The paper I have chosen to present is based on two plays by Harold Pinter. These plays are “Party Time” and “Ashes to Ashes”. The first play was created by Harold Pinter in 1991 and the second play was created in 1996.

The topic which I have considered important to be analysed and be compared is the different characteristics which men and women possess in both plays.

Furthermore, I would like to point out the character which woman represents in each one of the plays. This is my objective.

Firstly, I am going to analyse this topic in Party Time. In this party, we find men and women with different characters. Men represent the power of wealth, pride, high status and ambition, whereas women represent weakness. Woman is practically subordinated to the man’s will. She feels exempt from opinion and decision. One of the scenes that represents what I mean is established by Terry and Dusty, husband and wife, where Dusty asks Terry:

- “What’s happened to my brother?”

and he answers her saying that she should shut up because he may kill her when both of them arrive home.

In this case, it is clearly demonstrated the strength that the man exerts over the woman. She loses autonomy.

Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that he tries to do that his wife shuts up, she goes on asking the same question: “what’s happened to Jimmy?”. Furthermore, when Terry threatens Dusty with death, she seems not to be afraid and she is able to do that he thinks again about what he has said to his wife. We can see it in the next sentences:

- “Perhaps you’ll kill me when we get home? Do you think you will? Do you think You’ll put an end to it? Do you think there is an end to it? What do you think? Do you think that if you put an end to me that would be the end for everything for everyone?

Will everything and everyone die with me?”.

Apart of Dusty, we can underline Melissa, Liz and Charlotte’s performance in this play. They are three women who appear on stage, too. However, they have a different way to perform. They do not have an as significant character as Dusty has.

We find them talking to two men: Fred and Douglas, who are in that party, too. They are more polite with these ladies than Terry is with his wife.

On the contrary, in the second play, Ashes to Ashes, written by Harold Pinter in 1996, we can see a different attitude between each other.

The play is only represented by two characters: Devlin and Rebecca.

Devlin represents a man who seems to posses a more mature mentality. He looks more polite and less powerful than Terry. He seems a curious man. He asks Rebecca many questions about her involvement. In his answers, he shows a great maturity, which makes him inspire trust and safety. His answers are quite reasonable and realistic.

However, Rebecca represents a very confused woman. She looks unsafe, weaker and idealist. It is not the same performance that Dusty realizes in her play. She thinks that the man who held an involvement with, had a lot of importance, whereas Devlin thinks that she is very wrong.

They represent two very opposite extremes: on the one hand, safety, reality and common sense; and the other hand, insecurity, idealism and debility to face up to life.

In conclusion, in each play, we can see a different man and woman’s representation. In both plays, men are represented with superiority as opposed to women. They try to feel that they can be better than women are. My personal conclusion is that the man without the woman is nobody, and vice versa. Man and woman need each other.