This extract is taken from the play The Terms by Sarah Connelly.
The Terms (extract)
A kitchen. Late evening. CAROL, late 50s, is washing dishes. Her son DANIEL, early 30s, sits at the table. Neither speaks for a moment.
DANIEL: I wanted to tell you before the end of the week.
CAROL: (not turning) Right.
DANIEL: In case you'd heard from someone else.
5 CAROL: No one else knows.
DANIEL: They will, though.
CAROL: (pause) Yes.
She continues washing. DANIEL watches her back.
DANIEL: I thought you might want to—
10 CAROL: I'm fine.
DANIEL: I wasn't going to say—
CAROL: I know what you were going to say.
A long pause.
DANIEL: She asked after you.
15 CAROL: (quietly) Did she.
DANIEL: She said to say hello.
CAROL turns off the tap. She stands with her back still to him, hands resting on the edge of the sink.
CAROL: Tell her thank you.
Pause.
20 CAROL: Tell her I said good luck.
She turns around. Her expression is unreadable.
CAROL: Are you staying for tea?
How and to what effect is silence used in this text?
Essay preview
Silence is not simply a gap in this extract; it is the main way Carol and Daniel communicate. Because this is drama, Connelly can make silence visible and physical through pauses, positioning and interrupted speech, so that what remains unsaid becomes more powerful than the few words actually spoken. The effect is to c