Works

David Mamet began writing plays in the 1970s and has continued to write and direct both plays and movies since. Given the large interval of time that Mamet wrote over, many of his plays and movies differ in style to reflect a changing cultural landscape, but there still exist aspects that appear in many of his works. One theme that seems present in many Mamet plays is masculinity, specifically the difficulties of becoming and remaining a man (Whitfield). Some of these difficulties include emerging from boyhood humiliations and fears and surviving in climates such as a real estate office as seen in Glengarry Glen Ross and a Hollywood Studio as seen in Speed-The-Plow (Whitfield). Another constant aspect of Mamet plays is his excessive use of profanity throughout most of his plays. It appears that Mamet views his use of profanity as speaking in the vernacular, which contributes to Mamet’s views of realism. Another interesting part of many Mamet’s works is how the characters and plot are driven by action rather than thoughts. This phenomenon seems to be influenced by Mamet’s views that the world expects actions to make society work (Lahr). Essentially, characters only speak in order to get or do something, which interconnects with David Mamet’s insistence on putting both the protagonist and the audience in the same position (Lahr). In his opinion, Mamet believes that the ability to put the protagonist and the audience in the same position is the “trick” of dramaturgy and should be accomplished at all costs (Lahr). An example where Mamet accomplishes this is seen in The Cryptogram where the audience attempts to solve a puzzle at the same time that the protagonist of the play, the boy onstage, does (Lahr). Another thing that occurs a lot in plays that Mamet writes is the use of rhetorical challenges, which are basically used as veiled accusations that try to ascertain some sort of information (Lahr).

List of Notable Works:

  • Duck Variations
  • Sexual Perversity in Chicago
  • American Buffalo
  • Lakeboat
  • Edmond
  • Glengarry Glen Ross
  • Speed-The-Plow
  • Oleanna
  • The Cryptogram