Jerry's Hangover
In the opening lines of the first scene, Jerry admits to Emma that he is suffering from a hangover. Given the amount of alcohol he consumes throughout the play, it should not be surprising that he is experiencing the effects of overconsumption. At the same time, Jerry's hangover also operates on a metaphorical level. Indeed, just as a hangover reminds one of the decisions – or, perhaps more accurately, the mistakes – of the night before, Jerry is continually reminded of his own past. Over the course of his conversation with Emma, Jerry is forced to reconcile with the fact that he betrayed his best friend, Robert. Thus, while Jerry's hangover surely results from his consumption of alcohol, it is also a metaphor for the way he is haunted by his past mistakes.
Squash
The game of squash is referenced numerous times throughout the play. Several times, Robert inquires when Jerry might be available to play; however, Jerry either rejects the question or is too busy to play. In the second scene, Jerry confesses to Robert about his affair with Emma, and Robert explains that he has known about the affair. This confuses Jerry, who says, "but we've seen each other...a great deal...over the last four years. We've had lunch," to which Robert responds "never played squash though" (p. 30). Here, squash can be seen as a metaphor for male friendship and intimacy. It is a space where Robert and Jerry can spend time with one another, outside of their business dealings. Thus, Jerry's refusal to play the game with Robert is an indirect refusal of his friendship, and, while they continue to have lunch together after Robert learns of the affair, they have lost the closeness that exists between squash partners.
Judith's Absence
With only three principle characters, Betrayal has a small cast. This was an intentional choice on Pinter's behalf. While other characters are mentioned in the play, namely Judith and Casey, their absence from the stage has metaphorical importance, especially in the case of Judith, Jerry's wife. Throughout the play, Jerry seldom speaks of Judith. For example, when asked how she is doing in Scene Four, he responds "very well" without elaborating further (p. 54). By all appearances, Jerry shows little interest in his marriage to Judith and prefers to spend his time with Emma and Robert. In this sense, Judith's absence from the stage is a metaphor for her absence in Jerry's life. That is to say, she is so far removed from the action of Jerry's life that she never physically makes an appearance in the narrative.
The Jewel and the Prince
In the final scene of the play (though the first scene chronologically) Jerry attempts to seduce Emma. In order to do so, he employs melodramatic language. For example, he say, "I'm crazy about you... You overwhelm me. You're so lovely" (p. 115). After Emma softly rejects Jerry, he launches into an impassioned monologue, saying, "I'm totally knocked out, you dazzle me, you jewel, my jewel" (p. 115). He then proceeds to blame Emma for launching him into a state of catatonia "where the reigning prince is the prince of emptiness, the prince of absence, the prince of desolation" (p. 115). In this muddled metaphor, Jerry compares Emma to a jewel and himself to a prince. One senses a certain possessiveness to this logic, as Jerry reduces Emma to an object – albeit a dazzling one. Interestingly, Jerry's use of language differs here from the rest of the play, as one sees him try to woo and seduce Emma with flattering speech. Ultimately, Jerry's tactic proves successful as this scene marks the beginning of his affair with Emma.
Robert's Trip to Torcello
In Scene Five, set in 1973, Emma and Robert are visiting Venice. They plan to visit the nearby island of Torcello, however, after Robert visits the post office and discovers that Jerry has sent Emma a letter, she confesses to their extra-marital affair. In the following scene, Emma tells Jerry that she did not visit Torcello during the trip. Later still, Robert tells Jerry that he visited the island alone and that it was the "highpoint, actually, of the whole trip" (p. 95). In this way, Robert's solo visit to Torcello is a metaphor for the dissolution of his relationship with Emma. While the married couple had planned to visit the island, the revelation of her affair with Jerry foreclosed on that possibility. From that point forward, it is as though a body of water, at once real and metaphorical, separates Robert and Emma.
