Betrayal
(Harold Pinter)
This ground-breaking play is perhaps this great playwright's most
accessible work. It follows a 7-year relationship between three
people- Emma, her husband Robert, and his best friend Jerry. The
situation is fairly straightforward- particularly from a playwright
famed for his work in absurdist theatre; Emma and Jerry have a
long-term affair behind Robert's back, with predictable results.
The affair, at first passionate and intense, gradually becomes routine
and laden with not only guilt but a sense of obligation- in a way, like
another marriage. The marriage, charming and urbane on the
surface, grows distant and cold with resentment and regret. The
friendship, once seemingly close and heartfelt, becomes a
passive-aggressive game of cat-and-mouse. Although the plotline
might be described as mundane, it is distinguished by not only the
brilliance of Pinter's writing and his clear understanding of human
nature, but also by the added theatrical conceit of telling the entire
story backwards. The play begins at the end, so to speak.
The first scene shows us Jerry and Emma's detatched and obligatory
meeting, months after the affair has ended, followed by Robert and
Jerry's somewhat hopeful reconciliation. From there we travel
back in time, watching the events of these entwined lives "refold,"
until the final scene, in which we watch Jerry and Emma begin their
affair- a scene which is made almost unbearably poignant for the
audience/reader of the play by already having seen the labyrinth of
pain and bitterness that will ultimately result from this moment.
There are many superb scenes in this play; one highlight is the scene
in which Robert, on vacation with Emma in Venice, attempts to keep his
composure while he both reveals and seeks confirmation for his sudden
realization that she is having an affair with his best friend- a
realization triggered by a envelope he has just picked up, addressed to
her in Jerry's handwriting. One of the great contemporary plays, Betrayal
is both insightful and entertaining. There is a splendidly-acted
film version available starring Jeremy Irons, Ben Kingsley and Patricia
Hodge.
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- Madame Bovary
- Emma
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