‘All the Old Ghosts’: Monologue and Memory in Friel, Pinter and Beckett

Abstract

The interactions between memory and repetition, reiteration and the revenant constitute a rich and complex territory for the investigation of theatre’s spectrality. This paper proposes an exploration of the interplay of these elements focused through the lens of a very particular form—the theatre of monologue—as it is used by three major playwrights in Post-War British and Irish drama: Brian Friel, Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett.

Keywords

• ‘All
• Old
• Ghosts’
• Monologue
• Memory
• Friel
• Pinter
• Beckett