Power And Pinteresque Discourse In The Birthday Party

Harold Pinter is widely regarded as one of the most influential representatives of British theatre in the twentieth century.The significance of his tremendous contribution to modern theatre has been summed up in one theatrical terminology,,namely,"Pinteresque". Though Pinter's plays are characteristic of minimal plots and limited characters,the dialogues are filled with powerful tension.Power,however,is not only an important element,but also a recurrent theme in his plays in many ways.Indubitably,there are power struggles between dominating and dominated characters in his plays.Aligned with the French philosopher Michel Foucault's theory of discourse and power,this thesis analyzes one early play by Harold Pinter,The Birthday Party,arguing that the characters in this play possess strong desire for power,which makes them aware of the menace all around.Menace as such just comes from the coveting and struggling for power,as a result of which nobody can break the bondage of power relations.Hence,Pinter is treating power as an underlying ingredient of the play.What is more,the reflection of power exhibited in The Birthday Party anticipates Pinter's radical anti-hegemony politics in his later period.This paper consists of three chapters besides an introduction and a conclusion. Introduction presents literature review and synopsis of this thesis.The first chapter simply reviews Foucault's reflections on power and discourse.The second chapter analyzes the power relations of the characters in The Birthday Party,pointing out that they all possess desire for power.The last chapter discusses the relation between power and truth,and concludes that power exists everywhere and knowledge is but the outcome of power struggle.Conclusion states that the display of power relations in Pinter's early work The Birthday Party reveals the playwright's radical political attitude that he holds in the later period of his life.