“Master Harold” …and the male childs. by the white South African dramatist Athol Fugard. is a realistic drama set in a Tea Room in Port Elizabeth on a showery twenty-four hours in 1950. Two black retainers. Sam and Willie. and their white master’s boy Hally ( ‘Master Harold’ ) . have deep conversations about the good clip they had together when Hally was immature. In the beginning of the drama. Sam and Willie. pattern their dance techniques and speak about an approaching dance competition. Fugard has created first feelings of state of affairs and characters in the gap of the drama by utilizing set design. phase waies. dialogue every bit good as address and tone. The gap of the drama is interpreted as being up to Hally’s foremost entry. First. the unprofessional and for the audience surprisingly insouciant and blithe state of affairs is created by Fugard’s pick of set design. phase waies and dialogue. Second. Sam and Willie’s relationship is proven of unequal position. yet intimate and deep. by the difference in address and tone. and by the pick of subjects in the dialogue. Finally. initial perceptual experiences of a infantile and ill-mannered Willie and an intelligent and experient Sam are constructed through largely speech and tone.

The unprofessional feeling of the Tea Room and the carefree and easy traveling atmosphere is created by set design and phase waies. and dialogue. First. the inexpert feeling of the concern is created by the chalkboard on which an untrained manus has chalked up the monetary values of the points. and by the few sad ferns in pots in the room. Furthermore. the fact that Fugard has chosen to unclutter all tabular arraies to one side. suggests that the concern is non making good. because the Tea Room is non likely to be anticipating any clients. Second. the audience notices instantly that the temper in the room is insouciant. by allowing Willie get down off with singing a vocal as he mops down the floor.

This strong temper is so reinforced when Willie all of a sudden gets up and starts dancing. Sam thirstily encouraging and rectifying Willie’s dance technique. The audience must hold been surprised by this insouciant state of affairs. because one must non bury that at the clip of the public presentation. around 1982. apartheid in South Africa was well further developed than the scene of the drama. The fact that two black work forces. evidently workers. are without supervising of a white individual and that they are basking themselves during work must hold raised a sense of malaise from the witnesss. unsure how to respond.

The relationship between Sam and Willie is profound. yet Sam seems to hold a higher position compared to Willie. as suggested by Fugard’s pick of subject of conversation and by the contrast between the footings of reference and physical place. To get down with. the manner in which both work forces communicate is really informal. Willie uses plentifulness of swear words. like “fuckin’ whore” or “bitch” . whereas Sam uses a higher registry. but is still jesting around with Willie ( “How’s your pillow with the quickstep? ” ) . This usage of linguistic communication suggests that both work forces feel at easiness and that they have known each other for a really long clip already. A sense of confidant relationship is besides created by the subjects of conversation. Willie is really unfastened with Sam about his relationship with Hilda Samuels. as when he talks about the jobs purchasing nutrient for their babe of which he isn’t even certain it is his boy ( “Only his hair looks like me. ” ) ; he shows no vacillation to discourse the affair with Sam.

Sam even knows that Willie frequently beats up his girlfriend. proposing that they have been populating alongside for a long clip. The audience realises that it is watching an intimate conversation. which makes them attentive. funny and involved in the treatment. Second. Sam’s higher societal place is suggested by the contrast between the manner Sam addresses Willie and frailty versa. about like a teacher-student relation. Sam suggests betterments for Willie’s dance technique. as “Don’t look down! ” or “But you’re excessively stiff! ” . every bit good as how he could be more successful in his relationships with girlfriends ( “You hit her excessively much. ” ) and Willie reacts volitionally to take up the advice.

Besides. Sam demonstrates the dance as it should be. proposing that Sam is more experient. Last. a elusive but symbolic item is the physical placement of Sam and Willie at the really beginning of the drama: Willie is wipe uping down the floor on his articulatio genuss. working. while Sam is flicking through a amusing book. standing. and evidently non working. Fugard has visualised their relationship by the contrast between kneeling and sitting. and working and loosen uping. and this can in fact be applied to the full remainder of the drama.

Sam is portrayed as a confident. intelligent and experient character through his address and tone. The manner Sam ushers Willie through the learning procedure of the quickstep. and even demonstrates a much more complete dance than Willie. indicates he is a adept terpsichorean himself. Fugard has made the audience feel sympathy towards Sam. as he encourages Willie. “Look happy. Willie! Relax Willie! ” . although Willie is a hopeless terpsichorean.

Fugard represents Willie’s character as somewhat vulnerable. unexperienced. and as a bad lover through his reactions to Sam’s tease. the troubles he has with larning the quickstep and through his description of his relationship with girlfriends. Willie is really rapidly frustrated by Sam’s advice. like “Yesterday I’m non straight … today I’m excessively stiff! ” and “I seek hard because it is difficult. ” . Willie’s incapableness to get by with Sam’s badgering one time even consequences in a little bash between the two of them: “It’s coating between us. ” Furthermore. Willie is clearly a bad love spouse. confirmed when he describes his girlfriend as a “whore” and a “bitch” . but which is. rather ironically. provoked by himself hitting his girlfriend every one time in a piece. This. together with his vulgar pick of linguistic communication. consequences in an antipathy from the audience to Willie.

To reason. Fugard has managed to make strong first feelings in the gap of the drama in footings of state of affairs and characters. He has used set design. phase waies and dialogue to make an unprofessional and insouciant atmosphere. In footings of characters. Fugard has succeeded in tie ining strong characteristic characteristics to Sam and Willie. both intimate friends. yet separated in a manner by an rational line.