract in its ways of being perceived, it’s inevitable that any group of society can be offended by a play based on how they interpret it. It’s no surprise that many people found What the Butler Saw more offensive than others because of its provocative and abnormally vulgar