The Blood Knot | The Blood Knot

At a glance:

Author: Athol Fugard
First Published: 1963
Type of Plot: Psychological
Time of Work: The early 1960’s
Setting: Korsten, near Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Principal Characters: Zachariah “Zach,”, Morris “Morrie,”
Genres: Drama, Psychological drama
Subjects: African Americans, Discrimination, Values, 1960’s, Africa or Africans, Poverty or poor people, Brothers, South Africa or South Africans, Apartheid
Locales: Port Elizabeth, South Africa

As The Blood Knot begins, a man is lying on a bed in a one-room shack. The walls of the structure are made of corrugated iron, salvaged wood, and used cardboard and fabric. The room is barely furnished but is neat and relatively clean. Aside from a few books and an alarm clock on a shelf, there are no decorations— nothing but the necessities of survival. The man looks at the clock but does not move until the alarm goes off. Then he rises briskly, and with obvious purpose resets the clock, lights an oil stove, and places a kettle of water on it. After putting a...

The Blood Knot | The Blood Knot

At a glance:

The Play

Join eNotes