Overtones

The play Overtones was written in 1913, which was during the era of Sigmund Freud. This is important to note because during this time period a lot of attention was dedicated towards the study of the mind and how it worked. After reading Overtones, I believe this is also evident throughout the story. While Harriet cannot see Hetty, Hetty can see and, in fact hear, Harriet. The same is true for Margaret and Maggie. Even though neither Harriet nor Margaret ever talks to Hetty or Maggie directly, they still hold conversations with their counterpart. The reason they are still able to hold a conversation is because their counterpart is in fact an embodiment of their true self. In short both Harriet and Margaret are at times having conversations with themselves. It is this reason why Margaret cannot hear Hetty and Harriet, Maggie. Through the use of unique staging and perhaps the playing of previously recorded lines, the audience would be able to understand the relationship between each character and also grasp that Hetty and Maggie are just images of the inner selves of Harriet and Margaret. Although the script never says Hetty and Maggie, the reader is lead to believe that they can interact with each other. This becomes clearly evident at the end of the play, when Hetty and Maggie attack each other because their hate for each is so strong. The reason they are able to physically touch each other is because of the fact their outer selves shake hands. It is by the action that they are giving their inner selves permission to break the barrier of separation and attack out of pure hatred for each other. Overall, the story of Overtones is an example of how much one hides their true self from others on a daily basis and no matter how one may appear on the outside, their inner self could be completely different.