Pendulum
Martin McDonagh observes, “As the play begins, a three-foot by three-foot mahogany box, suspended by a thick rope from an unseen roof beam, slowly and theatrically swings into view and, like a pendulum, swings back and forth from left to right, but it does so as if in slow motion” ( Part 1, scene 1). The figurative pendulum accentuates the dramatic motion of the box. A reader would envisage the box’s swaying due to the portrayal of the vacillation in terms of course.
“Puzzle and Poem”
The narrator states, “You could call it a puzzle, or you could call it a poem” (Part 1, scene 1). Here, the narrator is referring to the swinging box which is comparable to a puzzle since its contents and purpose are enigmatic. Besides, it is comparable to a poem due to the artistic nature of its form and sense of motion.
