What The Hell Am I Reading?: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Review

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, by Edward Albee, is a startling commentary on the pitfalls of marital life and the compressing, suffocating effects of gender roles and competition. In fact, the word “suffocating” encapsulates much of the essence of this play and, in my opinion, summarises its messages. Physically, it is set in one kitchen for the entire three acts, with the same four characters simply entering and re-entering. From just reading it, the atmosphere feels constricted and tight. And then there’s the characters. Each one slowly being suffocated in their respective marriages, their careers and their own perceptions of themselves and the world around them. They, (explicitly Martha and George) allow damage and hurt to infiltrate their lives in every way possible, and in a sense, are suffocating themselves in doing so. It is a very interesting way of writing - how at first Albee implies that someone else has their hands around the characters’ necks, when in fact, as it is revealed at the end, each person has a hand in their own downfall. 

This is where competition comes in. The two sets of couples - the older, chaotic and disturbed Martha and George and the young, ambitious and seemingly-perfect Nick and Honey - are instantly put at odds from the moment Nick and Honey enter. In simply bearing witness to Martha and George’s tirades and abuse towards each other, Nick and Honey are introduced as the “better” couple. Then, this is translated into competition professionally. Nick is more successful in his career than George, he has more status and much more potential. Martha is presented as Honey’s rival too, dressing and acting seductively in order to “win” Nick, whilst the plain, unintelligent Honey is being sick in the bathroom. This whole idea of competing, of jealously and of winning is clearly shown to be the catalyst to hatred, greed and, most significantly, lies. 

By the end, this is a play about lies. And this is so apparent that, as soon as I had put the book down, the whole world that I had just experienced felt entirely false. This must have been Albee's intention, as it did lead me to consider my own world and the ways I speak to myself and to my peers, especially within intense and emotional conversations or relationships. Through Martha and George’s embedded rivalry with each other, which has clearly grown in size and power over their marriage, they use their own imagination and falsehoods as artillery, firing lie after lie at one another. It is clear that what started out as a game or coping mechanism, wether that be one that was private or shared in their relationship, has now infested the air around them and become so real that neither of them can tell what is true and what is false. And so, when placing this idea in our own lives, we must consider how truly honest we are to ourselves and our partners, and how genuine any of our actions are. Society, for hundreds of years, has relied upon progression and competition and through this play, we can see how this constant battle between us and those around us erases humanity of any love or peace or truth. These things are oxygen to us and without love, peace and truth, we will suffocate.