Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter is one of the greatest British dramatists of our time. Pinter has
written a number of absurd masterpieces including The Birthday Party, The Caretaker,
The Homecoming, Betrayal, Old Times, and Ashes to Ashes. He has also composed a
number of radio plays and several volumes of poetry. His screenplays include The French
Lieutenant's Woman, The Last Tycoon, and The Handmaid's Tale. He has received
numerous awards including the Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear, BAFTA awards, the
Hamburg Shakespeare Prize, the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or and the
Commonwealth Award.
Harold Pinter was born on October 10, 1930 in Hackney, East London. He was
the sole child of Jack Pinter and Frances Franklin. His father was a ladies’ tailor whose
family was among Jewish immigrants that reached the East End of London. Both sides
of Harold’s family were Jewish, but they had different personalities and characteristics.
His paternal side was Orthodox Jewish and they had an artistic background, whereas his
maternal side was more secular and skeptical about strict rules of religion and were
known for their entrepreneurial background. Although the Pinter’s were relaxed and
music-loving, they got along well at family gatherings with the noisy and clamorous
Franklins.
Since Harold was an only child, he would imagine a life with brothers and sisters
and would create imaginary friends and play out adventures and scenes in the backyard
of his home. This isolated world created a place where Harold felt warmth and security.
However, this childhood was interrupted by the outbreak of war in 1939. Harold had to
leave his home in Hackney as part of a nationwide evacuation, and along with twenty
four other children, Harold was sent to John Nash, a fabricated castle, from the
elementary school. This was a traumatic and disturbing experience for all of the boys
who were isolated from their homes and families, especially for nine-year old Harold.
Some boys took advantage of this experience and were happy to be exposed to rural life.
“For Harold, the disturbing experience blended with a magical eye opening encounter of
rural life and his tendency to introspect blossomed” (Top Biography). At the same time,
his awareness to sounds and images developed, and these permeated his later life and
work.
This encounter left a mark in Harol...
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...lways isolated from something, whether it be from the lack
of feeling of love from non-existing siblings and creating imaginary friends in his
backyard, or being isolated from his parents during his evacuation throughout the war.
Pinter’s life was filled with significant events, but he claims that his life is and was
confusing and has had no influence through his works. In this case, his plays, like his
life, are just a series of events that happen in real life, but are not supposed to mean a
certain thing or express a certain thought. His most recognizable plays mostly take place
in just a room filled with people dealing with a certain issue, but they mean so much
more; or do they? These situations can be so awkward and silly at times that they are
absurd enough to see humor in them and laugh at. This is the way Pinter wanted his
plays to be looked at. He was never trying to get a message across and his plays are
meant to show a situation at hand and how people deal with it. It is so easy to try and
come up with a reason for his menace which causes critics to over-analyze his work.
This is what makes Harold Pinter one of the greatest British dramatists of our day.
basic charge of this criticism can be stated in the words of a recent critic,
audience in his play. I will be analysing act one of the play to try
Evacuation was when children, expectant mothers, the frail elderly, the disabled, and the chronically sick were moved to safer areas of the country in anticipation of bombing but not all these people moved. The plan for the evacuation was drawn up by the Anderson Committee in the summer of 1938. An advice leaflet produced by the Lord Privy Seal’s Office in July 1939 advised everyone to move whose presence could not be of assistance. Although evacuation was voluntary, many leaflets, radio shows and other propaganda was produced by the government to try to persuade people to go. They put a lot of time, effort and money into the production of propaganda. The evacuation was nicknamed ‘Operation Pied Piper’ (with reference to the children’s story) and initially took place on the 1st September 1939, however The Anderson Committee overestimated the number of people who would leave, a million and a quarter people ...
He also has a continuing theme of his work being premature. This theme comes from his strong ego believing that the reason that he is not widely read is because his ideas are too revolutionary to be understood. "But it would contradict my character entirely if I expected ears and hands for my truths today: that today one doesn't hear me and doesn't accept my ideas is not only understandable, it seems right to me" (715). His continual focus on the stupidity of Germans becomes irritating after a while. "To think German, to feel German-I can do anything, but not that" (719).
I leave you with these final words: ‘The demand for the fullest exploitation of material and human resources for increased production, the use of blockades and intensive bombing of civilian targets made the war of 1939 even more total, that is, comprehensive and intense than that of 1914.” (Kolag, 2001)
can see his importance in the title of the play; he is named in the
Characterisation is vastly different in the film when compared to the play. This, however, is done so as to make more sense to a modern
one of the most important reasons could be the use of humour in the play.
What is life? If we analyze that looking at the “big picture” life is just a combination of decisions. Since we are young we are making decisions. What to wear, what to drive, where you want to go to college, what kind of job you want, just to mention a few. Sometimes we make good decisions and other times we don’t. How do we know that we are making the right decision? That uncertainty is what makes life difficult.
to show the power of love and human connection in society, along with the negative
examples of how he used symbols to add depth to his play. These symbols were
Shakespeare's works have been a major influence on theatre. Not only did Shakespeare create some of the most admired plays in literature, he also transformed theatre by expanding expectations through characterisation, plot, action, language, and genre. He raised the status of popular theatre, permitting it to be admired by all.
His writings have also impacted many poets and popular novelists in the past and present, including Charles Dickens and Herman Melville to name a couple. As an example of where plot is used, Hamlet is a great example where he integrated characterization with plot such the main character and who they are is set in stone. If they were changed in any way, the story would be totally different and would be perceived as something different
audience and given the qualities of a tragic hero. Throughout the play he is dominated
The name most associated with excellence in theatre is William Shakespeare. His plays, more than any other playwright, resonate through the ages. It may be safe to say that he has influenced more actors, directors, and playwrights than any thespian in the history of the stage. But what were his influences? During the Middle Ages theatre was dominated by morality, miracle, and mystery plays that were often staged by the church as a means to teach the illiterate masses about Christianity. It wasn’t until the early sixteenth century that Greek tragedy experienced a revival, in turn, inspiring a generation of renaissance playwrights.