The Soundless Play Explained: Suspense, Meaning & Character Analysis
The Soundless is a science fiction drama play about a man named Myson who faces off with an artificial intelligence known as The Clerk.
What we do know is that Myson has been approved for something that will alter his life substantially; however, he is desperate to revoke the approval.
The problem for Myson is that he signed a contract, and the rules set forth in the contract cannot be changed unless revoked within the first twenty-four hours of being granted approval.
It is never specified as to what exactly the approval given to Myson is really for.
There are times when it’s best that the audience supplies their own ideas for what’s at stake and/or what takes place or what has already taken place in the past with a character.
A brilliant example of such a plot device would be the briefcase in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.
The Vastness of the Lobby, Atmosphere, and Set Design
The lobby unfolds as a vast, open environment.
A row of windows lines the space, each with its own “clerk” standing behind it. The Clerk is a machine with artificial intelligence, looking similar to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 Space Odyssey’s HAL 9000.
The Clerk resembles an industrialized gantry robot arm, with its ‘eye’ being a light beam color of white.
The atmosphere is bleak.
One could say the style and feel of German expressionism in cinema runs a similar pattern for the set design of The Soundless.
Color Palette
The color palette of the play is a metallic gray, which is the type of feeling the scenery should give off.
A metallic robot follows, towering above the stationed clerk window.
Black and white dominate the visual scope.
The open space of the lobby combined with the metallic gray will serve to provide the interior emotion of our main character, Myson.
Rising Conflict
Although The Soundless is a short play, it maintains a rising conflict of emotional suspense expressed through Myson.
Throughout the rising conflict of the piece, The Clerk remains emotionally stable, eerily calm throughout. The lack of feeling provided by The Clerk only serves to unsettle Myson further.
The play reveals the aspect of a breakdown in communication, which not only represents the dangers poor communication has on society but perhaps even more so when it comes to communication with artificial intelligence.
Myson represents the working class individual stuck in a phase of technical advancement who doesn’t know how to adjust and begs the question if he should adjust at all.
As The Clerk bluntly states, “The rules are the rules.” Myson struggles to accept these rules and expectations imposed on him in this new world, revealing his vulnerability.
The drama escalates, reaching a crescendo when Myson delivers his monologue.
The Twenty-Four Hour Mark
To heighten the story’s suspense, Myson has had a twenty-four-hour period of time to deny his application approval.
Myson has showed up on time to revoke his approval; however, he has had to wait before seeing the clerk.
By the time he has been able to speak to The Clerk in person, the allotted twenty-four hour period of time has expired.
Breaking the Script Down into Movements
The first movement begins with the previous moment.
Meaning, our character Myson has been waiting and stressing in the holding chamber before being permitted to meet with The Clerk.
This intensifies Myson’s anguish as time runs out, leaving him unable to revoke his application of acceptance.
Therefore, when he enters the scene at the start of the play, he is already in a place of stress and worry.
That is our first movement.
As Myson states his case, the clerk simply responds with:
CLERK: You must arrive at the clerk’s window within the twenty-four
hour time range in order to revoke approval. You have passed the
deadline and are now fully processed.
This incites the second movement.
It is here that Myson and the Clerk slowly escalate their conversation and debate, wherein Myson reaches his monologue.
The final and third movement.
After Myson has passionately stated his case, it is to no avail, and security enters the lobby by way of the usage of light.
Does Myson relent or rebel? That is the question.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’ve provided analysis on the design of the play, how the characters Myson and The Clerk relate to one another, and the rising conflict necessary to increase the suspense of the story.
- To read the full one-act ePlay, find purchase link below:
In the one-act eplay, “The Soundless” Myson wishes to revoke his approval, but the window clerk refuses due to the strict rules. 1 Man, 1 Robot. Drama/Science Fiction.
