1. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe
The Play

2. Act I: Fun and Games

3. Religious Allusion
‘Jesus H. Christ’ – the play opens with a religious allusion. What might be the significance if any?
Is it merely casual profanity to develop character or is there something deeper occuring.

4. George & Martha
What do we learn instantly about their relationship? Who is in control & why?
Find references to back up your argument.

5. Child-like behaviour
Martha refers to her father as ‘Daddy’. What could this tell us about her as a character? Is it unusual? Why/Why not?
‘Georgie-Porgie’ Nursery Rhyme reference. Why might this have significance?

6. George & Martha
Some suggest that the arguing is an game in itself – a give & take of wit.
Others say it is their way of communicating. It’s better than not talking at all.
What do you think? Where does the fighting come from? Why does it define their relationship?

7. George & Martha
Notice the differences between the way that George and Martha argue:
George: More submissive intellectual.
Martha: More crude & crass.
Find some examples to support this claim.

8. Martha & George
‘A blank, a cipher.’ This shows how little George means to Martha.
‘SCREW YOU!’ Do you think that George purposely arranged for this to happen? Find evidence to support this point.

9. Act I, Scene II
George’s comment: a ‘more private part of one’s anatomy’. Suggesting the theme of impotence once more.
Could be a reference to figurative castration by Martha & in turn could be referencing the castration of the American male by the American Female.
Do you think that this is an accurate suggestion? Why/Why not?

10. Could this be an example of intense misogyny on Albee’s part?
Honey’s inability to use the word bathroom suggesting her childlike qualities and avoidance of reality.

11. Act I, Scene III
‘Parnassus’: a place from ancient Greek mythology that was a centre for poetry, literature & learning.
Why might George have made the reference?

12. How do you interpret George’s suggestion: ‘What. Oh…yes[…. ]bested’
How do you interpret George’s suggestion: ‘What? Oh…yes[….]bested’. (p16)
George: ‘we’re merely walking what’s left of our wits.’ (p17)
What does he mean by this? Do you believe that this is true?

13. Games & Gamesmanship
‘Musical beds is the faculty sport around here.’ George blatantly states the promiscuity and marriage breakdown. (p17).
George’s open curiosity about Honey could be related to the above point. As could the fact that he tells us about Martha.
How might that be?

14. Professions George: ‘making everyone the same.’ (p18)
George: ‘I’m very mistrustful.’ (p18)
‘You people are going to make… [babies] in test tubes.’ (p20)
We can clearly see George’s feelings about Nick’s profession.
However, he is also critical of his own department or rather his position in it: ‘I am in the History Department…as oppose to being the history department.’ (p19)
What is meant by this? Why would he say this to Nick?

15. Interpret this exchange
George: ‘I was implying that your wife [Honey] is…slim-hipped.’ (p20)
Nick: ‘Yes…she is.’
What does it tell us about George? About Nick?

16. Names for New Carthage Illyria: an area of the Balkan Peninsula
Penguin Island: a novel set on a mystical island destroyed by capitalism.
Gomorrah: Biblical City destroyed for it’s wickedness. (p21)

17. The University
Where do you think the significance behind George’s cynicism about the university & aging comes from? Use the text to support your answer.

18. Chess
The scene has been compared to a chess game. How does George keep the upper hand?
Bear in mind: George is the son-in-law of the college president. Nick needs to be polite.

19. Act I, Scene IV
George: Of Alcohol ‘You’ll need it as the years go on.’ (p23)
George: ‘Martha hasn’t changed for me in years.’ (p24)
What might these phrases suggest about their relationship.

20. Childhood theme Martha: ‘trot over to the barie-poo.’
George: ‘little mommy a gweat big dwink.’ (p25)

21. Nick VS George
What is George doing when he speaks bitterly about Nick’s academic success?
What is it hiding?
Also his ‘paunchy’ body contrasted with Nick’s athletic achievements.

22. History Department
Notice the word play in Albee’s speech. What’s the meaning behind it?
‘bogged down’
‘bog’
‘swampy’
(p26)

23. Martha & George
George does his best to stop his temper from erupting on Martha. However, the way that he constantly accepts her abuse could be read in two ways:
He’s a masochist
He’s biding his time so that he can strike later.

24. Martha & George
George’s refusal to light Martha’s cigarette. How does he do this?
How does Martha respond?

25. The Evolutionary Ladder
This could suggest one of two things:
It suggests how George feels dehumanized by Martha.
It also alludes once more to the pre-Christian and Pagan that Martha represents

26. Martha’s flirting with Nick
What do you notice about the way Martha flirts?
The way that Nick reacts?
How can it be compared to George’s move towards Honey? Honey’s reaction?
(p27-28)

27. Martha & her father
The way that Martha speaks about him is overly positive.
Find examples of this (p29)

28. The Boxing Match
Martha doesn’t criticise George’s physical prowess in his youth.
‘It’s coloured our whole life’ (p30).
What do you think that Martha meant by this?

29. George & The Gun
What do you notice about everyone’s reaction to the gun incident?
Why do you think that George did it?

30. Gun as Phallic Symbol
The gun has been referred to as a phallic symbol (representing the penis).
It’s ‘joke’ nature further represents George’s impotence.

31. Gun & Murder Could the gun suggest George’s anger towards Martha?
Therefore the shooting becomes a symbolic ‘death’.

32. Martha & Nick ‘You don’t need props, do you, baby?’ (p32)
Once again Martha emphasises George’s impotence through suggesting Nick’s sexual prowess.
Again Martha succeeds in emasculating George.

33. Martha Demanding Kiss Is she transferring her lust for Nick to George?
Or does violence excite her?

34. George & Martha
Once again Martha makes a move on George & George rejects her advances referring to them as ‘blue games.’ (p31)
What could this be suggesting about the relationship?
What could George’s suggestion of:
‘All in it’s own good time’ (p31) mean in this context?

35. Martha’s articulate side
Martha’s statement about biology being ‘ABSTRUSE! In the sense of recondite’ (p33); seems very out of character for her. Why might that be?
What is particularly unusual about how this is followed:
‘right at the meat of things.’ (p33)

36. Act I, Scene V
George’s speech spans roughly two pages of dialogue – (p34-36) – and is only interrupted with Martha’s jeering & a few remarks from Nick.
Why might this be?
It has been put forward that the speech may represent Albee’s personal views.

37. Allusion in the speech Cold War:
George once again standing for Western Ideals & Nick representing communism.
The allusion to Berlin is the strongest reference to this. The city literally cut in half (Berlin Wall) by the War.

38. Allusion (CONT.)
George’s suggestion ‘one hand on my scrotum’ (p35) could be an ironic allusion to castration.

39. Martha’s & Honey’s reactions
George’s words or fear of the imminent destruction of humanity by Nick are lost on both Martha & Honey.
Martha sees it as turning Nick into her ‘personal screwing machine’
Honey is just shocked that Nick uses vulgar language & misses his sarcasm completely.
(p37)

40. The Child
The child is initially described as the All-American Ideal. Find ideas that suggest this…
However, this is soon twisted to ‘blond-eyed, blue-haired,’ what the effect of this?

41. Paganism & Religious Allusion
This could be suggesting that Martha is primitive.
However, there are also sexual connotations to the ‘blue circles’ comment. (p39)
For example, during special ceremonies women painted circles around their breasts.

42. Religious Allusion
It is also a religious allusion. There are too many of these to be ignored.
Could the jumble of them suggest the disillusionment & confusion of religion in the modern world.

43. George & Martha’s Father
George insults him by comparing him to a ‘white mouse’ (p40)
Notice how Martha reacts:
She turns it around on George once more.

44. Martha & her father
Martha: ‘I absolutely worshipped him. ..he was pretty fond of me too.’ (p41)
What does this tell us about the relationship?

45. ‘Allbatross’
This is an allusion to a poem in which the Albatross is a symbol of bad luck. (p42-43)
It could be a subconscious remark about Martha feeling like a burden to her father.

46. Gardener Affair
It’s an allusion to D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterly’s Lover.
A novel that was banned for several years for being sexually explicit.
It told of a love story between a married upper-class woman & her gameskeeper.

47. Martha & George’s Marriage
Martha: ‘He was the groom…he was going to be groomed’ (p45)
For what?
To take over the Dean’s position?
To be Martha’s surrogate father?

48. Martha & George’s Marriage
George is ‘a flop’ which ‘was disappointing to Daddy’ Martha. (p45)
What does this tell us about their relationship?

49. George’s Failure?
It is clear that George is humiliated because Martha has made his flaws public.
His failure and constant humiliation due to not gaining the elusive prize. Is it justified?
The bottle – Another reference towards impotence? His strike towards anger is met with criticism.

50. George’s Failure
George sings in anger & desperation the song that began as a joke.
What’s the significance of this?

51. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe
Martha’s annoyance foreshadows the song’s use later in the play.

52. George at the end of the Act
George is left alone at the end of the scene.
How do you think he would stand?
Eager to fight back? Or
Defeated?