Call number
812 ALB
Collection
Publication
Signet (1983)
Description
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").
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member JenMDB
I felt like I had been up drinking all night by the time I finished the book. Can't really say there is anything I liked about the play - certainly not the characters or their mind games.
LibraryThing member funstm
Honestly, reading this play made me feel anxious. It was fast paced and verging on the edge of madness. They're all batshit crazy and very unlikeable. Apparently it's a classic for portraying a darker side of romantic relationships on stage and the inner secrets of a marriage - and at the time it
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undoubtedly would've been groundbreaking to confront the idea that marriages were more than the facade presented to the public. But while I can appreciate that it was scandalous at the time, it's hard to remember that when pretty much all you see these days are divorces, split families and mental breakdowns. 1.5 stars, rounded up to 2 for appreciating that it was radical and trailblazing at the time. Show Less
LibraryThing member Petroglyph
George and Martha are a middle-aged couple who live on a New England university campus; he teachers History, she is the Dean's daughter. They invite a new colleague and his wife over for a nightcap after a university function and, as the night wears on and the drinking grows heavier, subject them
I suspect the revelations in the third act were supposed to make their relationship seem poignant or even tragic or something, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. George and Martha are vicious assholes who chose to be that way and who choose to continue down that path: they’re entirely responsible for all their nastiness and bullshit, and I see no reason to pity them or even think of them as 3D-characters. They are the Serious Literature equivalents of that one-dimensional Big Bad from dreadfully written genre fiction, who is just evil for no adequately explained reason.
It was at least a little creative, though, and the buildup in acts one and two was good, and so I’ll give it two stars.
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to their twisted hate games. For George and Martha loathe each other: their intentionally toxic relationship consists mainly of sniping at each other about flaws real or imagined -- mediocrity, adultery, patricide, overbearing parents. They are vindictive assholes whose only joy is found in going out of their way to be hurtful to each other; their guests are largely there to turn the whole thing into a fetishistic performance. I suspect the revelations in the third act were supposed to make their relationship seem poignant or even tragic or something, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. George and Martha are vicious assholes who chose to be that way and who choose to continue down that path: they’re entirely responsible for all their nastiness and bullshit, and I see no reason to pity them or even think of them as 3D-characters. They are the Serious Literature equivalents of that one-dimensional Big Bad from dreadfully written genre fiction, who is just evil for no adequately explained reason.
It was at least a little creative, though, and the buildup in acts one and two was good, and so I’ll give it two stars.
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LibraryThing member kell1732
I found it rather funny to read this book right after reading “Three Guineas”. Why I didn’t read it sooner I’m not sure considering how big a fan I am of Virginia Woolf but who knows why I do the things I do.
Anyway, this play is now on my top 5 list of plays alongside “Streetcar Named
Essentially, this play is about four people who get together after a faulty party at a university and proceed to lie about their lives, not just to each other but to themselves. None of their lives are the way they say and throughout the play we get to see these lies crumble before them.
In fact, their allusion to Virginia Woolf is really quite amazing and in my opinion a nod to her fearless insight into the reality of things. The question, “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?” comes up often in the play, mostly in the form of a song. This question forms the basis of the play by cryptically asking the question, “Who’s afraid to live without false illusions?”
It is an absolutely brilliant play that I will probably read multiple times and would love to see performed. Adding that to my growing bucket list. This play becomes a lesson in how the illusions we make about our lives do not only affect the people that we tell them to, but will in the end be our undoing. The best way to go is the way of no illusion.
Anyway, this play is now on my top 5 list of plays alongside “Streetcar Named
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Desire” and “No Exit”. I constantly find myself amazed at just how much story can be told by just having people sitting in one room and talking (or in this case yelling) at each other.Essentially, this play is about four people who get together after a faulty party at a university and proceed to lie about their lives, not just to each other but to themselves. None of their lives are the way they say and throughout the play we get to see these lies crumble before them.
In fact, their allusion to Virginia Woolf is really quite amazing and in my opinion a nod to her fearless insight into the reality of things. The question, “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?” comes up often in the play, mostly in the form of a song. This question forms the basis of the play by cryptically asking the question, “Who’s afraid to live without false illusions?”
It is an absolutely brilliant play that I will probably read multiple times and would love to see performed. Adding that to my growing bucket list. This play becomes a lesson in how the illusions we make about our lives do not only affect the people that we tell them to, but will in the end be our undoing. The best way to go is the way of no illusion.
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LibraryThing member amydross
ugh, this was simply painful. of course it was supposed to be, but honestly I don't think this play stands the test of time. I'm sure it was very brave in the early 60s to show how brutal and cruel married people can be, but we all know that story now. a modicum of nuance or tonal variety might
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have been nice... Show Less
LibraryThing member sgerbic
Reviewed April 2001
I’ve always heard about this play and wanted to know what it is all about. So I snatched it up at the book fair for 50 cents and read it in one evening in a San Francisco hotel. I had no knowledge of its contents except that it is famous. I hated it. The characters were well
9-2001
I’ve always heard about this play and wanted to know what it is all about. So I snatched it up at the book fair for 50 cents and read it in one evening in a San Francisco hotel. I had no knowledge of its contents except that it is famous. I hated it. The characters were well
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written and very well defined, as a reader you have sympathy for each in turn. I really hated the story: Only 4 characters and all the scenes are played in one room, this isn’t the problem. I did not like the way the main couple George and Martha bickered and belittled each other in front of the young couple. And the drinking! Maybe that was commonplace in the 60s but i can’t imagine people drinking that much and continuing to talk The ending leaves the reader very sad. This couple is so connected with each other and the loss of all their dreams, very sad. I don’t understand the significance of Virginia Woolf. i also see that Elizabeth Tyler and Richard Burton once played the lead roles, the reviewer of the book sad audiences were held spellbound. I guess I just don’t get it.9-2001
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LibraryThing member mstrust
Middle-aged couple George and Martha invite young Nick and Honey to their home for an after-party at two a.m. The younger couple have just moved and Nick has taken a post at the small New England college that Martha's father has run for decades. George is also a teacher there, in a position he has
Fifty years on and this is still a script that jolts with its brutal outbursts, confessions, brief flashes of gentleness and non-stop drinking. How do they remain standing, let along speaking coherently?
I heard Albee on NPR about a year ago and they were taking calls. I don't know how old he is now but he had lost none of his forcefulness and corrected each person who mispronounced his name, telling them, "It's All-bee!"
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maintained for years rather than moving up as both he and his wife expected. The years of disappointment have created a woman who screeches rage at her husband and a man who dissects others to find their sore spots and make himself feel stronger.Fifty years on and this is still a script that jolts with its brutal outbursts, confessions, brief flashes of gentleness and non-stop drinking. How do they remain standing, let along speaking coherently?
I heard Albee on NPR about a year ago and they were taking calls. I don't know how old he is now but he had lost none of his forcefulness and corrected each person who mispronounced his name, telling them, "It's All-bee!"
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LibraryThing member Amzzz
Who's Afraid of this play? I am! Still not sure I entirely understand it but definitely a scary look into the world of some twisted relationships and an exploration into some interesting characters.
LibraryThing member jburlinson
A virtually indestructible theatrical construction; although that demolition expert Elizabeth Taylor certainly gave the film version her very best shot, the material somehow survived. The original broadway cast (Uta Hagan, Arthur Hill, George Grizzard and Melinda Dillon) could never be eclipsed,
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but every staging I've ever seen, almost all of them amateur productions, has worked. George's monologue on "bergin" has served as an audition piece for God knows how many actors. BTW, the answer to the question that begins the play, "What's that from?", is Beyond the Forest, a film that actually serves as a pretty meaningful allusion. Show Less
LibraryThing member yoursources
This dazzling work of gut-wrenching dark comedy presents perhaps the most memorable of married couples...in its power to strip away layer after layer of a social pretense to expose the naked nerve of truth, [the play] is one of the most riveting and unforgettable experiences of the American theater.
LibraryThing member vicarofdibley
A classic can't help but see The Burton's in my minds eye
LibraryThing member pnielsen12
Great play; but riveting movie. Hard to add to so many excellent observations. But I have always felt this was a play about how detrimental conformity can be. George and Martha have to conform to the stereotype of professor and wife. The trade off for job security and social acceptance wears away
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at them both individually and as a couple. Their periodic over indulgence in alcohol reveals their quashed dreams to their guests and is a warning that complete pandering to authority anywhere, diminishes self-worth. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carmenere
At first glance the middle aged main characters George and Martha reminded me of [The Twits] a Roald Dahl classic. Their constant bickering and mean, vindictive mind games made me question their love for each other. In another respect it was as if it was used as somekind of bent mating ritual.
Their
The conversation between the couples is almost unbelievable. Almost too cutting, provocative and prying for people who have just met each other this very night. In this way the play seems to date itself. It seems very 1960ish, when swingers were the rage and alcohol flowed freely.
I came away with George being misunderstood by his wife yet very perceptive and in a way helped this young couple realize what they really wanted out of life. I recommend this interesting and thought provoking read.
Their
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mind games continue when they begin to prey upon a young couple visiting them after a dinner party.The conversation between the couples is almost unbelievable. Almost too cutting, provocative and prying for people who have just met each other this very night. In this way the play seems to date itself. It seems very 1960ish, when swingers were the rage and alcohol flowed freely.
I came away with George being misunderstood by his wife yet very perceptive and in a way helped this young couple realize what they really wanted out of life. I recommend this interesting and thought provoking read.
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
I read this just after seeing the 1966 film. It deals with two couples, the middle-aged Martha and George, and the young Nick and Honey. The older couple's twisted marriage is based on vicious banter and constant mind games. The younger couple seems sweet at first, but after a short time and a lot
The play takes place in one evening at George and Martha's home. It's a fascinating look at dysfunctional relationships. You have moments of compassion for each of the characters, but in the end realize they are each in a hell of their own making. Their selfish choices and desperate attacks on each other's psyche make it hard to truly sympathize with any of them.
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of alcohol the cracks in their foundation begin to appear.The play takes place in one evening at George and Martha's home. It's a fascinating look at dysfunctional relationships. You have moments of compassion for each of the characters, but in the end realize they are each in a hell of their own making. Their selfish choices and desperate attacks on each other's psyche make it hard to truly sympathize with any of them.
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LibraryThing member Schmerguls
862 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? A Play, by Edward Albee (read 26 Jul 1966) I admit I remember the movie better than my reading of this. The movie was a 1966 movie and I don't recall if I saw the move before I read the play, but I suspect I did. I had an affirmative reaction to both the play and
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the movie. Show Less
LibraryThing member heidigilia
Grade 11-12
I felt this book was a little hard to understand in the beginning but once you start to get an understanding of the characters you can see the story unfold. The setting takes place one night at the house of Martha and George. Martha and George are a middle aged couple that like to banter
This story shows us how dysfunctional people can be. We also see that sometime conforming to something you are not happy to conform to might make you miserable and a little crazy.
Rating:
I like that you really had to pay attention to what was going on or you would be lost even more. I like the mystery and humor behind the characters. However I did feel confused at times. I did like that I was able to picture the scenes and liked the description of how the characters were saying things. I felt I would read those line with that tone.
I felt this book was a little hard to understand in the beginning but once you start to get an understanding of the characters you can see the story unfold. The setting takes place one night at the house of Martha and George. Martha and George are a middle aged couple that like to banter
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back and forth. We also start to see that a lot of what they are doing to each other are little games, for their own pleasure. The young couple that come over for an evening of drinks is a new to town couple, Honey and Nick. Nick and George both work at the University that Martha's father runs. This story shows us how dysfunctional people can be. We also see that sometime conforming to something you are not happy to conform to might make you miserable and a little crazy.
Rating:
I like that you really had to pay attention to what was going on or you would be lost even more. I like the mystery and humor behind the characters. However I did feel confused at times. I did like that I was able to picture the scenes and liked the description of how the characters were saying things. I felt I would read those line with that tone.
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LibraryThing member Ceilidhann
Pretty much a masterpiece in the excruciatingly awkward.
LibraryThing member rsubber
Brutal, stark, hatefully appealing. One reads this play in order to feel more clean. George and Martha cannot escape from descent into the maelstrom.
LibraryThing member 391
Reading the play doesn't compare in any way to the power of seeing it live. It's an interesting read - not quite a nail-biter, but certainly not dreary. It really takes a few read thoughs to really digest; there's so much power interplay and twists and turns that it's difficult to put down after
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one reading. That being said, almost every single character annoyed the hell out of me. Show Less
LibraryThing member Devil_llama
One of the all time theatre classics, and with good reason. The raw brutality of the games played by the leading characters, the way in which they pull in the other characters, is genius. What is going on? Why are two people destroying each other, and in front of company? Why do the guests stay,
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when they could end it all simply by walking out the door? The psychological and physical torment the characters subject each other to just continues to build until the rather surprising ending. Never put this down in the middle thinking you understand George and Martha; if you haven't stuck with them to the bitter end, you haven't got a clue. Not for the faint of heart. Show Less
LibraryThing member ReneePaule
This is such a sad play, but a very important one too. Dreams fall apart and that makes life so tough to cope with, especially when we try to keep hold of them.
LibraryThing member jonfaith
Tandem read with the Mrs. I appreciated the idea that there was Beethoven on the jukebox.
LibraryThing member asxz
I think we read this in school more than 30 years ago. I've definitely seen the Taylor-Burton movie. But in revisiting this text, it was clear to me how much I had forgotten about the toxic nastiness and raw viciousness being played out here. I can't imagine what it must have been like seeing this
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performed on stage back in the early 60s. Really shocking piece of theatre in the best possible way. Show Less
LibraryThing member DanielSTJ
Remarkable! A pleasure to read.
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
A play which is little more than a knock-down drag out fight. The protagonists are skilled eviscerators and have been married for twenty years. In between the fireworks, the considerable need of this pair for each other, and their complete failure to re-assure each other becomes naked, and
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curiously compelling. but it not easy fun, and it does evoke some uncomfortable introspection by the audience. Show Less
Awards
Tony Award (Winner — Play — 1963)
Grammy Award (Winner — 1964)
New York Drama Critics' Circle Award (Play — 1962-1963)
Outer Critics Circle Award (Winner — 1962-1963)
Notable Books List (1963)