Drama: history, themes, and literary analysis

Pinter Absurd

The Violation of Aristotelian Convention and the Establishment of the Theatre of the Absurd in the Major Works of Harold Pinter

In this study, the violation of traditional (Aristotelian) dramatic convention and structure in the works of Harold Pinter is explored. Specifically, the plays the Room, the Birthday Party, the Caretaker, and the Homecoming are analyzed to illustrate the major points of divergence in the conception of plot and character between the Aristotelian model and the theatre of the absurd as seen in Pinter's work. The several similarities that exist between Aristotelian drama and the theatre of the absurd are also identified and explored.

Though Pinter was not considered one of the founding playwrights of the theatre of the absurd, his work has generally been included in discussions of this mid-twentieth century theatrical movement by subsequent scholarship. As such, marked differences can be shown to exist between Pinter's dramatic construction and conventions and those described by Aristotle in his Poetics, which formed the foundation of dramatic convention and construction for most of Western history. The differences observed in the theatre of absurd, and specifically in the works of Pinter, do not constitute a mere break with Aristotelian convention, however, but rather the establishment of a new set of conventions and practices purposefully and consciously meant to make new points and establish new meanings (or lack thereof) in the theatrical works of the mid-twentieth century.

One of the aims of this study would be to establish these principles, meanings, and conventions insofar as they can be identified in the works of Harold Pinter, with reference to other plays of the genre and an examination of scholarship related to the theatre of the absurd as a whole. The individual plays examined and the specific elements of their construction, however -- especially character and plot, as these concepts are central both to Aristotelian drama and the theatre of the absurd -- will serve as the primary method of entry into this investigation. Through the examination of specific details in the Room, the Birthday Party, the Caretaker, and the Homecoming, an understanding of the basic conventions of the theatre of the absurd as identified in scholarship can be achieved.

Language is also an essential aspect of the theatre of the absurd, as Is evidenced in the Room and the Caretaker especially. The nonsensical language that Pinter employs in these plays, especially the single words and phrases uttered seemingly at random by certain of the characters, mark the breakdown of communication that is a hallmark of the theatre of the absurd and at the same time renders Aristotelian drama impossible. The fluidity and impermanence of identity and thought that is seen in the theatre of the absurd, and especially in the works of Harold Pinter, make the construction of plot -- the central element of a successful play according to the Aristotelian model -- impossible to conceive in traditional terms. Setting and time become essential to meaning, but do not influence plot.

Objectives

The primary objective of the study will be to analyze the concrete differences that exist between Aristotelian drama and the theatre of the absurd as interpreted from the plays of Harold Pinter, and an attempt at identifying the dramatic effect of these differences and changes. Aristotle's outline of dramatic construction as described in is Poetics will serve as a useful point of entry here, as each element can be examined first from Aristotle's point-of-view insofar as construction and effect of the element, and this description can then be compared to the construction and effect of the same elements in the works of Pinter.

A secondary objective of the study will be to identify common trends in the theatre of the absurd outside the works of Harold Pinter, and to place Pinter's works in the context of the larger theatrical movement. An examination of other playwrights associated with the theatre of the absurd, as well as scholarship and criticism concerning this genre of theatre, will be used to create and explore this context within the study. Pinter's influence on the theatre of the absurd as well as the influence that the larger movement had on Pinter will also be examined.

Methodology

The study will be composed of five chapters, beginning with a discussion of the elements of Aristotelian drama. Titled, "Introduction: Aristotelian Theatre," this chapter will begin with a discussion of the elements of theatre as described in Aristotle's Poetics, followed by a cursory examination of the dramatic and theatrical conventions this work led to over the course of Western theatre's development. The second chapter, "Dramatic Conventions and Inconsistencies in Pinter's Major Plays" will examine how the Aristotelian elements appear in and are violated by Pinter in his major works by identifying specific elements in the plays.

The third chapter, "Pinter and the Theatre of the Absurd," will situate the identified conventions and violations of Pinter's work in the larger context of the theatre of the absurd genre/movement. This will include an examination of other major playwrights of the movement, including Beckett, Ionesco, and Albee, as well as critics and scholars of the movement. This will lead into the fourth chapter, "Conventions of the Theatre of the Absurd," which will examine the genre and its established practices as a whole. The fifth chapter will conclude the study, recapping major points and synthesizing the preceding chapters in conclusion drawn regarding the progression of Western theatre through the theatre of the absurd.