The Hothouse

The Hothouse is a play written by Harold Pinter between arguably his two most successful plays, 'The Birthday Party' and 'The Caretaker'. Despite being written in the winter of 1958, Pinter shelved the play until 1980 following the initial commercial failure of 'The Birthday Party'.

Synopsis

The play is set in a dubious institution; referred to throughout the play as both a 'rest home' and a 'sanitorium', wherein the residents (or 'patients') are referred to by number, rather than by name. The institution's bombastic leader, Roote, has his professionalism and even his sanity constantly undermined by his two lackey underlings, the quiet and efficient Gibbs and the sleazy and alcoholic Lush. Roote's calculating and shrewd mistress, Miss Cutts, adds to the mayhem. After the supposed murder of one patient and the rape and resulting pregnancy of another, Roote, Gibbs and Lush set out to find the culprit(s), only to discover a disturbing secret.

List of Characters

• Roote
• Gibbs
• Lush
• Miss Cutts
• Lamb
• Tubb
• Lobb

Interpretations

The play is often interpreted as a searing indictment of institutionalised beauracracy, however the triangular trinity of dependence created by Roote, Gibbs and Lush often leads critics to more religious interpretations. 'The Hothouse's dark mix of comedy and horror means that the play is often seen as Pinter's most overtly comic piece of writing, yet the manner in which the play finds black, absurdist humour within the corridors of power hints towards the more blatant political direction of some of the playwright's later writings, such as 'One For The Road' and 'Mountain Language'.