Harold Pinter's Shakespeare

This book charts the impact of Shakespeares works on Harold Pinters career as a playwright. This exploration traces Shakespeares influence through Pinters pre-theatre writings (1950-1956), to his collaboration with Sir Peter Hall (starting properly at the RSC in 1962 and continuing until 1983), and a late, unpublished screenplay for an adaptation of The Tragedy of King Lear (2000). Adding to studies of playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and James Joyce as significant influences on Harold Pinters work, this study aims to highlight the significant and lasting impact that Shakespeare had both formatively and performatively on the playwrights career. Through exploring this influence, Morton gains not only a greater understanding of the shaping of Pinters artistic outlook and how this affected his writing, but it also sheds light on the various forms of Shakespeares continued influence on new writing, and what can be gained from this. This study will be of great interest to students and scholars in theatre and performance studies.