Back More
Salem Press

Table of Contents

Introduction to Literary Context: Plays

Speed the Plow by David Mamet

by Jennifer Bouchard, M.Ed.

Content Synopsis

Scene One of this three scene play opens in the office of Hollywood executive Bob Gould. Boxes and painting materials are scattered around the room suggesting that Gould has recently moved into it. His friend and co-worker Charlie Fox enters and tries to talk to Gould who is ranting about the scripts that land on his desk now that he has been promoted. He says they are somewhere between “art” and “entertainment” (Mamet 3). When Fox finally gets a word in, he tells Gould that Doug Brown, a famous actor, came to his house after reading a script that Fox gave him and he wants to make a movie at this studio.

Gould is interested and calls his boss Richard Ross in order to get his approval to green light the picture. Gould assures Fox that he will get a producer credit and Fox thanks Gould and flatters him repeatedly. Gould compliments Fox’s loyalty to the studio. Their plans to meet with Ross get postponed until the next day. Fox is nervous because Doug Brown only gave him until 10 am to decide. Gould assures them it is a done deal.

Fox is wired from the thought of making so much money on a big picture deal. Gould tells him that money is not as important as people and this is a “People Business” (22). Fox cannot wait to settle some scores once he gets the respect he feels is due to him.

Gould shows him the book he is reading as a courtesy to some agent. It is called “The Bridge: or Radiation and the Half-Life of Society. A Study of Decay.” They read from the book aloud, mocking it. Fox and Gould joke that they are going to drop the Doug Brown picture to make this novel into a film.

Karen, Gould’s temporary secretary, brings them coffee. While she is serving them, they half-jokingly call each other “whores” to the movie business (25). Fox reveals his resentment at Gould when they discuss working their way up from the mail room. Gould assures Fox that once he makes it big, people will be out to get him behind his back while sucking up to him in public. Gould tells Karen this business is all “garbage” and people are in it for themselves and everyone thinks they are original. He asks Karen to cancel all his appointments for the rest of the day and make a reservation for him and Fox for lunch.

Once Karen leaves the room, Fox tells Gould that she is not interested in him. Gould says he was not looking to hit on her but Fox does not believe him. Gould is offended that Fox does not think he can get her and Fox bets him five hundred dollars that he cannot get her to go on a date with him and then sleep with her.

Fox leaves and Karen enters to tell Gould that she could not get him a reservation. He tells her that she made a mistake and she realizes she should have told the people at the restaurant who the reservation was for. She apologizes profusely and he tells her there is nothing wrong with being naïve about this business. He starts to tell her about the Doug Brown picture and she asks if it is a good movie. He explains to her that it is a “commodity,” a moneymaker and that he is not an artist (41). His job is to find films that will make money for the studio.

Gould uses the book as an example and explains how Ross told its famous author he would read it, but gave it to Gould to read so he could tell the author that is was a good book but will not work as a movie. Karen asks Gould what he would do if there was actually something in the book worth making a movie about. Gould tells her that he prayed to be pure but that the job has turned him into a “Big Fat Whore” (43). Gould asks Karen to read the book for him and report back to him at his house that evening. She is flattered that he is asking for her feedback and agrees. As she exits, Gould asks her to call Fox and tell him he owes Gould five hundred bucks.

Scene Two takes place at Gould’s apartment later that evening. Karen is reading from the book. She thinks the book is perfect and has been changed by it. Gould thanks her and offers to help her out with a job at the studio. She asks to work on the film. He thinks she is talking about the Doug Brown film but she means the book adaptation. He tells her that he is not going to make that film. She tries to convince him and tells him that she knew he wanted to sleep with her, but once she read the book she felt like it was her destiny. The scene ends when she tells Gould that she is here to answer his prayers.

Scene Three opens the next morning back in Gould’s office. Fox enters and is all excited about the film and wants to ensure that he will get the co-producer credit. Gould tells him that he is not going to make the Doug Brown film. Fox does not believe him and sarcastically tells Gould he should make the radiation film, that it will make a great “summer picture” (62). When Gould finally convinces Fox that he is serious, Fox tells him that this move will ruin his career. Gould tries to explain that the book made him realize that his life is a “sham” and he wants to do something about it (69).

Fox rants and raves at Gould and tries to convince him that Karen has lured him in order to get herself ahead in this business. Gould insists that she understands him. Fox calls Karen in to set things straight. He asks her if she would have slept with Gould had he rejected the book. She says she would not have and Gould is confused. Karen tries to talk to him about making a difference in the world, but Fox pushes her out the door and tells her that he and Gould have to meet with Ross. Karen says, “I don’t belong here” and leaves (80). Gould tries to explain how he got caught up in things because she said he was a good man. The play ends as Fox comforts him and tells him not to mope, that they are here to make a movie and if their names go above the title then life cannot be so bad after all.

Symbols & Motifs

A recurring motif in “Speed the Plow” is the concept of loyalty. Fox repeatedly emphasizes his loyalty to Gould and the studio, and Gould agrees to reward Fox for his loyalty, yet it is obvious that each character is in this business for themselves. Gould easily leaves Fox empty-handed when Karen convinced him to make a movie from the book, but then he just as readily goes back to Fox at the end of the play. The fact that Gould and Fox proudly admit that they are “whores” reinforces this motif.

Power is another important motif in the play. Charlie Fox uses the star power in order to get Bobby Gould to help him get a producer credit on a film. He also uses the claims of his loyalty to manipulate Bobby. Karen uses her sexuality to gain power of Gould in order to get him to side with her. Gould has the power to decide which films he will present to his boss, Richard Ross, the man who although never seen on the stage has the ultimate power in the play.

Historical Context

“Speed the Plow” opened on stage at the Royal Theater in New York on May 3, 1988. Ironically, it starred the prominent Hollywood stars Joe Mantegna as Bobby Gould, Ron Silver as Charlie Fox and Madonna as Karen.

Societal Context

The play satirizes the lifestyle of those in the Hollywood filmmaking business. Mamet, himself a screenwriter, director, and producer, has firsthand experience in the business and therefore, understands its nuances. He explores why some movies get made and others, even if they are good, honest stories, get pushed aside. Money is at the heart of the matter, not truth. Mamet is quoted as saying, “We Americans have always considered Hollywood, at best, a sinkhole of depraved venality. And, of course, it is. It is not a protective monastery of aesthetic truth” (imdb.com). Gould explains to Karen in the play that everyone comes into Hollywood thinking he or she is a “maverick” and then end up making a movie that was already made the year before. Nevertheless, Mamet acknowledges the thrill people get out of being in the business. Gould and Fox admit they are sell outs but also get excited at the possibility of making the next big blockbuster due to the money and recognition that comes with it. In the end, the two men are satisfied that even if they do not make the most original, eye opening film, what counts is that their names are above the title.

Religious Context

“Speed the Plow” does not have a specific religious context.

Scientific & Technological Context

“Speed the Plow” does not have a specific scientific or technological context.

Biographical Context

David Mamet was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 30, 1947 (imdb.com). He attended Goddard College in Vermont and the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater in New York (filmmakers.com). He is married to actress Rebecca Pidgeon and they have two children. He also has two children from a previous marriage (imdb.com). His first successful play was “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” in 1974. He won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for “Glengarry Glen Ross” in 1984, and was also nominated for a Tony Award (imdb.com). “Speed the Plow” was nominated for a Tony in 1988 (imdb.com).

In addition to playwriting, Mamet also writes for the screen and occasionally directs. His first big onscreen success was as a screenwriter for the film “The Untouchables” (filmmakers.com). He later received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay “Wag the Dog” (filmmakers.com).

Mamet is known for his unique dialogue in his plays and films. He tries to recreate natural speak and has his characters speak quickly, stutter and not complete their sentences (imdb.com). He uses a metronome during rehearsals to ensure the actors deliver the lines the way in which he intended (imdb.com).

Works Cited

1 

Filmmakers.com. 20 October 2008. <http://www.filmmakers.com/artists/mamet/biography>

2 

IMDB: Internet Movie Database. Imdb.com, Inc. 30 April 2008. <http://www.imdb.com>

3 

Mamet, David. “Speed the Plow.” New York: Grove Press, 1985.

Discussion Questions

  1. Which character did you most like?

  2. Which character did you like the least?

  3. What does Gould think of his position?

  4. Discuss the way the characters communicate with one another.

  5. Why is Fox constantly flattering Gould?

  6. Do you detect any resentment between the two men? Why?

  7. Do you think Karen is as naïve as she claims to be?

  8. What is the significance of the book about radiation in the play?

  9. What do you think Karen’s motive is for manipulating Gould?

  10. What might Mamet be saying about the movie business?

Essay Ideas

  1. Develop a formal argument, supporting with text evidence, what you consider to be the main statement or theme of the play.

  2. Write a 2–4 page essay in which you analyze Mamet’s use of humor in the play.

  3. Discuss the role of morality in the play. Evaluate whether you think the characters are immoral or whether the business makes them so.

  4. Compare and contrast Bobby Gould to Charlie Fox. Discuss their approach to business as well as their approach to life.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Bouchard, Jennifer. "Speed The Plow By David Mamet." Introduction to Literary Context: Plays,Salem Press, 2014. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=LCPLAY_0028.
APA 7th
Bouchard, J. (2014). Speed the Plow by David Mamet. Introduction to Literary Context: Plays. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Bouchard, Jennifer. "Speed The Plow By David Mamet." Introduction to Literary Context: Plays. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2014. Accessed December 14, 2025. online.salempress.com.