The Maids

The play begins and ends with what Solange and Claire refer to as a ceremony. What initially seems to be an opportunity to play dress-up in Madame’s clothes is actually a ritual with great symbolism and significance to the sisters. Claire and Solange are Catholic, and as Claire describes, they have a small shrine to the Virgin Mary in their bedroom. The ceremony, however, is blasphemous, and Solange is horrified at the idea of incorporating religious prayer. The roleplay they enact is their version of a Passion Play, a centuries-old performance tradition that began in the Catholic Church and reenacted the last days of Jesus Christ, ending in death and resurrection. But in their ceremony, their trials and tribulations end in Madame’s death, leading to a resurrection of sorts for the maids, who will rise out of servitude and become infamous.

In the version of the ceremony at the start of the play, Claire-as-Madame exclaims that she is even more beautiful than the Virgin Mary. She wants to wear white, the color of purity and light, but Solange-as-Claire insists that she wear red, the color of blood or, as Solange exclaims near the end of the play, the color of their shame.