Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
"Glengarry Glen Ross" is a dramatic play by David Mamet that revolves around the cutthroat world of real estate sales. The narrative follows four salesmen—Shelley Levene, Dave Moss, George Aaronow, and Richard Roma—who are competing in a high-stakes sales contest with dire consequences: the winner receives a Cadillac, the runner-up gets a set of steak knives, and the others face termination. The pressure escalates as the salesmen express frustration over the inadequate leads provided by their employer and engage in desperate schemes to secure better opportunities.
Central to the plot is the idea of loyalty and betrayal among the salesmen, as they navigate ethical dilemmas and contemplate theft to improve their chances. The play's tension mounts when a break-in at the office complicates matters, leading to accusations and revelations that threaten their livelihoods. With themes of greed, desperation, and the harsh realities of the American Dream, "Glengarry Glen Ross" offers a gritty exploration of human ambition and moral ambiguity within a competitive business environment. The dialogue is characterized by Mamet’s sharp, rhythmic language, adding to the play’s intensity and the portrayal of the salesmen's fraught relationships.
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Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
First produced: 1983; first published, 1983
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Psychological realism
Time of plot: 1982
Locale: Chicago
Principal characters
Shelley Levene , a real estate salesmanJohn Williamson , an office managerDave Moss , a real estate salesmanGeorge Aaronow , a real estate salesmanRichard Roma , a real estate salesmanJames Lingk , a prospective buyerBaylen , a police detective
The Story:
Shelley Levene, Dave Moss, George Aaronow, and Richard Roma are competing in yet another sales promotion contest to sell plots of overpriced, vacant land in a subdivision in Florida. The ruthless bosses Mitch and Murray have decreed that the winner will get a new Cadillac, the runner-up a set of steak knives, and the other two will be fired. All four salesmen are unhappy with the leads (the names, addresses, and phone numbers of supposedly interested prospects) the company is providing and are voicing their complaints to one another as well as to the office manager, John Williamson, a company man who is only obeying orders. Levene is desperate because he has no sales on the board and is having a streak of bad luck. He pleads with Williamson for better leads but gets nowhere with the inflexible office manager, who regards Levene as an over-the-hill loser on his way out.
In a confidential conversation at the Chinese restaurant, Moss suggests to Aaronow that they stage a fake break-in at the office and steal the premium leads, which are considered valuable because they come from good sources and have not yet been worked over. He claims he can sell them to a competitor named Graff and that they can both go to work for him. Moss says Aaronow will receive twenty-five hundred dollars as his share of Graff’s payment for the stolen leads. Aaronow is tempted but afraid of getting caught. In the same Chinese restaurant, Roma, a younger, more successful salesman who seems destined to win the Cadillac, begins to display his sales skills by nearly hypnotizing a gullible prospect named James Lingk with a line of double-talk that insidiously introduces the subject of Glengarry Highlands, the wildly inappropriate name for the Florida swampland the company is currently promoting.
The next morning when Roma comes in to claim the Cadillac because he has made a big sale to Lingk, he discovers that the office has been burglarized. There is broken glass all over the floor and a detective named Baylen is questioning the salesmen one by one. Roma is outraged when he learns that some of the recently executed sales contracts have been stolen, along with some office equipment and the premium leads. To add to his problems, Lingk appears and announces that his wife has demanded that he back out of the land deal. While Roma is trying to stall his balky client by telling him that it will take several days for the paperwork to clear, Williamson blurts out that the contract and Lingk’s check have been sent in to the main office. The frightened Lingk rushes off to get legal help to cancel the deal, while Roma turns on Williamson and curses him roundly for butting into a situation he knows nothing about.
Levene, who is feeling euphoric and rejuvenated because he had made a big sale the night before, heaps his own profane abuse on Williamson for killing Roma’s deal. Inadvertently, however, he reveals guilty knowledge about the break-in. His incriminating statement is to call Williamson a liar. Levene is the only one (besides Williamson himself) who knows that Williamson is lying about the contract and the check. Williamson thinks by lying that he is helping Roma. Lingk’s contract and check have not been sent in but rather are on Williamson’s desk where Levene must have seen them when he was stealing the premium leads.
Levene confesses, pulling out the twenty-five hundred dollars in cash and offering to give all of it to Williamson if he will only keep quiet. Williamson, however, reports Levene to the detective. It is evident that Levene will go to prison along with Moss, on whom he informed, while the two remaining salesmen will continue to pray for better leads and worry about their uncertain futures in their dog-eat-dog business.
Bibliography
Bigsby, C. W. E. David Mamet. New York: Methuen, 1985. A study of Mamet’s life and work, with one chapter devoted to a detailed discussion of Glengarry Glen Ross. Presents an interesting portrait of Mamet that is based partly on personal interviews.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗, ed. The Cambridge Companion to David Mamet. New York: Cambridge, 2004. Collection of newly commissioned essays about Mamet and his work, including a brief biography, overviews of his work for the stage and screen in the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s, and an analysis of Glengarry Glen Ross by Benedict Nightingale.
Carroll, Dennis. David Mamet. New York: Macmillan, 1987. An in-depth study of Mamet’s plays, grouping them thematically, with chapters on business, sex, learning, and communion. The chapter on “Business” compares Glengarry Glen Ross with another popular Mamet play, American Buffalo (1975).
Dean, Anne. David Mamet: Language as Dramatic Action. London: Associated University Presses, 1990. Focuses on Mamet’s poetic use of the American vernacular. Contains many quotes from five of Mamet’s plays and devotes a chapter to Glengarry Glen Ross.
Jones, Nesta, and Steven Dykes, comps. File on Mamet. London: Methuen, 1991. This small book is packed with useful information about Mamet, including excerpts from reviews of various performances of Glengarry Glen Ross. Contains a detailed chronology and a bibliography.
Kane, Leslie, ed. David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross”: Text and Performance. New York: Garland, 1996. Collection of essays interpreting the play and film of Glengarry Glen Ross, including discussions of the male characters, the “position of the female,” the value of money, “pernicious nostalgia,” and the vision of a promised land in the play.
Mamet, David. Writing in Restaurants. New York: Viking Penguin, 1986. A collection of thirty essays in which Mamet expresses his thoughts about a number of subjects, including the theater and film making in Hollywood.
Nadel, Ira Bruce. David Mamet: A Life in the Theatre. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Comprehensive biography of Mamet. Discusses Mamet’s ideas about writing and the genesis of many of his plays.
Price, Steven. The Plays, Screenplays, and Films of David Mamet. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. A collection of criticism of Mamet’s work, including a chapter featuring the key criticism of Glengarry Glen Ross.