The evolution of plays written
by Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter was born 10 October 1930 in East London; he was educated in the Writing and Dramatic Arts which done with his peculiar manner of writing, he has become until nowadays one of the most important British playwrights. All started with “The Room” (1957).
After having read some of his plays, “The Dumb Waiter” (1957), “Party Time” (1991) and “Ashes to Ashes” (1996), I can say the most characteristic recourses used by Pinter.
In most of the cases, the things I’m going to say could be validated for many plays made by this author, naturally there are always exceptions.
Three plays have in common, with so many others, the scarce light, how it can read in “The Dumb Waiter” : Gus-… you come into a place when it’s still dark…(pg 134), “Party Time” : Introduction-[…] The others sit in half-light, drinking., and in “Ashes to Ashes” : Introduction-[…]The room darkens during the course of the play.
Also a one only place for telling story with a few objects in the decoration, a basement for Ben and Gus with two beds and a serving hatch, a large room in Gavin’s flat for every people in party with some sofas and armchairs, and a ground-floor room where Devlin and Rebecca talk with two armchairs and two lamps. Normally spaces where action occurs are closed, as we can see in these three plays.
The events happen in one time, that is to say in one moment now that Pinter only uses often a sole time, even thought sometimes he recourse to characters past, in the own present of each play and besides in the same day. What converts plays in short and easiest, seemingly, for fo-llowing the plot, but not for discovering everything that there are behind words of Pinter.
Simplicity of dialogues, in what refers to that it does not treat topics strange and unknown by people, but sometimes simples or including without too importance. As conversations that have Ben and Gus, many times created for spend time and so, the wait is made shorter. Because they talk about want tea, they settle in mistakes in speech of the other, or silliness because like Ben who don’t give importance to things of those which talk Gus (for example their life, without to go out or enjoy, their isolation). Or motifs in the party, that only are about hobbies, loving relations, food, music, elegance, in the club; every superficial. While outside there is violence. Probably when Jimmy, Dusty’s brother was dead, and something doesn’t worry anybody except his sister.
On the other hand, others characteristics of his play are the utilisation of few personages. Ben and Gus, also Devlin and Rebecca. ”Party Time” is an exception as few, because it has nine characters, and as majority, it should have among two or four. It’s own by Pinter, besides, plays have from two to four acts. In addition, he uses a simple and colloquial vocabulary easy for understanding with large pause, influenced by Samuel Beckett for this last.
Moreover ends of plays by Pinter can be rare or confused for many people, I think that, but of course they don`t leave indifferent anybody. Sometimes they do more difficult to comprise the story if you don`t read more times than one, in the case of Jimmy, “Party Time”, who at the first time can create more confusion that help can provide. Because his words are different from the other ones, he talk in past with metaphors or certain symbolism about darkness wrapped him, things he can hear when there is silence. Others time the end surprise, as in “The Dumb Waiter”, where Ben kills Gus, his job partner, only because someone orders him. Also is “Ashes to Ashes”, where Rebecca can have surely a mental disorder, and for it she don’t make out reality and fiction.
Bibliography:
- www.sparknotes.com/drama/dumbwaiter/
- //actualidad.wanadoo.es/carticulos/101149.html
- //nobelprize.org/literature/laureates/2005/pinter_bibl.html
- The plays: “The Dumb Waiter”, “Party Time” and “Ashes to Ashes”.