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The Rules Of The Game
A drama of desire and jealousy, this scintillating play brings the concept of 'revenge' tragedy intriguingly into the twentieth century. The eternal triangle, as played out by Leone, Guido and Silia, has a chillingly unexpected ending. The play was performed to great acclaim, with Richard Griffiths playing Leone, at the Almeida Theatre in 1992.
- GenresPlays
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
34 people want to read
About the author
Luigi Pirandello
1,492 books1,432 followersLuigi Pirandello; Agrigento (28 June 1867 – Rome 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays.
He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his bold and ingenious revival of dramatic and scenic art"
Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written in Sicilian. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd.
He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his bold and ingenious revival of dramatic and scenic art"
Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written in Sicilian. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 11, 2022
Honour is an important idea in many countries, and this is in spite all the warnings in literature that the concept is usually self-defeating. In Luigi Pirandello’s play The Rules of the Game, it becomes clear that honour is a peculiar force that can be used to manipulate people like puppets into performing acts that are run against their interests and desires.
The action mostly revolves around three figures. Leone and Silia are married, but estranged. They scarcely even meet, and she is now conducting an affair with Guido. Guido is supposedly a friend to Leone, but Leone’s contempt may be measured by his refusal to refer to Guido by anything other than his surname.
Leone seems to have protected himself from emotional hurt by shutting himself off from all feelings. The prevailing metaphor is that of an egg. Leone has retreated into his own shell, an empty shell. This protects him from people throwing eggs at him.
Yet perhaps if he had not done this, there would have been a chance for him to reconcile with his wife. Silia is still preoccupied with her husband, even in his absence. By contrast she seems bored with Guido.
If only Leone had reached out to her instead of passively acquiescing in everything, and making it clear that he does not care, the outcome of the play might have been different. Instead he takes a certain amusement in the discomfort of his wife and her lover whilst not doing anything about it.
Then an incident happens. A few drunken Spaniards mistake the house for a brothel and proposition Silia. She locks Guido in her room while they are there, and takes pleasure in simultaneously encouraging them while sending for help. When help arrives, she exaggerates their misdeeds and refuses forgiveness.
The reason for this becomes clear. By pretending she has suffered an insult, she hopes to goad Leone into fighting a duel with one of the Spanish guests, who is a much better fighter than Leone would be. Indeed Leone seems to be willing to agree to the arrangement until the play ends with one final savage twist.
Leone and Silvia’s marriage is conducted according to the rules of an unwritten game, in which he agrees to her terms, and she is stuck with them thereafter, even when she does not want them. She tries to use codes of honour to force her husband into a fatal position, since honour is just another game.
Leone finds a way of turning the tables in a manner that cannot be countermanded because the rules say that the final event of the play must happen, even if nobody except Leone wants it. He is like a puppetmaster who uses the weaknesses of others to manipulate them into doing what they do not want, but only after they have attempted the same trick on him.
Pirandello moves the three points of the compass with delicate viciousness, the evasions of the main characters being offset by their blunt and rude servant Philip and the well-meaning Dr Spiga, who must also play the game and offer medical assistance in the event of a duel.
This is an amusing enough play, but perhaps something of a one-note theme. Pirandello sets up an interesting conundrum, but not an especially profound one.
The action mostly revolves around three figures. Leone and Silia are married, but estranged. They scarcely even meet, and she is now conducting an affair with Guido. Guido is supposedly a friend to Leone, but Leone’s contempt may be measured by his refusal to refer to Guido by anything other than his surname.
Leone seems to have protected himself from emotional hurt by shutting himself off from all feelings. The prevailing metaphor is that of an egg. Leone has retreated into his own shell, an empty shell. This protects him from people throwing eggs at him.
Yet perhaps if he had not done this, there would have been a chance for him to reconcile with his wife. Silia is still preoccupied with her husband, even in his absence. By contrast she seems bored with Guido.
If only Leone had reached out to her instead of passively acquiescing in everything, and making it clear that he does not care, the outcome of the play might have been different. Instead he takes a certain amusement in the discomfort of his wife and her lover whilst not doing anything about it.
Then an incident happens. A few drunken Spaniards mistake the house for a brothel and proposition Silia. She locks Guido in her room while they are there, and takes pleasure in simultaneously encouraging them while sending for help. When help arrives, she exaggerates their misdeeds and refuses forgiveness.
The reason for this becomes clear. By pretending she has suffered an insult, she hopes to goad Leone into fighting a duel with one of the Spanish guests, who is a much better fighter than Leone would be. Indeed Leone seems to be willing to agree to the arrangement until the play ends with one final savage twist.
Leone and Silvia’s marriage is conducted according to the rules of an unwritten game, in which he agrees to her terms, and she is stuck with them thereafter, even when she does not want them. She tries to use codes of honour to force her husband into a fatal position, since honour is just another game.
Leone finds a way of turning the tables in a manner that cannot be countermanded because the rules say that the final event of the play must happen, even if nobody except Leone wants it. He is like a puppetmaster who uses the weaknesses of others to manipulate them into doing what they do not want, but only after they have attempted the same trick on him.
Pirandello moves the three points of the compass with delicate viciousness, the evasions of the main characters being offset by their blunt and rude servant Philip and the well-meaning Dr Spiga, who must also play the game and offer medical assistance in the event of a duel.
This is an amusing enough play, but perhaps something of a one-note theme. Pirandello sets up an interesting conundrum, but not an especially profound one.
December 30, 2024
3/6 points, play-script, ohhh, very clever, manipulation and counter manipulation
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews