Butley (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Simon Gray
- First Published: 1971
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The early 1970’s
- Setting: An English faculty office in a college of London University
- Principal Characters: Ben Butley, Joseph Keyston “Joey,”, Anne Butley, Edna Shaft, Miss Heasman, Reg Nuttall
- Genres: Drama, Psychological drama
- Subjects: Teaching or teachers, 1970’s, Love or romance, Literature, Friendship, College life, Divorce, London, Colleges or universities
- Locales: London, England
The Play
Butley opens with the eponymous character entering the office he shares with his former student and colleague, Joey. The room is a study in contrasts—Ben Butley’s desk and bookcase a disheveled mess and Joey’s accommodations spartan but impeccably ordered. After tossing his raincoat on his colleague’s desk, Ben fiddles with each desk’s reading lamp, neither of which works.
Ben is soon interrupted by a student seeking a tutorial on William Wordsworth; Ben, however, offers the excuse that he has too many administrative duties. When Joey enters,...
[The entire page is 2269 words long]
