Plot
What word does Act I start and end with?
Jesus!
What is the meaning of: "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf"?
"Who's afraid of reality?"
What does Walpurgisnacht mean? How does it tie into the events seen in Act II?
It is the Witches Sabbath, a night when the demons come out to sing, dance, drink, and become intimate. Seen with how the characters sing, dance, drink, and become intimate.
Who said: "And the west, encumbered by crippling alliances, and burdened with a morality too rigid to accommodate itself to the swing of events, must...eventually...fall."
George. (Albee 191)
Who did Albee model Martha after?
His foster mother.
How does Honey reflect the theme of appearance vs. reality?
She appears unintelligent, when in reality she is very cunning, manipulative, and brilliant.
What moral message does Albee present in the play?
“live with integrity/honesty/awareness”...don't hide behind illusions, face problems head on, and know that you’re in a cold, uncaring world, so we have to be true to each other.
What is an exorcism? What is being exorcised in Act III?
The eviction of evil...the truth is being exorcised in Act III.
Who said: "who can make me happy and I do not wish to be happy, and yes, I do wish to be happy."
Martha. (Albee 202).
What does Albee think of society's American Dream?
He believes that it is a myth...that the American Dream isn't something definite.
How does the relationship between George and Martha contrast the relationship between Nick and Honey?
George and Martha truly love each other, while Nick and Honey do not.
What is significant about the setting of the play?
New Carthage alludes to the ancient Phoenician empire, Carthage, which was sterilized and destroyed during the Punic Wars...serves as a warning for American society.
Why does Albee have George and Nick discuss genetic engineering?
To address the fears of the future that American society is edging towards.
Who said: "Hell, I don't know when you people are lying, or what."
Nick
How did Albee's foster parents indirectly influence his career as a playwright?
They frequently took him to see plays, which introduced his affinity towards theatre and sparked his passion for writing plays.
In Act 2, George tells Nick a story about one of his friends...what was it about?
A boy who accidentally shot his mother, and ordered "bergin and water". Then in the following summer swerved to avoid hitting a porcupine, and in doing so killed his father, and then went mad after learning what he had done
Why is the line "Grant them eternal rest. O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Rescue me, O Lord, from eternal death in that awful day when the heavens and the earth shall come to judge the world by fire." from the Catholic Mass for the dead significant?
It is a prayer pleading to be spared during the second coming of Christ...serves as a warning of the destruction of mankind if it continues down it's ignorant path.
Why is the lack of mothers/infertility significant?
Shows the stagnancy/sterility of American society during this period...also to entertain the fear that this would be end of America (no new generations to take over).
Who said: "There's something inside the bone...the marrow...and that's what you gotta get at."
George
How did Albee identify sexually? How did this impact the development of the couples in the play?
He identified as homosexual, which led him to portray heterosexual marriages in their unhappiest of times.
What is George's unpublished novel about?
A teenage boy who accidentally kills his parents.
At the conclusion of Act III, what does Albee make clear to his readers?
That in a way we are all afraid of reality...that all we have is each other .
Why does Albee reference Bette Davis in Act I?
Bette Davis often portrayed unsympathetic, nasty women...mirrors Martha's character
Who said: "Truth and illusion. Who knows the difference,"
George. (Albee 213).
Why does Albee incorporate excessive alcohol consumption in the play?
To show the character's recklessness and to allow illusions to fall apart into reality