2. About Author
● Harold Pinter was a British playwright, screenwriter, and
actor, born on October 10, 1930.
● He became one of the most influential figures in 20th-century
theatre. Pinter's works are known for their distinctive
language, pauses, and exploration of power dynamics in
human relationships.
● Pinter received numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize
in Literature in 2005.
● Pinter's impact on drama and his ability to create tension and
ambiguity in storytelling have left a lasting legacy in the world
of literature and performing arts.
4. ● Meaning : a person or thing that is likely to cause harm; a threat or
danger.
● Comedy of menace comprises plays by David Campton, Nigel Dennis, N.
F. Simpson, and Harold Pinter.
● The term was introduced by drama critic Irving Wardle, who borrowed it
from the subtitle of Campton's play "The Lunatic View: A Comedy of
Menace."
● Irving Wardle coined the term while reviewing plays by Pinter and
Campton in Encore in 1958.
● Claustrophobic space and character always in doubt and fear.
Comedy of Menace
5. ● "The Birthday Party" is a play written by Harold Pinter, known for its
mysterious and unsettling atmosphere.
● The story revolves around Stanley, a seemingly ordinary man staying in a
boarding house run by Meg and Petey.
● Stanley's quiet birthday celebration takes an unexpected turn when two
strangers, Goldberg and McCann, arrive.
● The play unfolds with a mix of comedy and menace as the characters'
motives become unclear, creating an atmosphere of tension and
uncertainty.
● "The Birthday Party" is celebrated for its unique blend of language,
pauses, and the way it explores the darker aspects of human relationships
and power dynamics.
Introduction of the play
6. Stanley Webber
Characters
● Pianist in Meg and Petey’s boarding
house
● Unemployed and mysterious past
● Exhibits menace and apprehension
● Lives an aloof life with puzzling behavior
● Engages in strange activities (drum play,
attempted abuse, strangling)
● Goldberg and McCann take him away in
a black car to Monty at the play's end
● Good-natured woman in her sixties
● Married to Petey Boles
● Implied childless marriage
● Fills void by treating Stanley Webber as a
surrogate child
● Insists on calling him "boy" and mothering
him
● Invades his privacy, behaving like a parent
● Attempts to fill another void by flirting
with Stanley
● Juxtaposition of maternal and flirtatious
behavior
Meg Boles:
7. ● In his sixties
● Married to Meg Boles
● Works as a deck-chair attendant at an
unidentified seaside resort
● Owns a boarding house that has seen better
days
● Dull and ambitionless
● Not inclined to seek challenges beyond the
boarding house
● Settled into a humdrum existence
● Shares a mundane life with Meg
● Absent during the birthday party due to his
chess night
Petey Boles:
● Jew in his fifties, Older one
● Suave, gentlemanly appearance and
demeanor
● Exudes superficial good will and offers
kindly advice
● Nostalgic, fondly recalls family and events
from his early life
● Insists on honoring Stanley with a birthday
party
● In Act III, suffers from unknown anxiety
● Appears domineering and self-confident in
Acts I and II
● Feeling 'knocked out' and badly shaken in
Act III
● Excellent speaker now stammers and
struggles for words
Nat Goldberg :
8. Dermont McCann:
Symbolic significance of these two strangers:
● personification of Stanley’s thought and his
sense of guilt.
● messengers of death...Stanley as soul.
● personification of man’s basic primitiveness.
● agents of repressive society.
● representative forces of corruption and
violence.
● came from asylum to capture the escaped
lunatic.
He is one of the strangers who come to interrogate
Stanley. He is much less impressive than Goldberg.
He feels uneasy at the arrival at the boarding house.
He is nervous about the ‘Job’ to be done. He is
unfriendly towards Stanley.
Lulu :
● Attempts to tempt Stanley, but he
remains unresponsive
● Invited as a guest to the Birthday Party
● Sits on Goldberg’s lap during the party,
encourages his flirtation
● Reappears in Act III, grieved and
complaining about Goldberg's behavior
● Ambiguity in Lulu's character portrayal
● Uncertainty about her taking initiative
with Goldberg or being a victim of his
'cunning'
● Act II suggests she wanted to be
seduced by Goldberg after liking his
speech
● Takes initiation with Stanley in Act I
9. Act 1 The Nightmare begins
● Opens with Meg preparing breakfast for Petey, her husband.
● Stanley, a disheveled man in his late thirties, enters from upstairs.
● Meg, switching between maternal and flirtatious tones, informs Stanley about the
arrival of two new visitors.
● A sudden knock on the front door prompts Meg to leave, and Stanley listens
through the letterbox, feeling concerned and suspicious.
● Lulu arrives with a package for Meg, diverting Stanley's attention from
eavesdropping.
● After Meg and Lulu exit, Goldberg and McCann arrive. Stanley sneaks out through
the kitchen door to eavesdrop.
● Goldberg and McCann discuss a vague "job" using bureaucratic clichés, leaving
McCann satisfied.
● Meg's new guests go upstairs, and Stanley re-enters. Meg gives him a package
containing his birthday present.
● Stanley opens the package to find a toy drum.
10. Act 2 the interrogation
● Stanley talks with McCann, who wants to keep him from leaving.
● Stanley acts strangely, saying it's not his birthday and questioning why
Goldberg brought him.
● Goldberg sends McCann to get whiskey.
● When McCann returns, they ask confusing questions, making Stanley
upset.
● Meg comes in, dressed for a party, and they start toasting Stanley.
● Lulu joins, being romantic with Goldberg.
● They play a game, and McCann teases Stanley by breaking his
glasses and trapping his foot in a toy drum.
● Stanley attacks Meg and later tries to hurt Lulu.
● The act ends with Goldberg and McCann cornering Stanley against a
wall while he laughs crazily.
11. Act 3
● Petey has breakfast, and Meg asks questions, revealing aftermath differences from the first scene
after the party.
● Meg goes shopping, and Petey expresses concern to Goldberg about Stanley's condition and
Goldberg's plan to take him to Monty.
● During an exchange, Goldberg momentarily loses confidence but recovers after an odd request for
McCann to blow in his mouth.
● Lulu confronts Goldberg about his previous night's behavior, driven away by McCann's offensive
remarks and demands for her confession.
● McCann brings in Stanley with broken glasses; they list his faults and promise benefits through
submission to their influence.
● They lead Stanley towards the waiting car to take him to Monty.
● Petey briefly confronts them but passively backs down as they take Stanley away, calling out for
him not to be influenced.
● Meg returns from shopping, notices the car is gone. Petey, remaining silent, withholds the truth
about Stanley's departure, leaving Meg unaware of what happened.
12. ● Filled with disjointed information challenging the distinction between
reality and illusion
● Personal information presented on Stanley and his persecutors
● Mystery surrounds the true identity and nature of the characters
● Goldberg shares background information but provides oblique clues
about his intrusion
● Uncertainty about Stanley's actions deserving persecution
● Lack of clarity regarding the facts of Stanley's past
● Ambiguity and confusion contribute to the absurdist atmosphere
Theme of Absurdity
13. ● Economy of Language in Pinter's Style: Pinter uses simple expressions, paring
down language for a direct impact.
● Purposeful use of redundancies, e.g., "Name the lady who gave birth to the child," in
Meg and Petey's dialogue.
Beginning of the Play:
● Emphasis on simplicity in dialogue.
● Characters like Meg and Petey using straightforward language.
● Interrogation Scene:
● Dialogue in interrogation scenes marked by minimalism.
● Characters reveal information in a sparse yet impactful manner.
● Sit-Stand Motif:
● Pinter employs the sit-stand dynamic for subtle power play.
● Movement becomes significant, conveying unspoken tension.
● Last Brainwash Scene:
● Final brainwash scene characterized by stark language.
● Dialogue stripped down, intensifying the atmosphere.
QUALITIES OF HAROLD PINTER'S PLAYS :
14. Lesser, Simon O. “Reflections on Pinter’s ‘The Birthday Party.’” Contemporary
Literature, vol. 13, no. 1, 1972, pp. 34–43. JSTOR,
https://doi.org/10.2307/1207418. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.
Dukore, Bernard. “The Theatre of Harold Pinter.” The Tulane Drama Review,
vol. 6, no. 3, 1962, pp. 43–54. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1124934.
Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.
Rayner, Alice. “Harold Pinter: Narrative and Presence.” Theatre Journal, vol.
40, no. 4, 1988, pp. 482–97. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3207890.
Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.
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