Genre
Romantic comedy
Language
English
Setting and Context
A café. The play was first produced in New York City in 1988. The text implies that the play is also set in that time and place.
Narrator and Point of View
It is written as a dialog between two people.
Tone and Mood
Overall, comedic. The tone also shifts rapidly in the many very short scenes within the play.
Protagonist and Antagonist
There are two protagonists, Bill and Betty. At times they also become antagonists in relation to each other.
Major Conflict
At different points in the play, Bill tries to establish a relationship with Betty, but she is not interested, and vice versa.
Climax
When Bill and Betty invite each other to the movies at the same time:
Bill: “Y’know I was headed to the–”
Betty: (simultaneously) “I was thinking about–”
Foreshadowing
The play repeats scenes over and over until the conversation continues. So, within each topic there are several layers of foreshadowing.
Understatement
Bill: “I’m just...getting acquainted.”
Betty: "You've been involved with her–off and on–in what you'll call a very "intricate" relationship, for the past seven YEARS.”
Allusions
“The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner, and by extension of the title, “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare.
“Bananas” by Woody Allen.
Imagery
See Imagery section of this guide for analysis.
Paradox
Each character makes statements about their lives that could not all at once be true.
Parallelism
There are many parallel phrases in the play. For example:
“Is this chair taken?”
“Sure thing”
“Do you like Faulkner?”
“Do you come in here a lot?”
“You weren’t waiting for someone when I came in were you?”
“Labels are not important”
Personification
The bell is personified, in that, based on when it rings, it appears to have its own opinion and comic timing.
Use of Dramatic Devices
The ringing bell is a dramatic device that sounds when a scene is over.
