Play depicting present-day life on the campus of a small New England college.

Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? shocked audiences and critics alike with its assault on decorum. At base though, the play is simply a love story: an examination of a long-wedded life, filled with the hopes, dreams, disappointments, and pain that accompany the passing of many years together. While the ethos of the play is tragicomic, it is the anachronistic, melodramatic secret object—the nonexistent "son"—that upends the audience’s sense of theatrical normalcy. The mean and vulgar bile spewed among the characters hides these elements, making it feel like something entirely "new." As Michael Y. Bennett reveals, the play is the same emperor, just wearing new clothes. In short, it is straight out of the grand tradition of living room drama: Ibsen, Chekhov, Glaspell, Hellmann, O’Neill, Wilder, Miller, Williams, and Albee.

George, a disillusioned academic, and Martha, his caustic wife, have just come home from a faculty party. When a handsome young professor and his mousy wife stop by for a nightcap, an innocent night of fun and games quickly turns dark and dangerous. Long-buried resentment and rage are unleashed as George and Martha turn their rapier-sharp wits against each other, using their guests as pawns in their verbal sparring. By night's end, the secrets of both couples are uncovered and the lies they cling to are exposed. Considered by many to be Albee's masterpiece, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is a "brilliantly original work of art -- an excoriating theatrical experience, surging with shocks of recognition and dramatic fire" ("Newsweek").

Written in an easy-to-read, accessible style by teachers with years of classroom experience, Masterwork Studies are guides to the literary works most frequently studied in high school. Presenting ideas that spark imaginations, these books help students to gain background knowledge on great literature useful for papers and exams. The goal of each study is to encourage creative thinking by presenting engaging information about each work and its author. This approach allows students to arrive at sound analyses of their own, based on in-depth studies of popular literature. Each volume: -- Illuminates themes and concepts of a classic text -- Uses clear, conversational language -- Is an accessible, manageable length from 140 to 170 pages -- Includes a chronology of the author's life and era -- Provides an overview of the historical context -- Offers a summary of its critical reception -- Lists primary and secondary sources and index

A bitter marriage unravels in Edward Albee's darkly humorous play—winner of the Tony Award for Best Play. “Twelve times a week,” answered actress Uta Hagen when asked how often she’d like to play Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In the same way, audiences and critics alike could not get enough of Edward Albee’s masterful play. A dark comedy, it portrays husband and wife George and Martha in a searing night of dangerous fun and games. By the evening’s end, a stunning, almost unbearable revelation provides a climax that has shocked audiences for years. With its razor-sharp dialogue and the stripping away of social pretense, Newsweek rightly foresaw Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as “a brilliantly original work of art—an excoriating theatrical experience, surging with shocks of recognition and dramatic fire [that] will be igniting Broadway for some time to come.”

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2, University of Graz (Anglistik), course: Literary Studies II, language: English, abstract: ''I don't want to kiss you, Martha.'' George in Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf This turns out to be quite a significant statement by George in Edward Albee ́s drama Who ́s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, giving an idea of the unemotional and passionless relationship between him and his wife Martha. By investigating the play, many scenes and indication to hidden sexuality can be encountered. In addition to that the lack of communication within the two couples, originating from two different generations, result in a complete incapability of managing their relationships. This paper examines how Edward Albee, by highlighting themes of sexuality, reveals general frustrations in life. Frustrated, unsatisfied marriage is a central theme in Albee's Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf and will be investigated by means of dissecting scenes and certain passage of importance.