Character Analysis: The Noble Woman

THE NOBLE WOMAN is a character driven drama based or inspired by true events. The story features a strong female heroine. Her story of being marooned on the Isle of Demons is a fascinating tale to be told. The idea of being stranded provides for a strong hook.

The story is driven by solid themes of forbidden love, never giving up, and survival. The time period, era, and culture feel authentic. Some of the visual images of the setting are stunning. The isolation of the island comes to life.

While the story about Marguerite De La Roque is captivating, the script would benefit from more development. The areas that are worth discussing include: structure, pace, tension, character development, as well as character dialogue.

The first act

However, the concern about the second act is that it begins to feel repetitive. There are several hunting sequences, building shelters, and preparing a garden. The pregnancy raises the stakes, as well as Tristan’s illness. However, unfortunately, as currently crafted, the tension doesn’t feel compelling enough.

The film CAST AWAY is a comparable modern day film of being stranded. The difference is that Cast Away did a good job of emotionally connecting the audience to the main character of Chuck Noland (played by Tom Hanks) and the series of events on the island kept the audience fully captivated. Great anticipation was created leading up to his rescue.

In this script, one doesn’t feel the same anticipation or tension intensifying. There are two scenes of missed ship, which feel similar (pages 64 and 89).

One reason that the tension may not feel as profound as it should feel is because the audience isn’t fully emotionally connecting to the main characters, such as Marguerite and Tristan.

While certainly one likes Marguerite and one roots for her to survive, she’s not a character that one wholly finds compelling. A possible reason for not connecting with the heroine is her dialogue (and the overall

She’s a survivor, but one knew this from the opening that established her as being independent and a survivor. Thus, her transformation is rather mild. It might be different if she weren’t so strong from the opening and the audience watched her transform. In some ways Marguerite is just too perfect. She lacks some vulnerability. Her range of emotion feels limited. Even though she verbalizes her guilt about being stranded, it doesn’t sound fully genuine. When she thinks about killing herself, the struggle doesn’t feel powerful enough. Also, perhaps highlight her struggle with being abandoned (father, husband, child, Roberval,