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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 23,460 ratings · 498 reviews

"Twelve times a week," answered 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 u...more

Paperback, 272 pages

Published August 1st 2006 by NAL Trade (first published 1962)

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Mar 15, 2013 Jasmijn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: uni-reading

When I finished the book, I was a bit confused. Or rather, I had been expecting something big and shocking at the ending (due to the description on the back etc), but I felt this hadn't happened. I then thought I might not have understood or might have missed something, so I searched online for some information. Turned out I had understood it perfectly well all along. So the so-called "shocking" climax did not shock me at all, but just left me with a bit of a disappointed "this was it?" feeling....more

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May 05, 2012 El rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cuckoos, thespian-stuff, library-borrow

This falls under that category labelled AWKWARD SOCIAL GATHERING.

You ever been to a party where the host and hostess get totally hammered and spend the rest of the evening humiliating each other? If you haven't, I don't believe you, number one, and number two, you're a lucky bastard. It's awkward and uncomfortable and lemme tell you, it's not much better if you're the drunken host and hostess either. No one's having a good time, no matter how much liquor is consumed, keep that in mind.

The theate...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Andriana Sakka rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Διαβάζοντας κανείς το έργο αυτό αρχικά του φαίνεται παράξενο,ωμό, διεστραμένο εώς και χυδαίο θα έλεγα και αυτό όχι μόνο εξαιτίας των λέξεων-φράσεων που χρησιμοποιεί ο Άλμπι, αλλά και των σκηνών που διαδραματίζονται. Τελειώνει κανείς το έργο και ακόμα απορεί τι είδους τρέλα είναι αυτή που διακατείχε τα δύο αυτά ζευγάρια (κυρίως το πρώτο, τους οικοδεσπότες)και τι θέλει να πει αυτός ο μυστηριώδης τίτλος του "Ποιός φοβάται τη Βιρτζίνια Γουλφ" και τι σχέση έχει η Βιρτζίνια Γουλφ;
Ύστερα απο το διάβ...more Διαβάζοντας κανείς το έργο αυτό αρχικά του φαίνεται παράξενο,ωμό, διεστραμένο εώς και χυδαίο θα έλεγα και αυτό όχι μόνο εξαιτίας των λέξεων-φράσεων που χρησιμοποιεί ο Άλμπι, αλλά και των σκηνών που διαδραματίζονται. Τελειώνει κανείς το έργο και ακόμα απορεί τι είδους τρέλα είναι αυτή που διακατείχε τα δύο αυτά ζευγάρια (κυρίως το πρώτο, τους οικοδεσπότες)και τι θέλει να πει αυτός ο μυστηριώδης τίτλος του "Ποιός φοβάται τη Βιρτζίνια Γουλφ" και τι σχέση έχει η Βιρτζίνια Γουλφ;
Ύστερα απο το διάβασμα του έργου αυτού και ψάχνοντας για πληροφορίες σχετικά με τη Βιρτζίνια Γουλφ (την συγγραφέα)διέκρινα αρκετά κοινά:την ψυχολογία, το φόβο για την τρέλα και το θάνατο. Θα έλεγε κανείς ότι η Βιρτζίνια Γουλφ στο έργο αντιπροσωπεύει την ίδια την τρέλα, τον θάνατο (άραγε ποιός τη φοβάται;;).
Ακόμα,η Γουλφ πριν αυτοκτονήσει είχε γράψει κάποιο σημείωμα στο σύζυγό της που μίλαγε για την συμπαράστασή και υπομονή του στην μανιοκατάθληψη της και ότι ήταν ο άνθρωπος που την έκανε ευτυχισμένη.Κάτι ανάλογο αναφέρει και ο Άλμπι στο έργο του.
Ο τίτλος του έργου ήταν τυχαίος. Ο Άλμπι έτυχε να το δει γραμμένο στον τοίχο ενός δημόσιου ουρητηρίου.Το έργο πραγματεύεται την αγωνία και το δέος μπροστά στην τρέλα και τον θάνατο. Ακόμα είναι ξεκάθαρη η αιώνια μάχη μεταξύ των δύο φύλων.
Η υπόθεση εκτυλίσσεται σε ένα πανεπιστημιακό συγκρότημα στην Αμερική.Δύο ζευγάρια θα παραμείνουν για τέσσερις ώρες στο καθιστικό δωμάτιο ενός σπιτιού(του ενός ζευγαριού)και τότε ξεκινούν ένα παιχνίδι τόσο άγριο που στην συνέχεια εξελίσσεται σε κουρέλιασμα των μύθων που έχουν πλάσει.Η αυγή τους βρίσκειγυμνούς, πληγωμένους, αλλά λυτρωμένους που έχουν πετάξει απο πάνω τους όλο αυτό το ψέμα που έχουν δημιουργήσει γύρω τους. Τώρα ξέρουν στο τέλος του έργου, ότι η ζωή τους δε θα είναι ποτέ η ίδια και με ανοιχτές πληγές προχωρούν μπροστά τους, γνωρίζοντας που οδηγεί ο δρόμος που διάλεξαν οι ίδιοι.
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May 11, 2007 Casey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adults

This play makes me squirm with discomfort every time I read it. My mother raised me to be so conscious of manners that I'm practically Southern.

Even though George and Martha are just horrible, I can't help cackle at some of the insults they sling. When Martha says that George doesn't have "the stuff," my English Major heart is made happy. It's a totally perfect slam.

And who could not admire Albee's daring in using the term "monkey nipples"?

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Mar 10, 2012 Ensiform rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

George, a history professor, and Martha, his wife, the daughter of the university’s president, live in a constant state of viciously passive-aggressive, acerbic taunting and emasculating. When a new, young professor and his slim, plain wife visit, they get drawn into the drinking and sadistic mental games as well throughout the night.

Just a brutal, unrelenting beating of a play; reading it was like getting punched in the face or kicked in the gut every page. Albee’s razor-sharp dialogue is scath...more

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Jun 28, 2007 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone, theater buffs, fans of dysfunctional relationships

Shelves: booksicanreadoverandover

This is, in my opinion, the best play ever written in the 20th century. There's also a great story about how this was the first drama rejected by the Pulitzer Prize committee for "obscenity" (you may have a hard time finding the obscenity in it, though, since it's from 1962). It's basically about two married couples who hang out in the wee hours of the morning following a party on a college campus in New England, but the interesting part is the way one couple tries to screw with the other's mind...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Michael Alexander rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone obsessed with language games or terminally depressed, the gladly unmarried

My first Albee, and definitely, definitely not my last. The level of language-play going on in this thing is completely amazing. The portrait of an aging academic couple completely entangled in each other's mental worlds but forced to hiss and kick and wrangle every minute of every day. They know each other as well as any two people could--and they need each other, in a twisted way--but it doesn't mean they like each other, dear GOD.

And on top of all of this, the awkward social occasions that Al...more

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Jan 24, 2008 Phoebe rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had been wanting to read a play for a long time now, and this was definitely a good choice. Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf by Edward Albee is about a dysfunctional couple, their relationship, and their interactions with another couple. Not only is the dialogue in this play exceptional, but the play itself is also very funny. I found myself laughing out loud more then once. Although the plot is rather simple, this play has many interesting insights to human emotions and relationships. I recommen...more

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Aug 28, 2007 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars

The central theme of this play is living without pretense. It involves 4 characters (and you will hate each of them) who berate each other through three acts. People have always raved to me about it, but I must admit that I can't understand why - rather than being emotionally jarred and on-edge, I felt bored and irritated. Every character is so villianized that there is no "heart" to the play, not a single character one can relate to. It's an interesting piece of literature, but it's definitely...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: completed-plays

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 the play's 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 [tha...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays, in-my-library, read-2012, relationships, fiction-in-english, american-fiction, classics-and-modern-classics, the-rory-gilmore-reading-challenge

Det var länge sedan jag läste en pjäs. Jag kommer nästan inte ihåg när jag läste en sist. Genom universitetsstudierna har jag läst en hel del men nu var det nog ett år sedan – minst. Jag har haft Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf i bokhyllan i över ett år utan att läsa den. Det har som aldrig varit rätt tillfälle. I efterhand känner jag att det var ett smart val att vänta. Det är en oerhört komplex och intensiv pjäs. Den är, som baksidestexten också påpekar, en mörk komedi. Vissa delar är oerhört t...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Billierosie Billierosie rated it 5 of 5 stars

It’s two in the morning. In the opening scene of Edward Albee’s WHO’ AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, George and Martha stumble home, tipsy, from a party. They bicker, in the way drunks do, about things that don’t really matter. They laugh, stupidly.
The loud snap of a door latch. Action!

Martha; “What a dump!” The play begins.

Yes, is 2am and Dionysus is on the prowl. Dionysus is alive and well, this night in New England, in the 20th century. His red gaze falls on his two old disciples, George and Marth...more

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Oct 31, 2011 David Minor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Edward Albee's play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" is about an older married couple of college professor's who are hosting a dinner with a younger married couple who are new to their area. The entire play is set over the course of this one evening. The dialogue in this play is absolutely stunning and fierce. George and Martha, the older couple, are not the happiest married couple in the world. Their back and forth banter throughout the course of the evening makes this very apparent until it tu...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play about the marriage of George, a man in the History Department at a New England university, and Martha, the daughter of the university president. The play comes in a variety of layers from the start's polite pretenses until the ultimately stripped down truth in the final act. Act One: Fun and Games opens with George and Martha bickering, displaying a clear caring for each other but revealing cracks that have formed in their relationship. When Nick and his...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Nicole added it

This book made me curious. It seems to me like I know so many Georges and Marthas. However, the Marthas are so much easier to make out in the crowd. The women who yearn for excitement and attention. They're very easy to resent, fun to blame, fine to befriend, but painful to be jealous of these dames. How they can grab a man's attention and yet be so damaged. Only,every so often, is it easy to blame the man. George is highly intelligent and highly imaginative, and is he as damaged as Martha? Or d...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Ted W rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm admittedly a little biased as I played Nick in a production of this, but Edward Albee is one of the truly great playwrights of the 20th century and this is one of his masterpieces. This unflinching look at living life without illusion is embodied in three acts that progress almost in real time through the course of an unforgettable evening of "fun and games." In fact, it is one of the most important evenings in these four characters' lives for reasons which I won't spoil here...

Is there a lo...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Jeffrey Moll rated it 5 of 5 stars

George and Martha return home after a party and Martha informs him that they are having guests over for an after-party. Nick and Honey arrive, who are much younger and all together different than George and Martha, and the party starts with idle conversation. It is clear from the beginning that George and Martha have some unresolved issues that George constantly brings up laced under witty dialog and stories. This is a strong character piece which is why it worked so well as a cinematic medium;...more

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Jun 28, 2009 Trevor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is, quite simply, one of my all time favourite plays. There is a film version, with Burton and Taylor as the two main characters, and while this isn’t a bad version (and it is in glorious black and white) I think that film struggles with words and this is a wordy play. And then there is that bizarre scene when they leave the house which makes no sense at all

I first read this play in high school and had to do a reading of the play in front of the class. Naturally, I was Nick, as the teacher...more This is, quite simply, one of my all time favourite plays. There is a film version, with Burton and Taylor as the two main characters, and while this isn’t a bad version (and it is in glorious black and white) I think that film struggles with words and this is a wordy play. And then there is that bizarre scene when they leave the house which makes no sense at all

I first read this play in high school and had to do a reading of the play in front of the class. Naturally, I was Nick, as the teacher was George. There is a nice fact that Albee is supposed to have said he had no idea of the significance of calling his major characters George and Martha – and definitely did not mean any reference to the first President of the United States and his missus. I find this a little hard to believe – either way, fate has stepped in and this fact remains, intentional or otherwise. I've always thought it adds something interesting to the play.

This might as well be two plays. On the surface there is a couple who look like they are about to tear each other apart. This reads like a ‘moments before the divorce’ play – and you would be stretched to find a play in which there are deeper feelings of hostility or more savage attacks between a married couple. But this is only on a surface level. The depth of affection and love between George and Martha is really the point of the play – the games they play are quite literally played so as to keep each other sane.

And this is not the only contradiction between our initially impressions and ‘reality’. Honey (has there ever been a more perfect name?) comes across at the start of the play as a mousey little moron of a wife, who puffs up with child to get her hands on a husband only to deflate again once the ring is on her finger. To look at her you might think she was completely incapable of sustaining a pregnancy and that this is the point – but actually, her life is spent having to drink brandy (never mix, never worry) to end a constant string of pregnancies.

This, of course, stands in stunning contrast to Martha, who comes across as the earth mother - but in reality is incapable of having children.

George comes across as a pathetic creature at the start of the play, unable to satisfy his wife who considers him so ineffectual that she doesn't even pretend to hide her flirtations with other men – but by the end we realise that he has completely controlled all of the action in the entire play and everything that has happened has happened due to his choices and his decisions. There are possibly few modern plays with a more God like character. More than this, everything that happens, happens due to his great love of Martha – something that seems incomprehensible at the start of the play as they are tearing strips off each other.

I went to see this play a year or so ago and was almost reduced to tears towards the end. The older I get the more I find that the sorts of things that are most likely to make me want to cry are not the sorts of things that might have had that affect on me when I was young. Then I would have been just as likely to have become upset over unrequited love or such - something I find a little dull now. Today I find what is almost too painful to handle is love that is based on a deep acceptance of who we are – if someone can love us for our scars, for ourselves – warts and all - I am almost invariably reduced to tears. At the end of Therapy when the main character kisses the mastectomy scar of what had been his childhood sweetheart I was virtually a blubbering mess. But of course, such love only exists in fiction - and that is, perhaps, its main role.

Fortunately, I’m too much of a boy to be caught crying in theatres – particularly over plays I know quite so well as I know this one (I must have read it a dozen times over the years). All the same, watching Gary McDonald recite the requiem mass at the end of the play as Martha realises that her son is truly dead and must remain so for them to continue to have any access to him at all was as close as I would like to be to tears in a grossly public place.

This is a truly devastating play, a play that shines and shines, a work of sheer power and genius. It is also one of the funniest plays I’ve ever seen. I don’t think it is possible to love this play any more than I do.
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Jun 21, 2009 shannon madden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Albee’s critically acclaimed play is well worth 90 minutes of your reading time. It is humorous but not light-hearted; situated in a simple setting with complex characters. Albee’s characters explore the topics of marriage, trust and hurtfulness. He asks us to consider how much stress and emotional pain a relationship can endure before it snaps.

Set in a nondescript living room in a nondescript college town, the characters in and of themselves are unremarkable but three-dimensional. In these two...more Albee’s critically acclaimed play is well worth 90 minutes of your reading time. It is humorous but not light-hearted; situated in a simple setting with complex characters. Albee’s characters explore the topics of marriage, trust and hurtfulness. He asks us to consider how much stress and emotional pain a relationship can endure before it snaps.

Set in a nondescript living room in a nondescript college town, the characters in and of themselves are unremarkable but three-dimensional. In these two married couples, one young and one middle aged, we see attempts to meet standards of social decency and politeness while at the same time we see the characters stripped down to their true selves when they are challenged beyond the limits of their comfort and pride.

Of the four characters, only Honey is fairly flat. She wants a simple, happy marriage and for things to be wrapped in neat, fun little packages without much complication. Like her name, she wants things sugar-coated and pleasurable. The other characters are motivated differently. Nick (married to Honey) wants success in the college community. Rather than wearing his pride and confidence on his sleeve, he prefers to fly just under the radar in his new job and town, making a good impression along the way and ultimately being the quiet, strong, successful one. Honey and Nick’s relationship may not be simple, but it is common. They have a few disappointments, maybe a few regrets, but they seem prepared to go through the motions of life and a “happy” marriage.

Martha and George have a more complex relationship. We are unsure whether they really love each other, as Albee complicates their interactions each time we think we’ve figured it out. Martha seems primarily motivated by her desire to get under George’s skin. She wants drama and to get her hands dirty. George, on the other hand, is nearly resigned to his lack of success (in his marriage, in his career). At this point in his life, he either wants to be left alone or to shame Martha into learning her lesson about pushing him too far. In their game of mutual humiliation, both George and Martha can take a lot (they seem to have years of practice), but not quite as much as each dishes out.

George and Martha are the plot-drivers. Nick & especially Honey are taken for a ride as they succumb to the moods, tantrums and “games” of their senior hosts.

Albee’s characters are humorous and speak with a gift for dark wittiness. The few subplots are allegories through which we gain a greater understanding of the main plot. For example, the story of Nick and Honey’s marriage and false pregnancy, along with George’s first failed novel about a young man who killed his parents, both provide some insight into the plot’s later revelation.

I enjoyed this play very much. Albee addresses the themes of mutual humiliation, pushing loved ones to their limits and self-destruction with genuinely laugh-out-loud language. As a reader, I both enjoyed and feared the characters’ banter. I highly recommend this.(less)

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Mar 27, 2013 Lina Baker rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: plays

This play was, first and foremost, definitively disturbing, awkward and above all, effectively written.

Chronicling one very late evening and many many drinks, Albee portrays one married couple's inability to confront their fears, passions, and insecurities juxtaposed against a secondary couple who at first appear to be perfectly normal, though are later revealed to have dysfunctionalities all their own. Throughout the three acts of the play, Albee sets up scene after scene of verbal and physical...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Jones Jamison added it

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Edward Albee
207
Fiction (Play)

George and Martha arrive back from a party at 2 o'clock AM. Martha informs her husband George that a couple they met at the party are coming back to their house. George refuses, but after a few minutes the doorbell rings and Nick and Honey are introduced. For some reason they all sing "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which I honestly don't understand. Is that a song or something? Isn't it "Big Bad Wolf?". They all pour a drink and go f...more Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Edward Albee
207
Fiction (Play)

George and Martha arrive back from a party at 2 o'clock AM. Martha informs her husband George that a couple they met at the party are coming back to their house. George refuses, but after a few minutes the doorbell rings and Nick and Honey are introduced. For some reason they all sing "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which I honestly don't understand. Is that a song or something? Isn't it "Big Bad Wolf?". They all pour a drink and go for a tour of the house.

As the two couples play several games, it is shown what an absurdly demented couple George and Martha are. Martha continually brings up her and George's son, which she gives very little information on before George intimidatingly silences her. George and Martha keep their calm at first, but as Nick and Honey become to drunk to mind the awkwardness, they begin to fight. After Martha mocks George about how Nick works in the Math department and makes a fair living, George smashes a bottle and waves it at her. Martha replies "George you can't afford to be smashing good wine like that, not on an associate professors salary". George responds by pulling a shotgun out from behind the couch and aiming it at Martha, terrifying Nick and Honey. He pulls the trigger and a flag that says "BOOM!" on it shoots out. As they get more and more drink thing become far more demented.

After leaving for a half hour while Honey is vomiting in the Bathroom, George returns with a handful of flowers. George calmly informs Martha and Nick that their son has died. Martha and George argue over wether or not he is dead, telling George "You can't kill him off like that! We agreed!". It is revealed that their son was entirely made up, as a result of their slipping marriage. Nick and Honey leave at five o'clock AM. visibly shaken and incredibly drunk.

George pours himself one last drink. Martha sits in the corner talking in a baby voice to herself. George hums, and then sings "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Virginia Woolf, Virginia Woolf...". Martha replies "I am". They both walk upstairs to the bedroom.

The narcissism that George and Martha feel towards each other is relatable to Holden's ferocity towards mostly everybody but Phoebe. The book expresses the difficulty people in a close romantic or platonic relationship can have when they become exceedingly close to the point in which they have a comprehensive understanding of the other's insecurities and emotional capacity. It shows how the closer two ow more people become, the harder it is to be emotionally sound and loving, and the persons personality flaws become more present and harder to let slide. In short, they get annoying. The theme being how close incredibly close relationships with another person can be exceedingly emotionally risky.

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Oct 16, 2012 Jaimi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is about two married couples. one middle aged (George and Martha) and younger couple (Nick and Honey). They go to Martha and George's house after and work event and they start to drink and slowly unfold their lives to each other. it is very dramatic and the event of the night have scaring affects

What dysfunctional people will subject themselves to is amazing. the lengths the characters go to in Who Afraid of Virginia Woolf is quite scary but relatable. I really en...more Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is about two married couples. one middle aged (George and Martha) and younger couple (Nick and Honey). They go to Martha and George's house after and work event and they start to drink and slowly unfold their lives to each other. it is very dramatic and the event of the night have scaring affects

What dysfunctional people will subject themselves to is amazing. the lengths the characters go to in Who Afraid of Virginia Woolf is quite scary but relatable. I really enjoyed this play but it was also very confronting. All this people have real issues that seem to escape in one night, by playing ugly games. it illustrates the pain people cause to others and how much people will withstand. Martha and George live in their own world where they play by their own rules. When Nick and Honey and younger couple enter their lives, they experience a night that will change their life. Looking at Martha as a character to portray in Drama I found it a bit hard to relate to her, they is more of a presence of George through the duration of the play which allows a view more to his side. I found it clear and understood his motives whereas Martha was more clouded and she seemed more cruel to me, even though George wins at the games they play. Nick was the character I liked the most, he seems to be the most sane but still allowed himself and his wife to be subjects of George and Martha. it would of been interesting to have a clearer image of what he was thing while the night played out and what made him do what he did. there is a clear motive of advancing his career, which I believe is a partial reason he tries to sleep with Martha but there is also a hidden sense to what he does. Honey seemed to be the person who was most used and who came out the worse. she is fragile and 'slim hipped', although she tries to stand and be strong to keep up with the games, but she is out of her element. I really liked the ideas and themes of the play but to play one of the female characters; Martha or Honey does not seem to work for me. I found the male characters to have a stronger sense in the play.
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Nov 04, 2012 Luís Castilho rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf" is a very famous 60's play that is set in an english college in the aftermath of second world war. The whole story takes place overnight during a small dinner party between two smilingly civil couples. On one hand we have George and Martha, the perfect english gentleman and his plump wife who being married for over 20 years have achieved a state of quiet resignation about their lives and now take great amusement in tormenting and humiliating each other before gues...more

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Sep 04, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've seen this, but never read it, and I found the stage directions to be particularly interesting. There is a school of thought which believes that the writer should never specify reactions within stage directions. Most writer violate this principle to a certain degree, and Albee is no exception. Sometimes he does so unnecessarily, but there are other instances in which such "insider information" is invaluable to the actors. His script is instructive to playwrights in this regard.

As to the play...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Gemma Lolos rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's full of some killer, hilarious dialogue and is worth the quick read. I'm sure we all can relate to what it's like to be in an awkward social gathering. Sometimes, these situations are downright painful, and George, Martha, Nick, and Honey's "get together" is no exception.

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Sep 13, 2009 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advisory-09-10

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Oh Edward Albee, what a dramatic piece of fiction you've created for the 20th century audience. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf illuminates the lives of two different couples, Martha and George as well as Nick and Honey in a New England town either in the 50's or the 60's. The troubles that surround both couples are released in the early morning following the party that Martha's father hosted at the New Carthage college campus. Nick, the new biology teacher at the school is invited to Martha and...more Oh Edward Albee, what a dramatic piece of fiction you've created for the 20th century audience. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf illuminates the lives of two different couples, Martha and George as well as Nick and Honey in a New England town either in the 50's or the 60's. The troubles that surround both couples are released in the early morning following the party that Martha's father hosted at the New Carthage college campus. Nick, the new biology teacher at the school is invited to Martha and George's home alongside Honey, a small, and not-so-bright woman who comes from a well-to-do background. Immediately the audience is introduced to the love-hate relationship that George and Martha have been building up from their 23 year marriage. The openess that Albee has towards this tumultuous relationship shows society of the many failures that we keep behind closed doors. Negative attributes of everyone will fall into the open and true colors are shown. What made this book so weird in my opinion was the constant arguing between Martha and George. It was awkward for them to feel so comfortable doing it around company, so abnormal especially in a time frame such as the 50's/60's.
You can tell there were dissatisfaction's with all four characters; Martha for being too abrasive and yearning for attention, George for being considered a failure in his job at the History department of the college, and not mounting up to the "man" that Martha's father wished he was. Nick for being the "gorgeous genius" whose not as open to the world of deception until he meets the unhappy older couple, and Honey because her alcohol abuse and limited intelligence gets shunned by most because of her wealthy status.
This book took about four hours to read. I think it was the loudness of the characters that drew me in to read more and although I had questions about alot of moves being made by the characters, by the end, it was just so different to read a play that took America into a new direction about the stereotypical family and what it should include. (less)

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Mar 12, 2013 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: literally everyone

Shelves: read-for-school, deep-psychological-stuff, favorites, so-many-tears, shit-someone-dies, abuse-and-bullying

I had to read Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for my English Literature class this year, and I have to say, as far as required reading goes, this play was not bad at all. In fact, I actually liked it quite a bit.

The first two acts made me somewhat uncomfortable, because I dislike being in arguments and even just hearing other people argue. This aspect of the play was exacerbated for me, because we read it all in class, and people were yelling at each other just a few feet away from me. Despite t...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Phil rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: drama

I had watched the film version of this movie--the Liz Taylor, Richard Burton one--a while back and found it a bit hard to follow, but now that I've actually read this play I see how good a play it actually is. I had the same experience with Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, which I found difficult to enjoy as a teleplay but then really liked when I read the play. I want to go back and rewatch both of those films having now read the plays (and Ionesco's The Rhinoceros, as well) and see how my viewi...more

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Dec 12, 2011 jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 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 the...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Jadyn Petterson-rae rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” tells the tale of a drunken night spent by two dysfunctional couples each of whom have built up, and live in, a false reality. Throughout the course of the night, the hosts, George and Martha, play various games with both themselves and their guests, Nick and Honey. However, these are not ordinary games. Instead, they are games developed through taunting and manipulating; games such as “humiliate the host,” “get the guest,” “hump the hostess,” and...more Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” tells the tale of a drunken night spent by two dysfunctional couples each of whom have built up, and live in, a false reality. Throughout the course of the night, the hosts, George and Martha, play various games with both themselves and their guests, Nick and Honey. However, these are not ordinary games. Instead, they are games developed through taunting and manipulating; games such as “humiliate the host,” “get the guest,” “hump the hostess,” and “bringing up baby”. Such extreme taunting leads to many bitter remarks and fights throughout the entire play.
Although Martha and George’s bizarre relationship is put into place at the beginning of the play, it is a different facet of their marriage than that which unfolds later in the play; initially they show signs of affection. While reading the beginning of the opening act, one can sense both a strong sexual and relatively loving connection between the two. However, this camaraderie begins to dissipate after their guests arrive and the two begin their abusive games with one another as well as with the other couple. Ultimately, all signs of love between the two completely vanish, replaced instead with apparent rage and loathing. However, at the beginning of the third act, Albee contrasts this vile behavior by allowing one to catch a glimpse of Martha’s true feelings for her husband. She speaks fondly and lovingly of George for the first time, confessing that she only treats him in this disparaging way for she deems herself unworthy for him, if he were to leave her, she would deserve it. At the end of the show, one can see that although they constantly taunt one another and play hurtful games that are both emotionally and verbally abusive, they truly depend upon one another as companions; they are completely codependent on one another in an utterly unusual dysfunctional way.
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” appeals to both a reader and an audience through Albee’s grasp on the psychological aspects of his characters. His main focus is not the general feelings of each character, but instead, their inner workings. Unlike the author, the characters are not able to face and accept their reality so willingly, and as a result, they distort the world they live in. Each character builds up an altered reality for them to exist in. They live in an illusion, but that illusion is ultimately destroyed. Honey and Nick appear to have a happy marriage, however they did not marry out of love. While Honey appears to be mousey and quiet, when in fact she tricked her husband into marriage through a hysterical pregnancy and, as a result, Nick feels miserable and trapped. On top of that, she continuously and purposefully aborts various pregnancies without her husband’s knowledge. She makes it appear as if she is not able to have children, when in fact, she simply doesn’t want them. Unlike their guests, Martha and George cannot conceive a child, despite their efforts. Instead, they create one. This imaginary child goes beyond their desire for a child of their own, as it is Martha’s “one light in all this hopeless…darkness” that is her marriage (III.p 227). This world Martha and George created is shattered as a harsh dose of reality sends the last bit of hope Martha could cling to straight into oblivion.
This concept of questioning a child’s existence is mirrored in another Edward Albee play, “The Play About the Baby”. Both stories begin by putting forth the notion of a living child, and end with both sets of parents left childless. This occurs either through realizing or being persuaded that their child never existed. However, the two plays have more commonalities than their shared distortion of reality. The couple in “The Play About the Baby” is very young and naïve, and although Martha and George are far from young, they still share these qualities, as reflected through their constant baby talk. In addition, within the two plays the supposed father figures reminisce about their traumatic past experiences. Ultimately, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is a less metaphysical, yet more psychological version of “The Play About the Baby”.
I would definitely recommend this book to others although along with my recommendation, I feel it necessary to include a disclosure and warning about the well acclaimed “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” If you think you can handle ceaseless arguing and taunting, then I would suggest this book. My experience reading this play was visceral, consisted of constant cringing at their arguments. Yet, to my surprise, it also included sporadic spurts of laughter. Albee successfully inserts humorous elements throughout this dark tale, making it not only a shocking reading but an entertaining one. Furthermore, the writing style of Edward Albee is full of allusions and subtle foreshadowing. This may bother some people, but for me, Albee’s continuous hints to information not yet exposed drew me further into the story and created a craving to read more.
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About Edward Albee

Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright known for works including Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, The Sandbox and The American Dream. His works are considered well-crafted and often unsympathetic examinations of the modern condition. His early works reflect a mastery and Americanization of the Theatre of the Absurd that found its peak in works by European playwrights su...more

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