Harold Pinter: the ultimate realist

Abstract

Harold Pinter’s 'The Birthday Party' and 'The Room' have very frequently been read as absurdist plays, being Martin Esslin’s 'The Theatre of the Absurd' the reference work for such interpretation. Nonetheless, the aforementioned plays have scarcely been analysed from the point of view of the realist literary current. Attempting to cover such gap, this article provides an interpretation of 'The Birthday Party' and 'The Room' as realist plays, revealing the early Pinter as the ultimate realist playwright. By drawing on evidence from the text and reliable literary criticism on the matter, the following lines offer an analysis of two crucial elements of Pinteresque early oeuvre that have been frequently tackled, namely the communication between characters and the lack of verification, showing that these are deeply committed to represent real life. Furthermore, the text explores how the political element is expressed in these two plays, inferring, by its non-didactic nature, that Pinter seeks to illustrate real life without interfering on it. As a result, the complete analysis leads to fulfil the premises of the thesis.