Volume V Special Issue II May 2025

Name of Author : Pradnya Chandrashekhar Chaudhari, Dr. Vikas Raskar

Title of the paper : Linguistic play and Meta Theatrical Signs A Semiotic Study of Selected Plays of Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter

Abstract: Language and signs function as crucial elements in the plays that convey deeper meaning through both verbal communication and symbolic representation. This research examines the contrasting semiotic strategies employed by Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter in their seminal works Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Real Inspector Hound, The Birthday Party, and The Dumb Waiter. Through detailed analysis of these plays, the study demonstrates how both playwrights subvert traditional dramatic semiotics while achieving similar meta theatrical effects through opposing techniques. Stoppards approach emphasizes linguistic excess, complex wordplay, and multiple layers of theatrical reality, whereas Pinter creates meaning through strategic silence, minimalist dialogue, and calculated omission. The research employs theoretical frameworks from theatre semiotics and absurdist drama to analyse how these contrasting approaches challenge conventional theatrical communication models. By examining specific instances of language games, meta-theatrical devices, and strategic silences, this study reveals how both playwrights expand the possibilities of theatrical sign systems while simultaneously commenting on the nature of theatrical representation itself. The findings contribute to our understanding of postmodern theatrical techniques and their influence on contemporary dramatic practice.

Keywords : Theatre, semiotics, meta theatre, silence, theatrical signs, wordplay, absurdist drama

DOI :

Page Number : 68-74