The Power of Repetition : An Analysis of Repetition Patterns in The Hothouse and The Caretaker by Harold Pinter

Abstract

In most of Harold Pinter’s plays, underlying relations between characters are a central feature. Through the slight alteration and further development of naturalistic dialogue, and exploiting the features of The Theatre of the Absurd, Pinter perfected his project of turning dramatic dialogue into the equivalent of authentic language, and created for himself a mode of speech where the explicit text can ‘hint at’ an implicit subtext. One central feature of Pinter’s dramatic language is the use of repetition as a way of communicating psychological action within his characters. This thesis explores how Pinter uses repetition patterns in his dramatic dialogues in the two plays The Hothouse and The Caretaker. Attempting to reveal what is concealed underneath the surface of language, the thesis also discusses the concept of power-play which is exhibited within the examples chosen. Disclosing an inadequacy in using language is often felt by Pinter’s characters as a mark of inferiority, and repetition may occur as a means of correcting any perception of the individual as subordinate to others. The main aim of the thesis is thus to examine the significance of repetition in the two plays The Hothouse and The Caretaker by Harold Pinter, and to explore how repetition may reveal examples of power-play.