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The Homecoming is a drama of human relationships—relationships conceived by Harold Pinter as continually under negotiation and expressed in language, silences, and the sudden eruption of...
- Characters
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- Critical Context
Criticism on Pinter numbers thousands of pages, because...
- Characters
The Homecoming is one of Pinter's few plays that deals specifically with the theme of masculinity, touching on the idea in a vein similar to Hemingway's machismo. Masculinity is almost like a toxic disease in the household, pervading the actions and thoughts and values of the characters.
The Homecoming study guide contains a biography of Harold Pinter, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
The Homecoming is a two-act play written in 1964 and published in 1965 by Harold Pinter. Its premières in London (1965) and New York (1967) were both directed by Sir Peter Hall . The original Broadway production won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Play .
- Men and Women
- Power and Superiority
- Knowledge and Meaning
The most prominent theme centers on the roles and interactions of men and women. The all-male household, presided over by patriarch and tyrant Max, is a study in dysfunctional masculinity. A retired butcher who brags of his macho youth and hurls insults at his brother and sons, Max sometimes resorts to physical aggression to assert his dominance. M...
Linked to the theme of men and women is the theme of power and superiority. Before Ruth comes into the household, the power dynamics are shown to be a constant source of tension. Max, aging and physically weaker than he once was, is still the patriarch, but he feels his dominance in the family slipping. To compensate, he makes demands, picks fights...
For all their one-upmanship, the characters lack real understanding of one another. Their conversations are studded with "Pinter pauses" and implications, and little is stated outright. This lack of connection among characters and between characters and the audience can leave audiences feeling as if they did not understand the real meaning of an in...
Like Ruth in the Old Testament legend, who by her strength and resolve restores order to a broken family, Pinter’s Ruth in The Homecoming achieves her power and status by exploiting male...
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Dive deep into Harold Pinter's The Homecoming with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion
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