Sleuth Essay | Critical Essay #1

Sleuth Critical Essay #1

Korb has a master's degree in English literature and creative writing and has written for a wide variety of educational publishers. In the following essay, she discusses the idea of game playing in Sleuth.

In an interview with Mel Gussow of the New "York Times, Anthony Shaffer described his smash play Sleuth as "not just a thriller." According to Shaffer,

the subtext is nightmarish The whole idea of people committed to a games situation They're fairly sinister people. If there is a focal point, it's thai if people take fantasy for reality, and act upon it, it must end in disaster.

At the core of this comedy-thriller is the idea of game playing. Indeed, the game of Sleuth begins before the curtain even rises. On the program are listed five characters, each played by five different actors. In reality, there are only two characters: Andrew Wyke and...
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