Johannes Gutenberg- Universität Mainz
Fachbereich Angewandte Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaft in Germersheim
Institut für Anglistik, Amerikanistik und Anglophonie
Course: American Drama: Major developments in the 20th century

"All the world´s a stage": Acting and role-playing in
"Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf"

by: Daniela Artuso

Contents

Introduction

1 The acting in Albee´s drama Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1.1 Martha and George and their relationship
1.2 Nick and Honey and their relationship

2 Different roles and the role- playing of the protagonists

2.1 The role of Martha
2.2 The role of George
2.3 The role of Nick
2.4 The role of Honey
2.5 The child and its particular role in Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf?

3 „All the world´s a stage“- games and rituals in Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf?

3.1 The different games and rituals and their meanings

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

The famous play Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf?, written by Edward Albee in 1962, is the subject of this essay. Albee, one of the most important American playwrights of the second half of the 20th century, is the link between the nearly elderly generation of playwrights such as Eugene O´Neill, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams, and the playwrights from the 1970´s and modern drama. Albee writes plays about the traditional American dreams and myths. But unlike O´Neill or Williams, he tells stories about people and their lies, illusions and the destruction of some of their lifelong lies, which helped them to survive. With Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf?, he created a drama about love, hate, truth, and illusion. It is nearly a mixture between a “livingroom- comedy and a naturalistic tragedy” (Eisenmann 93). The play is not a pure realistic play, it contains absurdist elements- for example the games, rituals and metaphors which are used by the protagonists. In this essay, I will give an overview of the games between the protagonists Martha and George, Nick and Honey and the battles between them. In this context, I will show how the protagonists act and which roles they have to underline and to support the cruel intentions of the others. For this purpose, the child, the imaginary son of Martha and George, gets an important role in the play. In this regard, the issue, whose purpose the games and the individual roles that the protagonists have, is to be questioned. Why do Martha and George act in the way we know and which role do Nick and Honey have in the battles between Martha and George? Which purpose shall be served by the son? With this following essay I will try to emphasize the individual roles and the acting and behaviour of the protagonists and I will give an explanation for the games and their meanings in Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

1 The acting in Albee´s drama Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Edward Albee created a drama which plays with realistical problems and absurdic issues. The protagonists behave in different ways which seem initially as spontaneous readiness for diverse quarrels and later on for diverse battles, but by knowing Albee´s intentions about his drama, you see, that these battles are never “spontaneous” but planned and some kind of familiar games between Martha and George.Especially these two have their diverse battles and act in particular ways. Martha and George have some kind of war, which shows a “spectacular display of verbal sparring and oneupmanship”(Hirsch 24). But moreover, Honey and Nick have special roles, they do not have an honestly leaded relationship. They are a young couple, but you find out that their relationship is not characterized by love. Some examples for the diverse behaviours will be given in the next chapters.

1.1 Martha and George and their relationship

Martha and George act in a shocking way in Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Albee created a dramatic portrayal of the destructive, he showed some kind of sado- masochistic battles. It is obvious that Martha and George have a love- hate and a deranged relationship, they have a marital warfare.

Whereas George is a shape- tongued, but ineffectual professor of history, he is a tired and defeated teacher who is always in his father- in- law´s shadow. This becomes obvious when Martha calls him a “flop” (Albee 71) and compares him to her successful father. Martha is a complaining wife, she often makes fun of his reactions, provokes him and does not act like a lovingly wife. Martha humiliates George in every way she can. At the beginning of the play, she wants to play some “quiz games”, for example the test about the Bette Davis- song.

Martha (looks around in the room. Imitates Bette Davis). What a
dump! Hey, what´s that from? `What a dump!´
George. How would I know what...
Martha. Aw, come on! What´s it from? You know...
George. ...Martha...
Martha. What´s it from, for christ´s sake?
(....)
Martha. Dumbbell! It´s from some goddamn Bette Davis picture....some
goddamn Warner Brothers epic... (Albee 6)

Martha berates her husband for not remembering the film sequel is from and makes her jokes, whereas he is just irritated and does not want to participate in her games. The second surprising action of Martha´s provocations is the fact that she has invited some guests Honey and Nick- who will come over now at two o`clock in the morning after the other party where Martha and George spent the evening.

George (moving to the portable bar). Well, I don´t suppose a nightcap`d kill
either one of us...
Martha. A nightcap! Are you kidding? We´ve got guests.
George (disbelieving). We`ve got what?
Martha. Guests. GUESTS.
George. Guests! (Albee 9)

George is not amused by Martha´s idea of having guests so late and he tells Martha that he wishes she “would stop springing things on him all the time” (Albee 11), but Martha´s reaction is not better, she – “friendly- patronizing” (Albee 11) irritates George by moaning “Poor Georgie- Porgie, put- upon pie! ....Awwwwww....” (Albee 11). This shows how little she respects George and his feelings by scoffing at him. But further more, when he does not show any anger, she provokes more and more by singing the song “Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf, Virginia Woolf, Virginia Woolf.....Ha ha ha Ha! (No reaction)...”(Albee 12). Later, when Honey and Nick are already in the house, Martha humiliates George in front of the guests when she tells them of the boxing match George had with her surplus- father. She brings out George´s wound from the past mainly his manliness, in consideration of her father.

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