Masterclass

A Slight Ache is a tragicomic play written by Harold Pinter in 1958. It concerns a married couple’s dreams and desires, focusing mostly on the husband’s fears of the unknown, of growing old, and of the “Other” as a threat to his self-identity.One of the main themes involves one’s insecurity about threats to one’s self-identity embodied in the character of the matchseller, of whom one of the other two characters, Edward, is utterly terrified. The theme of growing old is also prevalent: according to Edward, the Matchseller is old, practically stone deaf, and has a glass eye, and the middle-aged Edward and Flora continually reminisce about their youth throughout the play. Threat of the “Other” and obsessive romantic jealousy are also recurrent.