Sure Thing Play Summary
David Ives’ Sure Thing drama is an interesting play which has different way to entertain the readers. I have never read a play which is a little bit confusing at the first time I read it. Seems its every scene is separated by ring bell. However, by reading it more, I could sense comedy and fantasy combined at once. In the following paragraphs, you will see how some characters shaped based on the play.
The first one is “educated”. Both of the characters in this play were educated. It could be proved in this conversation.
Betty: Where was college?
Bill: Harvard.
Studying in Harvard University directly showed that character Bill was educated person. It’s the same with Betty which was also an educated person.
Bill: What’s the book?
Betty: The Sound and the Fury.
Reading literary works in this time meant that the person had personal educated background. As we know that, not many people would care so much about literary works, except for those who were educated.
Second, both of the characters came from high class economical level. Considering the play was appeared in 1993, being a lot in a café could be done by the …show more content…
people form high class only. For those who came from ordinary level wouldn’t come to the café a lot.
Bill: Do you come in here a lot?
Betty: Every other day, I think.
Bill: I come in here quite a lot and I don’t remember seeing you.
The third characters that can be found in this play is that they are in late twenties. This is exactly shown in the narration of the drama text.
“Scene. A café. Betty, a woman in her late twenties, is reading at a café table. An empty chair is opposite her. Bill, same age, enters.”
The fourth character is that Betty was business worker. It could be proved in following scene.
Bill: Do you come in here a lot?
Betty: Actually I’m just in town for two days from Pakistan.
Coming from Pakistan, and staying just for two days in this town could mean that Betty had something to do in this city. She must have a business or something like that to be somewhere far away just for two days. It was impossible if she just wanted to have vacation in two days.
The fifth character is that both of the characters are strangers. They do not know each other. That was why Bill asked permission first to get sitting down near Betty. If they had already known each other, Bill would probably just sit right away without get any permission from Betty.
Bill: Excuse me. Is this chair taken?
Betty: Excuse me?
Bill: Is this taken?
Betty: Yes it is.
Bill: Oh, Sorry.
(A bell rings softly.)
It is also proved in page 1354 when Bill tried to introduce his name to Betty. Introducing the name to someone definitely shows that they did not recognize each other before.
Bill: My name’s Bill, by the way.
Betty: I’m Betty.
The next character is that they are also old friend. It is weird indeed if in a play there are the same characters (here Betty and Bill) became stranger, and old friend at once. However, this is interesting part of this play. Every scene that is separated by the ring bell shows that it is different situation. Every scene is not continuing just like common play, but it is a separate action. That is why it is possible if the characters have opposite characters in variants. The scene that show both characters were old friend is.
Betty: Maybe you’re only interested for the sake of making small talk long enough to ask me back to your place to listen to some music, or because you’ve just rented this great tape for your VCR, or because you’ve got some terrific unknown Django Reindhardt record, only all you really want to do is fuck-which you won’t do very well-after which you’ll go into the bathroom and pee very loudly, then pad into the kitchen and get yourself a beer from the refrigerator without asking me whether I’d like anything, and then you’ll proceed to lie back down beside me and confess that you’ve got a girl friend named Stephanie who’s away at medical school in Belgium for a year, and that you’ve been involved with her-off and on-in what you’ll call a very “intricate” relationship, for the past seven YEARS. None of which interests me, mister!
Bill: Okay.
In this conversation, seems that Betty had already known Bill very well before. She could talk quite much about Bill’s condition. Betty also mentioned a name called Stephanie in this dialog. It seems that Bill has already known who Stephanie was. It shows that both of them knew this person-Stephanie- so that Betty could mention this name without any question from Bill after that. So, I conclude that they used to be friend before. The last character is that both of them became lovers. In the end section of this drama we can see that both characters became lovers eventually. They did not know before and later becoming lovers. Well, as I explained before, every scene is separate action. They turned back to the conversation constantly until they got the action that they wanted, until they had a happy ending story becoming
lovers.
Bill: and will you love me?
Betty Yes.
Bill: Do you still want to go to the movies?
Betty: Sure thing.
Bill and Betty (together): Waiter!
Every ring bell is quite important in this drama. How the bell works and what its purpose is also a superb thing. It indicates that both of players change their thoughts. It also shows the raising action of the drama of how each character became closer and closer by every ring bell. In Above conversation, you can see that Bill keep trying to go back to the same conversation with a little bit thought change until he got the action that he wanted from Betty, it is getting the permission to be able to sit down near her. Generally, the constant ringing of the bells is funny.
Bill: Excuse me. Is this chair taken?
Betty: Excuse me?
Bill: Is this taken?
Betty: Yes it is.
Bill: Oh, Sorry.
(A bell rings softly.)
Bill: Excuse me. Is this chair taken?
Betty: Excuse me?
Bill: Is this taken?
Betty: No, but I’m expecting somebody in a minute
Bill: Oh, Thanks anyway.
Betty: Sure thing.
(A bell rings softly.)
Bill: Excuse me. Is this chair taken?
Betty: No, but I’m expecting somebody very shortly
Bill: Would you mind if I sit here till he or she or it comes?
Betty: (glances at her watch): They do seem to be pretty late. . . .
Bill: You never know who you might be turning down.
Betty: Sorry. Nice try, though.
Bill: Sure thing.
(Bell)
Bill: Is this chair taken?
Betty: No it’s not.
Bill: Would you mind if I sit here?
Betty: Yes I would.
Bill: oh
(Bell.)
In the dialog above we can see that Bill tried to keep remarking the same topic. When he got refusing from Betty he tried to turn back the time and asked in different way until at the end he got the action he wanted. It is getting permission to sit down opposite Betty’s seat.
In my opinion the theme of this play is “the certain way to say something will result different action”. Basically, it explains that “if time could be turned back, I would say different ways to get the action that I wanted”. The characters always go back to the conversation that has been already mentioned before. They did adjusting or changing some wrong remarks to get the result that they wanted. I also thought that after every time Bill said something Betty did not like, the bell rang to switch to a different act. They would keep talking about the same topic as they are getting closer and closer. This change of thought was changed very quickly. I wish it could be happened in real time. ^^
The first one is “educated”. Both of the characters in this play were educated. It could be proved in this conversation.
Betty: Where was college?
Bill: Harvard.
Studying in Harvard University directly showed that character Bill was educated person. It’s the same with Betty which was also an educated person.
Bill: What’s the book?
Betty: The Sound and the Fury.
Reading literary works in this time meant that the person had personal educated background. As we know that, not many people would care so much about literary works, except for those who were educated.
Second, both of the characters came from high class economical level. Considering the play was appeared in 1993, being a lot in a café could be done by the …show more content…
people form high class only. For those who came from ordinary level wouldn’t come to the café a lot.
Bill: Do you come in here a lot?
Betty: Every other day, I think.
Bill: I come in here quite a lot and I don’t remember seeing you.
The third characters that can be found in this play is that they are in late twenties. This is exactly shown in the narration of the drama text.
“Scene. A café. Betty, a woman in her late twenties, is reading at a café table. An empty chair is opposite her. Bill, same age, enters.”
The fourth character is that Betty was business worker. It could be proved in following scene.
Bill: Do you come in here a lot?
Betty: Actually I’m just in town for two days from Pakistan.
Coming from Pakistan, and staying just for two days in this town could mean that Betty had something to do in this city. She must have a business or something like that to be somewhere far away just for two days. It was impossible if she just wanted to have vacation in two days.
The fifth character is that both of the characters are strangers. They do not know each other. That was why Bill asked permission first to get sitting down near Betty. If they had already known each other, Bill would probably just sit right away without get any permission from Betty.
Bill: Excuse me. Is this chair taken?
Betty: Excuse me?
Bill: Is this taken?
Betty: Yes it is.
Bill: Oh, Sorry.
(A bell rings softly.)
It is also proved in page 1354 when Bill tried to introduce his name to Betty. Introducing the name to someone definitely shows that they did not recognize each other before.
Bill: My name’s Bill, by the way.
Betty: I’m Betty.
The next character is that they are also old friend. It is weird indeed if in a play there are the same characters (here Betty and Bill) became stranger, and old friend at once. However, this is interesting part of this play. Every scene that is separated by the ring bell shows that it is different situation. Every scene is not continuing just like common play, but it is a separate action. That is why it is possible if the characters have opposite characters in variants. The scene that show both characters were old friend is.
Betty: Maybe you’re only interested for the sake of making small talk long enough to ask me back to your place to listen to some music, or because you’ve just rented this great tape for your VCR, or because you’ve got some terrific unknown Django Reindhardt record, only all you really want to do is fuck-which you won’t do very well-after which you’ll go into the bathroom and pee very loudly, then pad into the kitchen and get yourself a beer from the refrigerator without asking me whether I’d like anything, and then you’ll proceed to lie back down beside me and confess that you’ve got a girl friend named Stephanie who’s away at medical school in Belgium for a year, and that you’ve been involved with her-off and on-in what you’ll call a very “intricate” relationship, for the past seven YEARS. None of which interests me, mister!
Bill: Okay.
In this conversation, seems that Betty had already known Bill very well before. She could talk quite much about Bill’s condition. Betty also mentioned a name called Stephanie in this dialog. It seems that Bill has already known who Stephanie was. It shows that both of them knew this person-Stephanie- so that Betty could mention this name without any question from Bill after that. So, I conclude that they used to be friend before. The last character is that both of them became lovers. In the end section of this drama we can see that both characters became lovers eventually. They did not know before and later becoming lovers. Well, as I explained before, every scene is separate action. They turned back to the conversation constantly until they got the action that they wanted, until they had a happy ending story becoming
lovers.
Bill: and will you love me?
Betty Yes.
Bill: Do you still want to go to the movies?
Betty: Sure thing.
Bill and Betty (together): Waiter!
Every ring bell is quite important in this drama. How the bell works and what its purpose is also a superb thing. It indicates that both of players change their thoughts. It also shows the raising action of the drama of how each character became closer and closer by every ring bell. In Above conversation, you can see that Bill keep trying to go back to the same conversation with a little bit thought change until he got the action that he wanted from Betty, it is getting the permission to be able to sit down near her. Generally, the constant ringing of the bells is funny.
Bill: Excuse me. Is this chair taken?
Betty: Excuse me?
Bill: Is this taken?
Betty: Yes it is.
Bill: Oh, Sorry.
(A bell rings softly.)
Bill: Excuse me. Is this chair taken?
Betty: Excuse me?
Bill: Is this taken?
Betty: No, but I’m expecting somebody in a minute
Bill: Oh, Thanks anyway.
Betty: Sure thing.
(A bell rings softly.)
Bill: Excuse me. Is this chair taken?
Betty: No, but I’m expecting somebody very shortly
Bill: Would you mind if I sit here till he or she or it comes?
Betty: (glances at her watch): They do seem to be pretty late. . . .
Bill: You never know who you might be turning down.
Betty: Sorry. Nice try, though.
Bill: Sure thing.
(Bell)
Bill: Is this chair taken?
Betty: No it’s not.
Bill: Would you mind if I sit here?
Betty: Yes I would.
Bill: oh
(Bell.)
In the dialog above we can see that Bill tried to keep remarking the same topic. When he got refusing from Betty he tried to turn back the time and asked in different way until at the end he got the action he wanted. It is getting permission to sit down opposite Betty’s seat.
In my opinion the theme of this play is “the certain way to say something will result different action”. Basically, it explains that “if time could be turned back, I would say different ways to get the action that I wanted”. The characters always go back to the conversation that has been already mentioned before. They did adjusting or changing some wrong remarks to get the result that they wanted. I also thought that after every time Bill said something Betty did not like, the bell rang to switch to a different act. They would keep talking about the same topic as they are getting closer and closer. This change of thought was changed very quickly. I wish it could be happened in real time. ^^