Summary for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee

            Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf

                                                       -Edward Albee

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is a play written by the American dramatist Edward Albee. Albee is known for his blunt criticism. This play was published in the year 1962. The play is about “marital conflict but its major theme is the need to rid life of fantasies and to face realities”. This play symbolizes the world where love, life, passions and the creative act are machine made.

Martha and George are miserable couple. As the play commences the couple returns home from a party held at Martha’s father’s house. Her father is the president of a college. Martha’s husband is working in the same college as professor in the department of History. She desires her husband should become the head of the department. She is highly domineering and assertive. She is six years older to George.

George and Martha are leading a frustrated life for around twenty-three years. She lives in a world of fantasy and illusion. The couple remain childless and they create a fantasy child to compensate for their own sterility.

Martha expresses her frustration towards her husband through open vulgarity both vocal and physical. At the beginning George tolerates those tortures. But later he is unable to tolerate the tortures implied on him. He takes revenge upon the woman by killing the imaginary son. He hits her and shatters Martha.

In this play Albee breaks the illusion persistent between George and Martha. At the end everything gets shattered.