desires, the moon’s movements, in contrast is rather limited and passive, and it makes the bride seem to represent the woman who finally refuses to be oppressed by a traditional marriage, while the moon seems to represent a woman who is stuck in the usual suppressed life dictated by the traditional norms of a typical wife.This essay will attempt to elaborate upon this contrast in these two characters and how these were exemplified through the spatial dynamics.
First, from the contrast in the extent of movement around the stage, the bride seems to represent a free woman who pursues what she wants, while the moon is still a suppressed woman. The bride’s movement around the stage seems to be free, fast and strong. Specifically, her distance from the bridegroom and Leonardo are contrasted intentionally. In the beginning of the play, the bride tries to accept her fate marrying the bridegroom and tries to be away from Leonardo. However, as the play proceeds, the bride desires to follow her heart start dominating and she chooses Leonardo. The state of the bride’s mind was strongly reflected in the differet distances she maintains from the two men in her life. Whenever she tries to keep away from either of the men, she quickly runs away as the man approaches and even aggressively shakes off their physical contact and keeps distance at times. For instance, in the beginning of the wedding the bride tries to control her true desire and thus maintains a significant distance from Leonardo but although her true feelins are revealed in the glances she throws at him as well as often spaced out thinking of him throughout wedding. Eventually, by the end of her wedding reception, she chooses to follow her heart and runs away with Leonardo.
In contrast to the Brides dynamism, the moon, which appears in the woods scene has very static and limited body movement and further, uses only so much of the stage-space.