Analyzation+for+Night+of+the+Iguana+LH

= Analyzation for Night of the Iguana =

This play is set in a tropical climate. It is set in a resort near the coast. The play opens in Act One with Maxine realizing that Shannon has returned to the Costa Verde. Maxine is an older, but attractive woman in my mind. She thrives off of attention. Maxine yells to Pedro and Pancho to help Shannon. Shannon is an ex-priest and is now the tour guide for a group of church ladies (from a Baptist college) down to Mexico. At this point in time, we don’t know what the relationship is between Maxine and Shannon, but it becomes apparent soon that Maxine is lusting after him (or any man). Her costume is provocative and she certainly doesn’t filter her comments. She asks Shannon how many of the women on his tour he has laid. We can tell that Maxine is extremely extroverted. Shannon comes in and yells for Fred, who is Maxine’s husband. Maxine avoids any talk of her husband as Shannon tells her to get dressed repeatedly; she doesn’t. Shannon is apparently a drunk as Maxine asks him how long he’s been off the wagon, and he claims that he has been sick as he asks again about Fred. Maxine nonchalantly replies that he is dead. He has died from an infection he got after hooking himself with a fish hook. Shannon makes note that Maxine doesn’t seem too upset, and she makes mention of his age and the fact that they hadn’t had sex in ten years thus why she desires sex so much.

The women on the tour are blowing the horn on the bus, and despite Maxine’s wanting them to come up, Shannon doesn’t oblige her. The bus driver, Hank, comes up and tries to get Shannon to come back to the bus, but Shannon tells him to get the women to come up to the hotel. After this, it is revealed that four Germans are staying at the hotel. Frau and Herr Fahrenkopf, their daughter and son-in-law are Nazis! We then find out that Shannon has been having some fun with one of the girls on the tour. She’s almost seventeen and her name is Charlotte. This reveals Shannon desire as well. Finally, Judith Fellows comes up from the bus. She is extremely agitated and wants to go to the hotel in the city. After, a lot of talks, we discover that Maxine has hired Pedro and Pancho to be a bit more than just bellboys. Miss Fellows begins yelling at Shannon again, and then refocuses her anger towards Charlotte when she tries to leave the bus. As Miss Fellows grows angrier, she reveals that Shannon is a de-frocked minster. Maxine tries to convince Shannon to let the ladies leave, and it this point two new characters come into the scene. It is a pretty woman, Hannah, and her grandfather, Nonno. They are looking for somewhere to stay despite their lack of money. Shannon convinces Maxine to allow them to stay. Nonno is in a wheelchair, but he is very witty. He is a poet and is very proud. Hannah reveals that they don’t pay for things, she uses her artistic abilities as payment while Nonno uses his poetic language. Hannah notes that Nonno has started writing his first poem in twenty years. Hannah and Shannon converse about their lives and travels, and he tries to give her his room since it is a drier room. After she goes into her room, Maxine begins to radiate jealousy, especially after Shannon goes for a swim and ignores her offer to come with him. The first act ends with Nonno reciting some poetry. It's very obvious as this act concludes that Maxine wants Shannon. Shannon claims throughout the first act that he is not looking for a woman, but he also flirts with Hannah and is having sexual relations with Charlotte. Sex is the motivator for a lot of these characters, and desire is definitely the catalyst for most of the action.

Act Two starts later that night. Maxine and Hannah are talking. Hannah is asking for a tub for Nonno, and Maxine reports that she has found a place for Nonno and Hannah to go. Hannah begins a long spill about her lack of money and Maxine reveals that she also is financially inept. She tells Hannah about her Fred and how he was buried in the ocean. Shannon comes into the scene as do the Germans who are celebrating a German victory. Shannon hears Charlotte's voice and hides. I suspect he does this because of Miss Fellows' accusations of rape. Or maybe because of what we learn later about his mother. Hannah tells Charlotte that he has gone down to the beach.Shannon makes a noise and Charlotte beats at his door. The germans are still celebrating and Hannah speaks in German which results in Herr coming to look her paintings. Shannon asks Charlotte how Miss Fellows found out about their sexual encounter, and Charlotte says that she guessed. Charlotte tries to get Shannon to marry her. I believe this is because she has had sex with a man and therefore believes she should be married; however, Shannon is just having fun and tryping to cope with a childhood trauma. Charlotte reveals that Shannon hit her after they had sex and made her pray. I think this goes back to Shannon's guiltiness and disappointment with himself. Miss Fellows is approaching closer and throws the door open, pulling Charlotte out. Nonno and Shannon are both getting dressed for supper. Shannon puts on his priest collar to suggest he has not been de-frocked. He lies down in the hammock and Hannah starts drawing him.

He then begins talking to Hannah about his time in the church. He only was a priest for one year and got locked out of the church because he had fornicated and heresy. Hannah asks him to elaborate on the first. So he tells her that a young Sunday school teacher seduced him and then tried to kill herself. He then tells how he practically denounced God from the pulpit by calling him a senile delinquent. He then recuperated in an asylum and then joined this tour group to look for God in the world. This part of Shannon's story really speaks to me because I feel like we all are looking for answers. The thing is, Shannon is looking for reassurance, and I feel like he searches for it in women. He and Maxine are so alike. Hannah tells him that she believes he will go back and be able to lead his congregation better because of all of this. I feel like Hannah wants to see the good in people, but sometimes she is too naive.

We then are transported to Pedro and Pancho who are capturing an iguana. They are talking about having a feast when Nonno falls.Nonno says he's alright but reveals that he thinks he's going to die at the Costa Verde. Hannah comes back and they have dinner, Shannon gives Nonno five pesos. Maxine and Shannon argue on the verandah and Hannah accuses them of acting like children. Maxine and Hannah start having a conversation where Hannah says that she is going to leave and set up her easel in town. Maxine denies this request since there is a storm coming, and then she tells Hannah to lay off of Shannon; Hannah isn't for him and he isn't for her. Maxine is jealous. She tells Hannah if she leaves Shannon alone, she and Nonno can stay as long as they like. Despite this, Hannah and Shannon still talk with each there and share a cigarette. Shannon tells Hannah that she's a "real lady." The storm starts to come and everyone goes inside. Act two concludes with Hannah telling Shannon that this is his God. Desire is seen in this act a lot through Hannah, Shannon, and Pedro and Pancho with them wanting to capture that iguana. I feel like Shannon also reveals a side to him that we haven't seen before.

Act Three starts with Shannon on the verandah. He is writing a letter to his divinity school and asks Maxine to get Pedro and Pancho to take it into town. Maxine says that they've already gone to drink and see girls at the cantina. This begins a long talk about sex. Maine talks about the difference between sex and love. Her relationship ith her late husband had turned into nothing, and she didn't want Pedro nd Pancho to stop respecting her. Shannon suggests going to town for some attention or to teach Herr how to "respect" her. Maxine then tells a story that Shannon had told Fred. In his youth, Shannon was caught pleasing himself and his mother punished him harshly since it was a sin against God. This made Shannon resent God.and his mother. He got back at God by being a minister who preached atheistical sermons and he got back at his mother by having sex with young girls. This reveals a lot about Shannon. He loves the Lord and loves women, but it's almost like he can't trust either one. He needs them and wants to please them, but neither really satisfy his desires. Shannon and Maxine's exchange heated words when Jake Latta comes into the scene. He has come to take over Shannon's tour. He and Shannon argue a lot over this and eventually, Hank gets the bus keys. Miss Fellows and Jake Latta talk about Shann's sexual relations with Charlotte. Shannon tries to justify himself when Hannah comes out to investigate the yelling. Shortly after this, Shannon has a breakdown. He urinates in the ladies' luggage, and he tries to run out into the sea. Maxine says that he has a breakdown every so often so its no big deal.

Maxine starts making remarks about Shannon, and he asks why she Hannah has turned on him. Hannah starts telling him that she thinks he's been indulging himself by not doing as the ladies wanted, after all, they paid for the trip they wanted, not what he wanted. Hannah becomes tender again and gets Shannon a cigarette. She even lights it for him. Maxine comes out and sits on Shannon. Hannah tells her to get off, and this begins an altercation between Hannah and Maxine. Then when they are alone again, Hannah tells Shannon that she's found something to believe in. Shannon asks if it is God, and she denies this. She tells him that it's about communication, even if only for one night. Hannah tells him that he's alone despite what he thinks. She also says that he travels alone; to this, he says he's going to a swim. It obviously annoys him to hear this. Hannah convinces him to stay and then he asks her about her love life. To this, she stiffens. She tells him that there are worse things than chastity. She then tells him that she has had two interactions with men. The first was at the movie theater where a man kept touching her leg and he was arrested for molestation. The second happened in Singapore where a man paid hr for her watercolors and then asked her to take off a piece of clothing while he satisfied himself. Both of these incidents are weird and awkward which remind me of Hannah herself. Hannah is an awkward character and you just feel sorry for her. Shannon then suggests that he and Hannah travel together. Hannah thinks this is absurd and then tells Shannon they should just talk in passing as she goes to pack. Shannon gives her his gold necklace to pay her way back to the states. Hannah then asks him to let the Iguana go. Shannon then brings up the fact that the Iguana reminds Hannah of her grandfather since it is helpless and just waiting to die. Nonno starts yelling and Hannah rushes in to hear him recite his last poem so she can copy it down. Maxine suggests she and Shannon go for a swim as Shannon says that he needs to look at Hannah because it'll be the last time he sees her. Shannon has cut the iguana loose, and Nonno dies. The iguana is representing Nonno, they both are let free at the same time. Desire is what this play is based upon. Ultimately no one gets what they desire. But all of their time is spent chasing after that desire. This is seen in the human race every day. isn't everything we do because we desire something?