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After the Fall: A Play in Two Acts
Arthur Miller's fearfully precise reckoning of the wounds and betrayals that make up a life
Arthur Miller has set this devastating play inside a mind. The mind belongs to Quentin, a lawyer with a lofty reputation and a prosecutor's zeal for pursuing the finest treads of guilt. Yet the guilt that most obsesses Quentin is his own: his guilt as son and husband, friend, lover
...morePaperback, 114 pages
Published
December 18th 1980
by Penguin Books
(first published 1964)
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Re-read this because I'm getting rid of it, it's not one of my favorites and there are no good monologues in it and my edition is a really dingy paperback anyway. That being said, I liked it better this second time I read it. It's still kind of wanky, Miller trying to analyze his relationship with Marilyn Monroe and decide whether he was really in love with her, or just wanted to save her, or just wanted to sleep with her, or what. There's some good stuff in here about that relationship and abou...more
I am a fan of Arthur Miller's plays; The Crucible is my favorite... I've read it many times and have seen it performed a couple of times. After the Fall is more of a 'mixed bag' for me. This play is clearly semi-autobiographical with the main character, Quentin, being Miller himself and the character, Maggie, is Marilyn Monroe. Miller incorporates the 'Red Scare' into this play (which I actually found very interesting) and he seemed to be at a point personally in which he was trying to figure o...more
Quentin is a lawyer at a big firm. He has friends, a wife, daughter and a Communist past he is still trying to come to terms with. He constantly flashbacks to his childhood to hear his parents bickering and flashes forward to listen to his current lover discuss her fear of Nazis. In between we see Quentin's first marriage end, the disintegration of his second marriage to a famous singer, and the fear he and his friends feel when the firm demands that someone names the former Communists among the...more
خلال قرائتي لهذة المسرحية الرائعة تذكرت و تبادر الي ذهني علي الفور فيلم الرائع وودي الان الواجهة
الذي يتناول فترة القمع الامريكي لمجموعة من الكتاب و المفكريين اصحاب التوجه اليساري تم درجهم فيما يسمي القائمة السوداء لكتاب ممنوعين من النشر و الكتابة في امريكا حتي انهم كانوا يصدروا كتبهم تحت اسماء مستعارة و بشخصيات اخري و هي حقيقة تاريخية و كان ميللر من بين هؤلأ و ضمن هذة القائمة السوداء
هذا علي الرغم من نفي ميللر نفسة لاي ميول يسارية تماما كالمحامي بطل هذة المسرحية هذا و قد عرفت فيما بعد...more
الذي يتناول فترة القمع الامريكي لمجموعة من الكتاب و المفكريين اصحاب التوجه اليساري تم درجهم فيما يسمي القائمة السوداء لكتاب ممنوعين من النشر و الكتابة في امريكا حتي انهم كانوا يصدروا كتبهم تحت اسماء مستعارة و بشخصيات اخري و هي حقيقة تاريخية و كان ميللر من بين هؤلأ و ضمن هذة القائمة السوداء
هذا علي الرغم من نفي ميللر نفسة لاي ميول يسارية تماما كالمحامي بطل هذة المسرحية هذا و قد عرفت فيما بعد...more
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I didn't know till I read that 'After the Fall' is a highly autobiographical account of Arthur Miller, himself, told through a man named Quentin/main character, who has suffered through a difficult family life and two marriages.
It is depicted artistically by freely flowing from scene to scene with no regard to time or location, but that does not make up for the dullness of the overall story or may be it was too sophisticated for my tastes.
The plot takes place inside the min...more
It is depicted artistically by freely flowing from scene to scene with no regard to time or location, but that does not make up for the dullness of the overall story or may be it was too sophisticated for my tastes.
The plot takes place inside the min...more
Most of Arthur miller’s theatre works such as A View from the Bridge, The Crucible, All My Sons, Death of a Salesman etc. are categorized as modern tragedies; the struggles of the everyday man; I would say social American tragedies, focusing on the dark side of the American dream.
A classic play, about guilt, responsibility, and the relationship between fathers and sons in the aftermath of a World War II corruption case (All My Sons),
When two brothers come together to dispose of thei...more
A classic play, about guilt, responsibility, and the relationship between fathers and sons in the aftermath of a World War II corruption case (All My Sons),
When two brothers come together to dispose of thei...more
Despite shortness, it is very rich in scenes, historical references, emotions, and characters, some of whom even go through developments. The radio performance is an additional feat. So much enjoyable experience packed in only some 2 hours of time, what a value.
It is distilled mostly from the playwright's own life experiences, impressions, feelings, reflections, and unanswerable equations, not made up mainly for the purpose of manipulating the emotions of the audience as most plays...more
It is distilled mostly from the playwright's own life experiences, impressions, feelings, reflections, and unanswerable equations, not made up mainly for the purpose of manipulating the emotions of the audience as most plays...more
"...God's power is love without limit. But when a man dares reach for that... he's only reaching for the power. "
Miller wrote this play not long after the death of Marilyn Monroe. Miller was married to her for a time, and drew upon this experience and the aftermath to write this play. The protagonist wrestles with his memories of ruined marriages, and the tangled knot of selfishness, delusion, and regret which fills his mind.
Miller wrote this play not long after the death of Marilyn Monroe. Miller was married to her for a time, and drew upon this experience and the aftermath to write this play. The protagonist wrestles with his memories of ruined marriages, and the tangled knot of selfishness, delusion, and regret which fills his mind.
The first act was very good, and though we're now removed from the communist hunts in the 50's it did speak to greater truths about truth, integrity, self-worth, etc., and had the second act continued in this vein it would have been better, but by turning to love the weight of the play seemed to change from honest inquiry to melodrama. Still alright, but not what it could have been.
I decided to read this book for two reasons: 1.) Because I love Arthur Miller's writing, but also 2.) because I had to for an author study. This play was great. I gave it a four only because it was hard to keep track of what was going on sometimes and I found myself re-reading things a lot. But it is seriously great. Not my favorite Arthur Miller play, but I love it a lot.
Katie Thomas
added it
I loved this story of the value of a painful history and hitting rock bottom. My favorite line was, " ...God's power is love without limit. But when a man dares reach for that...he is only reaching for the power. Whoever goes to save another person with the lie of limitless love throws a shadow on the face of God."
The book starts off a little weak. The dialogue is strong, but the jumps between scenes, characters, eras is a little tedious to follow when one starts the play. However, as the story progress, Miller brings a little more cohesion to the overall story and focuses more on the two main character: Maggie and Quentin. This is an excellent work on the idea of how women bring man to his downfall. Quentin's life (and the play) is shaped by the women in it. His mother, his wives, a woman he meets ab...more
The nonlinear structure made it hard to read, so I think I would have liked it more if I saw a live performance. This is supposedly based on Miller's relationship with Marilyn Monroe. It is definitely no Death of a Salesman!
After watching "My week with Marilyn", reading Miller's play added another sad layer of insight into Marilyn Monroe. It is a 2 act play that was well written and I won't soon forget.
Pretentious piffle from a likewise playwrote who damns
his far more talented movie star exwife.
his far more talented movie star exwife.
Not a gossip column, er play, about Marilyn? Come on, Miller.
Floored me. Here's me, on the floor. It haunts me.
One of my favorite Miller plays.
To "take one's life in one's arms".
I think it really says something that the average American not only knows who Arthur Miller is, but can name one of his plays. At least the majority of the ones that I've asked can. I was not familiar with this play but was delighted with the emotional interplay between the characters and how it all stays in the main character's head, following his mental path through all these relationships. After reading I really want to see this play performed. Be able to appreciate it fully.
completely unputdownable, heartbreaking and fragile and aching and engrossing from the first page. it makes it even more riveting knowing that its about his (of course) complicated relationship with marilyn monroe. im desperate to see this acted, and im even more desperate to play the role of maggie. someone somwhere please, let me play that role.
Fascinating semi-autographical book of Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller's relationship? It's never really made clear. I liked it although I'm not sure I've grasped the full analysis of the story. The story follows the main character's thought process so it comes out a little jumbled to the reader. Definitely interesting read though...
I started reading this play after I read Equus and like Equus the play takes place on one stage with several different stages; however, this play was harder to follow and I couldn't get interested to read past the first 10 pages.
This play moved me greatly when I read it (I haven't seen it acted). The main character revisits his most emotional memories, including his betrayal of a friend who was undergoing investigation by HUAC.
Nicole
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
non-linear theatre folk
Shelves:
drama
This play is a bit self-indulgent on Arthur Miller's part, but I've seldom read an 'addict' character as honest as the character of Maggie. Ugh, it gives you THAT feeling.
Just in time to keep me from doing something dumb (like marrying a model), Frank Miller taught me that hitching your horse to Marilyn Monroe is bad for business.
A play about love, wrapped up in the Red Scares/ Witch Hunts. Just wonderful. The feel of the play was touching - it really reached out to me as a reader.
I adore this play. It's loosely auto-biographical and just so true and sad, and somehow very Arthur Miller American, I highly recommend it.
Audiobook. It was well written, but tough to listen to all this family drama. There are some funny moments.
This play gets my vote for one of the best American plays ever written.
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Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American literature and cinema for over 61 years, writing a wide variety of plays, including celebrated plays such as The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and Death of a Salesman, which are still studied and performed worldwide. Miller was often in the public eye, most famously for refusing to g...more
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