Miller, Anne Claire; (1993) The games characters play: A Bernian approach to Pirandello. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis is based on the perception that the psychological theories of the American psychiatrist Eric Berne match very closely Pirandello's own conclusions about the human psyche, the way it functions and the way human beings interact when relating to one another. The thesis draws on a wide range of Pirandello's work, but concentrates on the following plays: II giuoco delle parti, II beretto a sonagli, Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore, Ciascuno a suo modo, Come prima, meglio di prima, La signora Morli, una e due, Tutto per bene, II piacere dell'onestà, La ragione degli altri, Trovarsi, Come tu mi vuoi, Cosi è (se vi pare), Enrico IV, Quando si è qualcuno, I Giganti della Montagna, and the novels: L'esclusa and Uno, nessuno e centomila. The first chapter gives a brief account of Eric Berne's theory of Transactional Analysis. The following chapters are devoted to the study of a variety of women characters, some total failures, others able to learn and to change the way they perceive themselves and, in consequence, the way they relate to the men in their lives. In considering these relationships, the focus is on the 'games' (in Bernian terms) these people play and this leads on to show how the structure and momentum of Pirandellian drama is based on the moves in these psychological games. The other characters studied are the raisonneurs, because they clearly give the author's point of view while at the same time offering a solution to their dilemma. The problem of identity, all important in Pirandello and dealt with in Transactional Analysis in a way very similar to the one Pirandello suggests, is also examined.

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