How does Shaffer shape the audiences response to characters in Act II Scene III of Royal Hunt of the Sun?

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How  does  Shaffer  shape  the  audiences  response  to  characters  in  Act  II  Scene III  of  Royal  Hunt  of  the  Sun?

The scene based in the confines of Atahuallpa’s prison cell within his home country we see Young Martin teaching him how to play chess. Unaware that this leads Atahuallpa towards a point of realising the truth about why he has been captured. This scene leads to some very crucial and poignant moments of the play that seeds its moral dilemma’s. Yet here still everyone here is untroubled for the most part, especially in comparison of will come. Even Pizarro enjoys this time when he is winning and hasn’t allowed himself to realise the complexity of his lasting actions within this scene.  

We see five characters within this appetising scene and they follow in chronological order as Young Martin with Atahuallpa followed by Pizarro and De Soto his second. Lastly we see Old Martin the narrator though not really a real character but more like a monologue in the audience’s head.

Atahuallpa is a prisoner and is being taught a game by a young boy. That is how the audience see him first in this scene and it is embarrassing to have to be taught basics of culture by a boy especially for a god, however we see Atahuallpa actively trying to learn about the culture. Furthermore we find out that he is indeed quite intelligent and leanrs quickly and takes on the idea of poverty remarkably quickly while knowing what is happening to his people in the future going from  “What are the poor?” to “What are you thinking, my lord?/That my people will suffer” within the space of a few lines.

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 But Shaffer uses this game as a symbol for the wider picture of culture. And when he knows nothing about poverty we feel both amazed at his ignorance and his unbelievable ability to have created a utopian society free of poverty.

        When he cries out though over the thought of his  dying people we see a personal and moving response, almost like a cry for help than shock. It adds sensitivity to his persona which is very attractive and rather than being weak and futile and adds a robust strength to his diminishing figure. I feel the way Atahuallpa ...

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