Power Play: An Exploration of Dominance and Control in Pinter’s The Caretaker

Abstract

Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker (1960)* is a seminal work that interrogates the subtleties of power, dominance, and interpersonal manipulation. Set in a cluttered London room, the play depicts three men—Aston, Mick, and Davies—caught in a ceaseless struggle for control over space, identity, and relationship hierarchies. This paper examines the complex interplay of dominance and vulnerability that shapes their interactions, arguing that power in The Caretaker is neither stable nor linear but constantly shifting through pauses, silence, gestures, and ambiguous dialogue. The characters seek security, recognition, and authority, yet their efforts ultimately reflect insecurity and existential uncertainty. Drawing on critical perspectives from Esslin, Peacock, Billington, Quigley, and others, this study demonstrates how Pinter exposes human relationships as battlegrounds of psychological tension. The Caretaker reveals that control is both desired and impossible, leaving each character suspended between autonomy and dependency in a perpetual struggle without resolution.