Acknowledged & Unacknowledged Influence

Modern drama is replete with different forms of entrapment in relationships and that is August Strindberg; it is what one chapter is allocated to. Employing the communication theory of Watzlawick and Laing and also the literary influence theory of Harold Bloom, the author shows the unacknowledged influence of Strindberg on Harold Pinter. The chapter on Strindberg and Pinter, very meticulously, studies the characters' interactions and clarifies why two people who are quite nice when considered on their own can be such devils when put in each other's company. The acknowledged influence of Strindberg on Eugene O'Neil and Anton Chekhov on Tennessee Williams are also examined in the light of similarities and differences in some of their plays. The influence of Chekhov on Samuel Beckett is also studied in the light of the people's sense of ennui, inaction and investment of hope into Godot-like characters.