A Comparative Study of Implicatures in the Selected Plays of Harold Pinter and Edward Albee

Abstract

The present study is a comparative study of the implicatures in the selected plays of renowned playwrights Harold Pinter and Edward Albee. Implicature as a pragmatic concept plays a crucial role to understand meanings hidden in utterances. H.P. Grice theory of implicature helps to interpret and understand conversations with help of co-operative principles. It is a prominent theory in pragmatics considered as one of the most authentic ways of interpreting discourse, particularly the discourse that occurs in drama. . It helps to understand conversations with deeper meanings as well as true motives of interlocutors. The selected plays The Birthday Party, The Homecoming and The Zoo Story and The American Dream of Harold Pinter and Edward Albee respectively captivate readers as well as spectators with their puzzling technique of storytelling and thought-provoking themes. In these illustrated plays, Pinter and Albee explore into the complexities in a human relationship like a lack of communication, power struggle, a sense of superiority and existential crisis. These plays really challenge the readers as well as spectators to question their own beliefs and invite them into a world of suspense and ambiguity. newlineImplicature analysis in the context of these plays enriches and offers valuable insight into human communication and interactions. The theory of implicature emphasis as the importance of context and cultural background in interpreting implicatures in dramatic texts. The comparative study of implicature undoubtedly reveals distinct patterns in the usage of implicature by Pinter and Albee. Both the playwrights utilize implicatures to build loneliness, desperation, tension, ambiguity as well as to reveal power struggle among character and to reveal a lack of communication. Pinter s use of the implicature is cryptic while Albee s use of implicature is direct and confrontational. newlineThe present thesis is suitably organized into six chapters. The Chapter one is an introductory chapter.