Edward Albee Return To Nature Analysis

Most of Edward Albee’s works largely involve ethics，moral, family and other themes, discussing complex relations between human and society or human and human. Although he is not considered as an ecological writer, his plays, yet, to some extent reflect his pursue for rebuilding the relationship between human and nature. In his play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, his ecological thought of advocating a return from human’s inner nature, respecting animals and constructing the human’s harmonious balance between naturalness and sociality has been well presented.

His fascinating ideas and insights combine with masterly use of dramatic techniques that give a new perspective on portraits of contemporary American society that vividly reflect American

The simplicity and peacefulness of nature have brought all dirt away and relieve anxieties. Human used to take nutrients from nature and follow the guidance under it. Whereas, with the nature mysterious unveiled, the reverence has gone. Human relies on advanced science and technology in order to renovate nature endlessly and has made material wealth reach an unprecedented height. However, under fantastic success of material civilization, how to deal with the decadent of human’s spiritual world and acute social problems and keep personal integrity has been the issue of common concern. Albee discussed on how to seek a solution to be free from spiritual crisis in his several plays that have been cited

But Albee stressed that the sociality in human’s world, including man’s naturalness and sociality are the mutual interdependent. Living in the modern world, oppressed by materialized society, linger under life stress, the only comfort comes from nature. Martin, the hero, a successful architect with a perfect wife, when he went to a village to enjoy a short break, he fell in love with a goat named Sylvia, and had sexual relation with it. From the ethical aspect, it is undoubtedly disgraceful behavior, while from the human nature aspect; it is an approach to relieve pressure though extreme. Albee in this play discussed that nature can pacify human’s hearts and soul while mentioned the consequences brought by renovating nature. Combined his three plays about man and nature part, it is easily concluded that Albee was in favor of nature and believed nature could give human comfort as well as opened a door for human to get access to the knowledge. What needs to be stressed is Albee proposed “return to nature” means the return of man’s human nature. In highly developed material civilization, if human excessively worship abandoning material society as to achieve completely returning to nature will be against laws of social development. So in a sense, the recurring jet in Seascape can be viewed as a signal that living in the seaside forever is unrealistic, human can’t cut the connection with the material society.