Overtones

     I believe that the two "inner" manifestations of Harriet and Margaret can both see and hear one another, as conversations between the two throughout the script would strongly suggest. Whilst reading the play, I envisioned the statements made by the "inners" to their respective "outers" as asides, with the remarks directed from Hetty to Maggie and vice versa being as real as any conversation between Harriet and Margaret. To me, Hetty and Maggie are the real characters, while Harriet and Margaret serve as stifled puppets being manipulated by their raw emotions. As Harriet states, she is merely Hetty's "subtle overtones."
    The level of communication between the two inners is apparent in the text, considering the script explicitly states that some of one inner's lines are directed towards the other. Not only do the bracketed directions provide evidence to this, but the content of the lines themselves indicate a true awareness between the characters. As the ladies are fully immersed in their conversation, the striking remarks between the inners seem to be emphasized at moments of weakness and personal insecurity. For example, when discussing John's fame, Hetty asks point blank "Are you telling the truth or lying?" to which Maggie quickly reassures that they are being honest, and when Maggie surrenders her true objective to Hetty, begging "Help us! Help me! Save us!", Hetty immediately takes note and orders Harriet's response not to "seem too eager." Considering that one inner can identify a weak point in the other inner's motive and tactfully attack, I gathered that both inner selves are both visually and aurally aware of each other.
     From an audience's viewpoint, the levels of interaction can clearly be identified simply by acknowledging if one actor is looking at or guiding their voice toward another. When reading the play, the stage directions and lines are the only tools the reader has to determine the "laws" of the work, but the physical parallels between the inners and outers, such as the shadowing during cake distribution, are equally powerful in text and in action, as it shows how closely the foils are intertwined. In the penultimate scene, the contrasting physicalities of Margaret and Harriet and Maggie and Hetty reinforce that the separate entities are still, in fact, separate, and that all four women have voices that are meant to be heard.