Man Alone: ‘Dimetos’ and ‘The Guest’

Abstract

At the conclusion of Dimetos (1975), a man stands alone on the stage, laughing as he succeeds in juggling an imaginary object from hand to hand. ‘And now, because your gaiety is so great,’ he tells himself, ‘the last skill of all. Hold them out, and wait.…’ He extends his hands towards the audience, and waits. It is a strange, compelling and ambiguous gesture. What is he waiting for? The answer is suggested by the end of another, much greater play, The Tempest, with which Dimetos has a number of interesting parallels. As Shakespeare’s play draws to its close, Prospero is left standing alone on the stage, his hands extended, as he addresses the audience with the words

As you from crimes would pardon’d be

Let your indulgence set me free.

Our clapping hands duly release him from the play’s ‘spell’, at the same time pardoning him. Prospero deserves redemption, as he deserves our applause: he has brought things to a happy end by forgiving those who have trespassed against him. The Christian overtones are unavoidable. But Dimetos has been unable to forgive, or be forgiven.