Across nine scenes, Betrayal tells the story of a love triangle involving, Jerry, Emma, and Emma's husband (as well as Jerry's best friend), Robert. In an innovative twist, Pinter tells the story in a reverse chronology. In other words, the plot moves back in time as the story of Emma and Jerry's affair is depicted from end to beginning.
Scene One is set at a pub in London in the Spring of 1977. Jerry and Emma drink and engage in stilted conversation. Through the course of their conversation, we learn that they had once engaged in an extra-marital affair that lasted seven years, but that had ended two years prior. Emma reveals to Jerry that she told her husband about the affair the night prior. In the following scene, set also in 1977, Jerry confesses to Robert but discovers that – contrary to what Emma had said – he had known about the affair for four years. Despite the fact that his wife and best friend have betrayed him, Robert is not upset and instead admits that he has had his own affairs.
Scene Three takes us back to the Winter of 1975. Jerry and Emma sit in the flat where they secretly conducted their affair. They decide to sell the furniture, give up their lease, and end their affair. Emma then leaves Jerry alone in the flat. In Scene Four, Jerry visits Emma and Robert's home in the Autumn of 1974. The three engage in mundane conversation before Jerry leaves while Emma "cries quietly" in the living room (p. 59).
In Scene Five, set in the Summer of 1973, Robert and Emma visit Venice, where Robert discovers that Emma and Jerry have been having an affair. Robert is surprisingly calm about the revelation and even speaks about how much he likes Jerry. In the following scene, set later that summer, Emma and Jerry met for drinks in their flat. Emma shows Jerry the tablecloth she has brought back from Italy, and the two reminisce about the past.
Scene Seven is also set in the summer 1973, and depicts a lunch meeting between Robert and Jerry. They discuss Robert and Emma's trip to Venice and become drunk. Although Robert knows about the affair, he does not tell Jerry. Scene Eight, set in 1971, returns to Jerry and Emma's flat where Emma prepares a meal for them to share. She reveals to Jerry that she is pregnant, but that he is not the father.
In the play's final scene, set during a party at Emma and Robert's house in 1968, Jerry and Emma are shown beginning their affair. When Emma comes into her bedroom, she discovers that Jerry is in the room. He professes his love and begins to kiss her. They stop just before Robert enters the room. He and Jerry discuss how they are best friends, and Robert leaves the room. The play ends as Jerry and Emma stare at one another.
All told, Betrayal is a simple, yet devastating play. Pinter employs his characteristically dry and understated dialogue to explore themes of friendship, betrayal, and regret. With his uncompromising portrayal of human flaw, Pinter creates characters and scenarios to which one can relate – even if they wish they could not.
