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Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Homecoming, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Harold Pinter’s sparse two-act play begins with the titular homecoming of Teddy, a British philosophy professor who after years living abroad in America visits his family home in London to introduce his wife, Ruth, to his family. Ruth is only meeting Teddy’s family now, despite the fact that she and Teddy have been married for six years. Teddy intends for the visit to be short and uneventful—he and Ruth have been touring Europe on vacation, and they only plan to stay with Teddy’s family for a few days before they return to their three young sons in America. However, the situation immediately gets out of hand as Teddy’s surprise visit creates tension among members of his dysfunctional family, exacerbating existing conflicts and resurrecting old sources of resentment and insecurity among Teddy, his brothers Joey and Lenny, his uncle Sam, and his father Max. As the play examines the breakdown of one dysfunctional family, it asks broader questions about the distorting nature of resentment and its capacity to harm one’s relationships with others.
The play’s tense opening scene between Lenny and his elderly father Max immediately puts resentment on display, highlighting Max’s bitter complaints about all the sacrifices he has made to support his family. This has caused Max to resent his family for what he perceives as their ingratitude. The play also foregrounds class difference as a key source of resentment among Teddy and his family. Teddy’s career in academia alienates him economically and ideologically from his working-class background. Lenny in particular seems to resent Teddy for the apparent life of ease that Teddy lives relative to the other men in his family. Lenny, a pimp, repeatedly insults Teddy’s intellectual interests, insinuating that they make Teddy pretentious, self-indulgent, and effeminate. Though it remains lost on the characters themselves, it is abundantly clear to the audience that the ire characters direct toward each other is really just unexamined, misguided resentment for how their own lives have turned out. Ultimately, then, The Homecoming highlights the destructive potential of unchecked resentment, demonstrating its capacity not only to warp one’s sense of self, but also to damage one’s relationships with others.
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Resentment ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Resentment appears in each act of The Homecoming. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Resentment Quotes in The Homecoming
Below you will find the important quotes in The Homecoming related to the theme of Resentment .
Act 1 Quotes
I think I’ll have a fag. Give me a fag.
Pause.
I just asked you to give me a cigarette.
Pause.
Look what I’m lumbered with.
He takes a crumpled cigarette from his pocket.
I’m getting old, my word of honour.
He lights it.
You think I wasn’t a tearaway? I could have taken care of you, twice over. I’m still strong. You ask your Uncle Sam what I was. But at the same time I always had a kind heart. Always.
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This exchange between elderly Max and his youngest son, Lenny, occurs early in the play. Max and Lenny’s conversation—if it can be called that, given that Lenny refuses to answer Max even once—provides insight into their relationship. Lenny’s refusal to answer his father and Max’s incessant complaining make clear that there is tension between them. As the play unfolds, the audience will come to see that Max is similarly crotchety and stubborn with most everyone else in his family. The conversation’s one-sidedness, punctuated only by abundant pauses, introduces audiences to the absurd atmosphere and stilted dialogue that are characteristic of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Delen
LENNY. What did you say?
MAX. I said shove off out of it, that’s what I said.
LENNY. You’ll go before me, Dad, if you talk to me in that tone of voice.
MAX. Will I, you bitch?
Max grips his stick.
LENNY. Oh, Daddy you’re not going to use your stick on me, are you? Eh? Don’t use your stick on me, Daddy. No, please. It wasn’t my fault, it was one of the others. I haven’t done anything wrong, Dad, honest. Don’t clout me with that stick, Dad.
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This heated exchange between Max and his youngest son, Lenny, is part of a longer dialogue between the two characters, which begins the play. Max has just gone off on a long, gory tangent about his former job as a butcher, after which Lenny asks him to change the subject before insulting Max’s cooking. Max responds angrily, and the situation escalates from there, ending with Max gripping his “stick” (his cane), a gesture that Lenny recognizes, seemingly from experience, as a threat of violence. Lenny pleads with his father to not “use [his] stick on me,” regressing to a childish Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur labor
SAM. After all, I’m experienced. I was driving a dust cart at the age of nineteen. Then I was in long-distance haulage. I had ten years as a tax-driver and I’ve had five as a private chauffeur.
MAX. It’s funny you never got married, isn’t it? A man with all your gifts.
Pause.
Isn’t it? A man like you?
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Max’s younger brother Sam, a chauffeur, has just returned from work. As he greets Max and Lenny in the house’s main room, Sam casually mentions how the client he drove around today was exceptionally pleased with Sam’s service, and then he goes on to praise himself for his skills in general. In this quote, Sam describes how “experienced” he is, going through all the different driving jobs he has held throughout the year. Though certainly Sam is singing his own praises, it’s clear from how he talks about his job that he takes great pride in his work, which also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum
MAX. Boxing’s a gentleman’s game.
Pause.
I’ll tell you what you’ve got to do. What you’ve got to do is you’ve got to learn how to defend yourself, and you’ve got to learn how to attack. That’s your only trouble as a boxer. You don’t know how to defend yourself, and you don’t know how to attack.
Pause.
Once you’ve mastered those arts you can go straight to the top.
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Joey has just come home from the gym, where he trains as a boxer. He briefly fills Max in on what he worked on that day. Max, after declaring boxing “a gentleman’s game,” delivers this unsolicited advice about what Joey needs to do to improve his game. “What you’ve got to do is you’ve got to learn how to defend yourself, and you’ve got to learn how to attack,” Max explains, offering two absurdly general and unhelpful points to his son who likely knows more about boxing than his elderly father, who as far as the audience knows has never Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum.
RUTH. How did you know she was diseased?
LENNY. How did I know?
Pause.
I decided she was.
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This exchange between Ruth and Lenny takes place the night of Ruth and Teddy’s arrival, after Teddy has gone upstairs to sleep. Lenny has just told Ruth a crude, violent, and misogynistic story about a time he had the urge to murder a sex worker at the docks one night—one of a handful of instances throughout the play in which he vaguely hints at his job as a pimp. Lenny explains to Ruth that he wanted to murder the woman after she propositioned him for sex because she had a (sexually transmitted) disease, though ultimately he decides against murdering her, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tene
LENNY. [The ashtray] seems to be in the way of your glass. The glass was about to fall. Or the ashtray. I’m rather worried about the carpet. It’s not me, it’s my father. He’s obsessed with order and clarity. He doesn’t like mess. So, as I don’t believe you’re smoking at the moment, I’m sure you won’t object if I move the ashtray.
He does so.
And now perhaps I’ll relieve you of your glass.
RUTH. I haven’t quite finished.
LENNY. You’ve consumed quite enough, in my opinion.
RUTH. No, I haven’t.
LENNY. Quite sufficient, in my own opinion.
RUTH. Not in mine, Leonard.
Pause.
LENNY. Don’t call me that, please.
RUTH. Why not?
LENNY. That’s the name my mother gave me.
Pause.
Just give me that glass.
RUTH. No.
Pause.
Lenny. I’ll take it then.
RUTH. If you take the glass…I’ll take you.
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This exchange between Lenny and Ruth takes place during their initial meeting, after Teddy has gone upstairs to bed. Lenny abruptly claims that Ruth almost spilled water on the floor—which would be a big problem, since Max is “obsessed with order and clarity” and would get upset if he were to find a “mess” on the floor. Lenny’s argument is nonsensical—how would some spilled water (if indeed Ruth was even in danger of spilling her water) amount to a “mess”? Even so, Lenny insists that it’s time he take Ruth’s glass away, though she repeatedly tells him that she’s not Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex co
LENNY. I’ll tell you what, Dad, since you’re in the mood for a bit of a…chat, I’ll ask you a question. It’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask you for some time. That night…you know…the night you got me…that night with Mum, what was it like? Eh? When I was just a glint in your eye. What was it like? What was the background to it? I mean, I want to know the real facts about my background. I mean, for instance, is it a fact that you had me in mind all the time, or is it a fact that I was the last thing you had in mind?
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Ruth has just gone upstairs after aggressively coming on to Lenny. Lenny calls out after her, waking Max, who angrily confronts Lenny about making so much noise. Lenny replies angrily in turn, including with this quote, in which he aggressively asks Max to describe the night of Lenny’s conception—“the night you got me…that night with Mum […].” Regardless of whether Lenny has a genuine (not to mention incestuous) curiosity about what happened the night he was conceived, what is clear is that he is posing the question to Max now in order to intimidate Max and make him feel uncomfortable. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae e
MAX. Before he died, Sam. Just before. They were his last words. His last sacred words, Sammy. A split second after he said those words…he was a dead man. You think I’m joking? You think when my father spoke—on his death-bed—I wouldn’t obey his words to the last letter? You hear that, Joey? He’ll stop at nothing. He’s even prepared to spit on the memory of our Dad. What kind of a son were you, you wet wick? You spent half your time doing crossword puzzles! We took you into the butcher’s shop, you couldn’t even sweep the dust off the floor. We took MacGregor into the shop, he could run the place by the end of a week. Well, I’ll tell you one thing. I respected my father not only as a man but as a number one butcher! And to prove it I followed him into the shop. I learned to carve a carcass at his knee. I commemorated his name in blood. I gave birth to three grown men! All on my own bat. What have you done?
Pause.
What have you done? You tit!
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Max has just shared with Sam the final words their father spoke before his death, in which their father supposedly made Max promise to look after Sam, Max’s younger brother. Sam, in response, makes a cheeky jab about this not being possible. (Max misspoke and described their father as saying these words “when” he died, and Sam pointed out that it would be impossible for their father to speak those words when he died, since he’d be dead and therefore incapable of speech.) Max responds with the lengthy tirade represented in this passage, during which he verbally attacks Sam for Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore perspiciatis. Eaque labore vel. Libero sunt eum. Est libero quia. Dolor eum doloremque. Omnis enim iusto. Ipsa quia nesciunt. Doloremque et omnis. Aut sint debitis.
MAX. Who’s this?
TEDDY. I was just going to introduce you.
MAX. Who asked you to bring tarts in here?
TEDDY. Tarts?
MAX. Who asked you to bring dirty tarts into this house?
TEDDY. Listen, don’t be silly—
MAX. You been here all night?
TEDDY. Yes, we arrived from Venice—
MAX. We’ve had a smelly scrubber in my house all night. We’ve had a stinking pox-ridden slut in my house all night.
TEDDY. Stop it! What are you talking about?
MAX. I haven’t seen the bitch for six years, he comes home without a word, he brings a filthy scrubber off the street, he shacks up in my house!
TEDDY. She’s my wife! We’re married!
Pause.
MAX. I’ve never had a whore under this roof before. Ever since your mother died. My word of honour. […]
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This exchange between Max and his estranged son Teddy takes place when Teddy and Ruth come downstairs the morning after their arrival at Teddy’s childhood home. The couple got in late at night and the household didn’t even know they’d be paying a visit in the first place, so Max is caught off guard. Not knowing that Teddy is married, Max erroneously assumes that Ruth is a sex worker, a claim he expresses using degrading and misogynistic language to describe Ruth—even as Teddy tries, albeit weakly, to correct Max’s error. Max’s tirade is characteristically unhinged and misogynistic. His exaggerated outrage Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda
MAX. You a mother?
RUTH. Yes.
MAX. How many you got?
RUTH. Three.
He turns to TEDDY.
MAX. All yours, Ted?
Pause.
Teddy, why don’t we have a nice cuddle and kiss, eh? Like the old days? What about a nice cuddle and kiss, eh?
TEDDY. Come on, then.
[…]
MAX. You still love your old Dad, eh?
They face each other.
TEDDY. Come on, Dad. I’m ready for the cuddle.
MAX begins to chuckle, gurgling. He turns to the family and addresses them.
MAX. He still loves his father!
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These are the final lines of Act 1. After crassly and unfoundedly accusing Ruth of being a “tart”—a sex worker Teddy has supposedly snuck inside the house—Max suddenly changes course and asks Ruth if she is a mother. When Ruth confirms that she is—she and Teddy have three sons together—Max’s attitude toward Ruth and Teddy instantly softens. Summoning forth an immense (albeit bizarre and wholly out of character) tenderness, Max refers to himself as “Dad” and implores Teddy to come and “have a nice cuddle and kiss” like they used to do in “the old days,” when Teddy was young. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Di
Act 2 Quotes
MAX. But you’re my own flesh and blood. You’re my first born. I’d have dropped everything. Sam would have driven you to the reception in the Snipe, Lenny would have been your best man, and then we’d have all seen you off on the boat. […] Anyway, what’s the difference, you did it, you made a wonderful choice, you’ve got a wonderful family, a marvellous career…so why don’t we let bygones be bygones?
Pause.
You know what I’m saying? I want you both to know that you have my blessing.
TEDDY. Thank you.
MAX. Don’t mention it. How many other houses in the district have got a Doctor of Philosophy sitting down drinking a cup of coffee?
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This exchange between Max and his estranged son Teddy takes place at the beginning of Act 2. When Teddy and Ruth came downstairs at the end of Act 1, Max erroneously assumed Ruth to be a sex worker and began to insult her and admonish Teddy for bringing a so-called “tart” into the house. After Teddy revealed that he and Ruth are married and have three children together, though, Max immediately softened, urging Teddy to come forth for a long-overdue “cuddle” with his father. Max’s good mood continues into Act 2 as he here playfully scolds Teddy for being so Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt r
RUTH. Don’t be too sure though. You’ve forgotten something. Look at me. I…move my leg. That’s all it is. But I wear…underwear…which moves with me…it captures your attention. Perhaps you misinterpret. The action is simple. It’s a leg…moving. My lips move. Why don’t you restrict…your observations to that? Perhaps the fact that they move is more significant…than the words which come through them. You must bear that…possibility…in mind.
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Lenny has just tried to engage Teddy in a conversation about philosophy, Teddy’s academic discipline. He asks Teddy for his thoughts on how one attaches meaning and significance to the things one encounters in the world, whether it’s possible to hold “reverence” for the things one doesn’t know, and whether the things one does know for certain are necessarily meaningful simply because one knows them. In short, his question is about issues of meaning and interpretation. Teddy, perhaps not treating his formally uneducated brother’s question quite seriously, attempts to brush Lenny off, but then Ruth interjects, immediately derailing the brothers’ Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore
TEDDY. Yes, they’re about six hours behind us…I mean…behind the time here. The boys’ll be at the pool…now…swimming. Think of it. Morning over there. Sun. We’ll go anyway, mmnn? It’s so clean there.
RUTH. Clean.
TEDDY. Yes.
RUTH. Is it dirty here?
TEDDY. No, of course not. But it’s cleaner there.
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This exchange between Teddy and Ruth takes place after Lenny and Joey make bold sexual advances on Ruth—advances that Ruth bizarrely reciprocates. Perhaps even more bizarre than Ruth’s apparent willingness to go along with her brothers’ wildly inappropriate behavior is Teddy’s failure to make any effort to stop his humiliation. Through it all, he remains a passive observer. This quote represents his most forward attempt to intervene in Ruth’s infidelity—and even here, Teddy avoids addressing the conflict explicitly. Seemingly believing that the only way to stop his brothers’ inappropriate behavior with Ruth is to remove himself and Ruth from the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapien
TEDDY. You wouldn’t understand my works. You wouldn’t have the faintest idea of what they were about. You wouldn’t appreciate the points of reference. You’re way behind. All of you. There’s no point in sending you my works. You’d be lost. It’s nothing to do with the question of intelligence. It’s a way of being able to look at the world. It’s a question of how far you can operate on things and not in things. I mean it’s a question of your capacity to ally the two, to relate the two, to balance the two. To see, to be able to see! I’m the one who can see. That’s why I can write my critical works. Might do you good…have a look at them…see how certain people can view…things…how certain people can maintain…intellectual equilibrium. Intellectual equilibrium. You’re just objects. You just…move about. I can observe it. I can see what you do. It’s the same as I do. But you’re lost in it. You won’t get me being…I won’t be lost in it.
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This monologue from Teddy takes place at Ruth’s prompting after she asks Teddy whether any of his family members have read any of his “critical works” (his academic writings on philosophy). Max confirms that he has not read any, while the others don’t even bother to answer. Teddy reacts with this monologue—his longest, uninterrupted speech in the entire play. Critically, this is the first (and only) time Teddy has shown explicit anger—not even his brothers’ unabashed sexual advances on Ruth have prompted such an impassioned response from Teddy. Here though, Teddy lets loose on his family, showing them that he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore perspiciatis. Eaque labore vel. Libero sunt eum. Est libero quia. Dolor eum doloremque. Omnis enim iusto. Ipsa quia nesciunt. Doloremque et omnis. Aut sint debitis. Velit ut id. Id aut omnis. Adipisci id doloribus. Quis nihil perspiciatis. Deleniti qui aut. Ipsam quisquam illum. Qui et fugit. Et doloremque esse. Vel voluptatem ut. Ipsa et occaecati. Ducimus qui id. Aspernatur non omnis. Atque maiores reiciendis. Ratione expedita dese
LENNY. You took my cheese-roll?
TEDDY. Yes.
LENNY. I made that roll myself. I cut it and put the butter on. I sliced the piece of cheese and put it in between. I put it on a plate and I put it in the sideboard. I did all that before I went out. Now I come back and you’ve eaten.
TEDDY. Well, what are you going to do about it?
LENNY. I’m waiting for you to apologize.
TEDDY. But I took it deliberately, Lenny.
LENNY. You mean you didn’t stumble on it by mistake?
TEDDY. No, I saw you put it there. I was hungry, so I ate it.
Pause.
LENNY. Barefaced audacity.
Pause.
What led you to be so…vindictive against your own brother? I’m bowled over.
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This exchange between Teddy and Lenny takes place shortly after the scene in which Lenny and Joey make increasingly more bold, inappropriate passes at Ruth, who reciprocates them both—right in front of Teddy, who stands passively by. As is typical among members of the dysfunctional family at the center of the play, Teddy never confronts his brothers (or Ruth) about their shameless sexual advances on Ruth. Instead, he retaliates against them indirectly. Here, for instance, Teddy calmly explains to Lenny that he intentionally ate a cheese-roll Lenny had prepared for himself. Though Teddy claims he ate the cheese-roll because he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum es
MAX. […] I don’t think she got it clear.
Pause. You understand what I mean? Listen, I’ve got a funny idea she’ll do the dirty on us, you want to bet? She’ll use us, she’ll make use of us, I can tell you! I can smell it! You want to bet?
Pause.
She won’t…be adaptable!
He falls to his knees, whimpers, begins to moan and sob. He stops sobbing, crawls past SAM’s body round her chair, to the other side of her.
I’m not an old man.
He looks up at her.
Do you hear me?
He raises his face to her.
Kiss me.
She continues to touch Joey’s head, lightly. LENNY stands, watching.
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These lines by Max conclude the play. Teddy has just left to return to his and Ruth’s children in the United States, leaving Ruth behind in her new home with Max, Lenny, and Joey, where she symbolically assumes her new role as matriarch of the household. Once Teddy leaves, Ruth remains seated in a chair in the family’s main room while Joey places his head in her lap and Lenny looks on. Max, meanwhile, remains even more the odd one out than Lenny, whimpering as he lies in a heap on the floor and growing increasingly more hysterical. As Ruth Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Volup
