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2.) Find as many pieces of information about the drama as possible.
Title: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Author: Edward Albee
Success: He movie with He regie of Mike Nichols gets five Oscars
Topic: It's about a life of an academic couple, with He names George and
Martha. In their marriage they have many conflicts.
Actors: Elizabeth Taylor - Martha
Richard Burton - George
3.) Write a short biography about the author.
March 12, 1928: Edward Albee was born on March 12 1928 in Washington, D. C. and adopted at the age of two weeks by Reed and Frances Albee. His parents were very wealth through a chain of vaudeville theatres.
1935: Edward Albee sees his first Broadway play Jumbo. Albee attends the elementary school the first time. The family chauffeur drives him to school.
1938: His father encourages him to get a job. He found a job in the Larchmont drugstore. Edward spends the money he got on classical music records.
1943: He is dismissed from Lawrenceville and sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne Pennsylvania. Albee's family live for three years at their home in New York City.
1944: He attends Choate School in Wallingford. During his years here he writes poetry short stories and plays,is active in the school's literary and weekly newspapers and participates in classical music programs on the school's radio station.
1945 : He published his first professional work a poem \"Eighteen\" appears in a Texas literary journal with the name Kaleidograph. In the summer he works as a volunteer writer for the classical music radio station WNYC.
1947: He is dismissed from Trinity College after three semesters and returns at home to live with his parents .He writes for WNYC.
1958: He writes a play The Dispossessed. He writes the first of his successful plays The Zoo Story.
1959: The Zoo Story is produced in German in Berlin. Albee attends the first performance.
1960: The Zoo Story is produced in the U.S. at the Provincetown Playhouse. He begins working on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He directs the national touring production of The Zoo Story.
1961: The Sandbox is broadcast on television as part of the Omnibus show. The American Dream and The Death of Bessie Smith open Off-Broadway. He travels to Argentina with a touring production of The Zoo Story. During the tour Albee's father dies. He does not return for the funeral. Albee travels to Europe .He completes Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
He becomes a professorship at the Wurzburg University in Germany.
1962: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens on Broadway on October 13 with Uta Hagen, Arthur Hill, George Grizzard and Melinda Dillon. The play is a great success it runs for two years. Albee travels to Italy to discuss an Italian production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
1963: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best new play of the year. The play is also nominated for six Tony Awards and wins five: best play, best production, best director, best actress and best actor. Productions of Virginia Woolf open in South Africa, Italy, Sweden and Germany.
He travels through the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe with John Steinbeck as a part of a cultural exchange.
1965: His mother suffers a heart attack. It was the first time in 17 years that he visit her. On a trip to Europe Albee completes A Delicate Balance.
1974: He get a doctorate of Literature from Trinity College from which he is dismissed.
1989: His adoptive mother Frances Albee dies. He directs a production in Los Angeles of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1996: Major revivals of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? open in London, Paris, Stockholm and Coconut Grove Florida. Albee attends each premiere.
1997: He get the National Medal of Arts
3.) Write a short biography about the author.
March 12, 1928: Edward Albee was born on March 12 1928 in Washington, D. C. and adopted at the age of two weeks by Reed and Frances Albee. His parents were very wealth through a chain of vaudeville theatres.
1935: Edward Albee sees his first Broadway play Jumbo. Albee attends the elementary school the first time. The family chauffeur drives him to school.
1938: His father encourages him to get a job. He found a job in the Larchmont drugstore. Edward spends the money he got on classical music records.
1943: He is dismissed from Lawrenceville and sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne Pennsylvania. Albee's family live for three years at their home in New York City.
1944: He attends Choate School in Wallingford. During his years here he writes poetry short stories and plays,is active in the school's literary and weekly newspapers and participates in classical music programs on the school's radio station.
1945 : He published his first professional work a poem \"Eighteen\" appears in a Texas literary journal with the name Kaleidograph. In the summer he works as a volunteer writer for the classical music radio station WNYC.
1947: He is dismissed from Trinity College after three semesters and returns at home to live with his parents .He writes for WNYC.
1958: He writes a play The Dispossessed. He writes the first of his successful plays The Zoo Story.
1959: The Zoo Story is produced in German in Berlin. Albee attends the first performance.
1960: The Zoo Story is produced in the U.S. at the Provincetown Playhouse. He begins working on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He directs the national touring production of The Zoo Story.
1961: The Sandbox is broadcast on television as part of the Omnibus show. The American Dream and The Death of Bessie Smith open Off-Broadway. He travels to Argentina with a touring production of The Zoo Story. During the tour Albee's father dies. He does not return for the funeral. Albee travels to Europe .He completes Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
He becomes a professorship at the Wurzburg University in Germany.
1962: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens on Broadway on October 13 with Uta Hagen, Arthur Hill, George Grizzard and Melinda Dillon. The play is a great success it runs for two years. Albee travels to Italy to discuss an Italian production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
1963: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best new play of the year. The play is also nominated for six Tony Awards and wins five: best play, best production, best director, best actress and best actor. Productions of Virginia Woolf open in South Africa, Italy, Sweden and Germany.
He travels through the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe with John Steinbeck as a part of a cultural exchange.
1965: His mother suffers a heart attack. It was the first time in 17 years that he visit her. On a trip to Europe Albee completes A Delicate Balance.
1974: He get a doctorate of Literature from Trinity College from which he is dismissed.
1989: His adoptive mother Frances Albee dies. He directs a production in Los Angeles of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1996: Major revivals of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? open in London, Paris, Stockholm and Coconut Grove Florida. Albee attends each premiere.
1997: He get the National Medal of Arts
3.) Write a short biography about the author.
March 12, 1928: Edward Albee was born on March 12 1928 in Washington, D. C. and adopted at the age of two weeks by Reed and Frances Albee. His parents were very wealth through a chain of vaudeville theatres.
1935: Edward Albee sees his first Broadway play Jumbo. Albee attends the elementary school the first time. The family chauffeur drives him to school.
1938: His father encourages him to get a job. He found a job in the Larchmont drugstore. Edward spends the money he got on classical music records.
1943: He is dismissed from Lawrenceville and sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne Pennsylvania. Albee's family live for three years at their home in New York City.
1944: He attends Choate School in Wallingford. During his years here he writes poetry short stories and plays,is active in the school's literary and weekly newspapers and participates in classical music programs on the school's radio station.
1945 : He published his first professional work a poem \"Eighteen\" appears in a Texas literary journal with the name Kaleidograph. In the summer he works as a volunteer writer for the classical music radio station WNYC.
1947: He is dismissed from Trinity College after three semesters and returns at home to live with his parents .He writes for WNYC.
1958: He writes a play The Dispossessed. He writes the first of his successful plays The Zoo Story.
1959: The Zoo Story is produced in German in Berlin. Albee attends the first performance.
1960: The Zoo Story is produced in the U.S. at the Provincetown Playhouse. He begins working on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He directs the national touring production of The Zoo Story.
1961: The Sandbox is broadcast on television as part of the Omnibus show. The American Dream and The Death of Bessie Smith open Off-Broadway. He travels to Argentina with a touring production of The Zoo Story. During the tour Albee's father dies. He does not return for the funeral. Albee travels to Europe .He completes Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
He becomes a professorship at the Wurzburg University in Germany.
1962: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens on Broadway on October 13 with Uta Hagen, Arthur Hill, George Grizzard and Melinda Dillon. The play is a great success it runs for two years. Albee travels to Italy to discuss an Italian production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
1963: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best new play of the year. The play is also nominated for six Tony Awards and wins five: best play, best production, best director, best actress and best actor. Productions of Virginia Woolf open in South Africa, Italy, Sweden and Germany.
He travels through the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe with John Steinbeck as a part of a cultural exchange.
1965: His mother suffers a heart attack. It was the first time in 17 years that he visit her. On a trip to Europe Albee completes A Delicate Balance.
1974: He get a doctorate of Literature from Trinity College from which he is dismissed.
1989: His adoptive mother Frances Albee dies. He directs a production in Los Angeles of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1996: Major revivals of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? open in London, Paris, Stockholm and Coconut Grove Florida. Albee attends each premiere.
1997: He get the National Medal of Arts
6.) Give a short plot overview.
One night, a husband and wife come back to their home in a New England college town. Their names are George, who is a professor of history and Martha, who is the daughter of the boss of the college. They have been drinking much alcohol at a party of Martha\'s father.
At home Martha tells George that she has invite a couple, Nick and Honey, to a litlle cocktail party.
When the two have a conflict in the living room, they seem like many other couples after a long and alcoholic party.
But George and Martha know that their relationship is very well, because Martha likes to have sex with strange young and attractive men, for example Nick. When the play progresses tensions within their marriage will erupt and the patterns of their lives may be old forever.
7.) Describe the main characters
In the story of the book ``Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf`` there are four main characters, who are two couples.
Martha
Martha is a woman with the age of 52 and a little bit ample. She is the wife of George, who works in the History departement at New Carthage University. Her father is the president of this university and Martha likes him very much.
Martha is very disappointed with George and his career and therefore they have many conflicts.
She looks very young for her age and she knows this. In this case she likes young and attractive men like the twenty years younger man Nick, who she has an affair.
George
The is a 46-year old man and he is married with Martha. For his age he is very thin, but his hair is going grey. George works in the History departement at New Carthage University. His boss is the father of his wife Martha, so he is always in his shadow. His career is on a very low level.
In his freetime George has written a book about an accident, which killed the parents of a friend.
Nick
Nick is 28 years old and very attractive. He is very smart, because he did his exam when he was 20. Before Nick and his wife Honey came to New Carthage they live in Middle West. He works at New Carthage University,too, but he works in the Biology Departement. Nick knows Honey since their childhood. Maybe Nick married her, because Honey has lot of money.
Summarize the main themes of the book
I think the main themes of the book are alcohol, sexuality, education and death.
Alcohol
Alcohol is one of the main themes in the book, because the whole story plays on a cocktail party in the livingroom of Martha and George. There all people drink amny glasses of alcohol like ,''Brandy''.
At the begining when Honey and Nick come to Marthas and Georges house they haven't drunk alcohol therefore they don't speak often and when they speak only short sentences. But in course they drink many glasses of alcohol and the atmosphere gets better and everybody has at least a little bit fun, because everybody tells something.
Sexuality
Martha wants to tempt Nick. Therefore she has invite Nick and his wife to a cocktail party in their house without the knowledge of her husband George.
The whole time at this party Martha tries to tempt Nick by they dance very close and she called him,''baby'', or something like that.
But Geoerge says nothing, because he knows this, because Martha has often an affair with young, sportive and attractive men.
Education
I think the education is very important for this story, because two professors are main cahracters. Marthas husband is an professor in the History Departement at New Carthage University. Besides he tries to improve the pronounciation of Martha, because she speaks often on a low level, with many grammatical mistakes.
On the other side there is Nick, who is a professor in the Biology Departement at New Carthage University,too. But he is also very clever, because he did his biology exam with the age of twenty and this is very early.
Another reason why education is a main theme in this book is, that Marthas father is the boss of the university in New Carthage. So he had a very good education in his younger years.
Death
Death is a very important theme in this book ,too, because Martha and George think a little bugger, who is the child of them. At the evening of the cocktail party he isn't at home and later they say that he dies in an accident.
Honey
She is 26 years old and in opposite of Nick not very clever. Her father was a famous preacher and a lot of many. When he died Honey gets the money and therefore Nick was interested in her.
Explain the significance of the title, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
In real the tiltle comes from an old song for little children, when they weren't good ''Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Woolf''.
So the parents, who sing that song want to say that the big bad woolf comes when they aren't good.
I think in the plot of the story Martha uses this verse, because she is very dominate and with this verse she want show this. Always when she knows that she is right and George doesn't want to believe this she starts to sing that song.
11.) What is the significance of sexuality in the play?
I mean that the sexuality in the play is only important for Martha, because she invites the couple Honey and Nick, because she likes the look of Nick. So she wants to tempt Nick the whole night, therefore she changes her clothes and comes with very attractive and provocative clothes in the livingroom again. But her plan isn't top secret, because she tempts him in the presence of Honey and George, but nobody says anything.
When she speaks with Nick, she speaks only about his sportive body and his eyes. In this case she named him ,'' baby''.
Later when everybody has drunk some alcoholic drinks, Martha dances very close with Nick and Honey and George look only.
After this dance Nick and Martha go in the bedroom of George and her, where they have sex.
A few moments later when Nick and Martha are ready, she insults Nick, because he wasn't good, because nobody can be good for her, because she is ,''mother earth''.
12.) Why do Martha and George decide to tear each other apart in front of Honey and Nick?
At first I think that they have many conflicts at this evening, because they want to be in the centre of this evening. But maybe that is a piece of Marthas plan to tempt Nick, because she wants to show Nick that their relationship isn't going well.
13.) How does religion, pagan and Christian, function in the play?
On the one hand Honeys father was a famous preacher and therefore she is religious woman. But on the other hand Martha and the other characters uses terms with the meaning of God or for example Jesus. This you can see on page five in the sixst line, when Martha curses ,''Jesus''. In line nine curses George ,'' For God's sake...''.
So you can say that the religion isn't important for the characters in the plot, they uses these terms only, because it is the everyday speak.
14.) Why do you think George tells the story about his childhood friend who accidentally killed both of his parents? What implications could it have thematically?
I think George tells this story, because he wants to shock Nick in which area he grew up, although he has a good education and is very conservative, because his pronounciation is very good and his behaviour,too.
Another reason why George tells this story is, that he wants to stand in the centre of this event. Maybe he wants to has sympathy, because I think it's very bad to lose a friend and perhaps it was a good friend of him.
So George gets a second face.
15. What is the significance of everyone drinking so much?
I think it's very important for the plot, because without the alcohol or only a little bit the story has another sence, because both couples would show the happy site of their relationships, but this isn't the reality.
Many say that alcohol shows the right face of a person, because in this situation they don't realy know what they do.
This argument explains the plot, because I mean Nick hadn't had sex with Martha without alcohol.
With the influence of alcohol Nick says that he doesn't love Honey in real, but he needs her money.
16.) Why is it important that George is a history professor, whereas Nick is a biologist? How do these two disciplines relate to their characters?
History is a boring science, because history tells only things of the past. In this case history professors speaks about old and last events. But the persons who live in this time are interested in new experiences and adventures.
An example for this is that the most history professors wear very consevative clothes and understand no fun. They speak in another register and have a good pronounciation.
All this points describe the character of George, because he wears old and uncolored clothes, he has glasses for his eyes, he has a good pronounciation and therefore he improves Martha very often, besides he speaks always about his past and he writes a book about his childhood.
In opposite of this point Nick is a professor in biology. This science occupies with new experiences and developments. I think these persons have an open character and are open for everything what is new. Mostly biology professors are younger than other teachers of professors.
In the time of the story the biologist have discover the structure of the DNS, the code of life.
In the story Nick plays a young attractive man who is open for everything, he speaks with everybody and he is very interested in their storys.
17.) Why would Edward Albee set this play at a cocktail party (rather than at a family dinner or on a vacation or at an amusement park, etc.)?
I think Edward Albee set this play at a cocktail party, because the cocktail party is in the house of Martha and George and this is a very small room for a story. In the whole story they are in the house and drink alcohol. So it's very positive for the reader, because he can understand the story better. For example when Albee set this story at an funfair, the reader must read very well, because at a funfair are many people, who are very loud and the place is to big.
But on the other hand it plays at a cocktail party, because he wants to show the position of the couples in society, because cocktails are very expensive, but both couples have much money and the men have good jobs.
18.) A great deal of what goes into a play is visual rather than simply literary. How would you set up the stage if you were directing this play? What customes would you use for the characters? What actors would you cast in the parts?
I think I would set up the stage on a beach or a lake, because there it's mostly romantic and this stand in opposite to the four characters. There they would be in the nature and drink much alcohol, too. But there they would sit on a fire and tell many stories of their past, like George in the real story. The nature would stand for Nick and his science. He would explain all kinds of trees or plants. The romantic atmosphere is for Marthas character because she wants to tempt Nick and in this case it's a good place, because in nature they would go to a secret place, where nobody can see their event, like George in the real story.
Honey is so drunken that she runs away in the wood or something. So everybody must search her, because they are afraid about her.
19.) What significance does Honey's weakness and vomiting have? Why would Albee create her to be so often sick?
She is the one and only who passes out. So she stands in opposite to the other characters, because I think the others are dominating, because they have an own opinion and they say it.
On the other site she is a thin and blond woman who isn't very clever. So she hasn't an own opinion and likes everything what the others like.
And today blond woman are a sign for uncleverness, because many people tell jokes about them.
21.) Write your personal opinion about the drama. Did you like it? Why?
I think the story of the book shows the real life, because in every life there are some facts which aren't very good, like the relationship between George and Martha.
Today many people tries to lose their problems with alcohol, because they mean so they are free humans.
But in the other case I think it's very exaggerate and therefore very complicated for the reader, because all characters are very different and haven't the same opinions.
Often the characters scream and they don't know what they do.
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