Edward Albee is a distinguished playwright who has owned Pulitzer Prize for Drama for three times and enjoys a high reputation as the pioneer of Theatre of the Absurd in America. The three-act play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which considered as one of his masterpieces that was written during his early period. In this play, Albee successfully presents a 1960s American society confronting its ecosystem predicament by depicting words and deeds between two couples that are of different age as there is also no specific scenario. Moreover, endless insults and humiliation between George and Martha reflect a society under both social and spiritual predicament. Under the impetuous social atmosphere, the climate of the interest-oriented has been …show more content…
Meanwhile, research on this play mainly concentrates on the analysis of the Theatre of the Absurd and its social thematic criticism as well as the analysis of the narration of unconsciousness. Besides, the research from the perspective of Eco-criticism is rather rare. It is well-known that Eco-criticism is a criticism discussing relationship between literature and the natural environment. Its primary mission is to revalue what human has already achieved as to criticize from the cultural aspect: to explore how human thoughts, civilization and social development patterns that affect human’s attitudes and behaviors toward nature, therefore result in the deterioration of the environment and ecological crisis. In the field of Eco-criticism, there are also divided into 3 aspects: natural ecology, social ecology and spiritual ecology.They are complementary and inseparable. In this play, the natural ecology is not involved thus social ecology and spiritual ecology will be the research emphasis of this thesis. Whereas human is part of the ecosphere, the inherent social attributes will undoubtedly influence its mental condition. Considering this circumstance, the author manages to analyze the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf from the Eco-critic aspects thereby exploring the far-reaching significance of the harmonious relationship between human and society
Oxford dictionary defines the word “play” in relation to theatre as “a dramatic composition which is represented or performed in a theatrical performance or film” . Also known as drama, a play is principally meant to be performed on stage rather than be read as it brings a more active form of presentation. It also “provides an extra dimension of dynamism as the readers can visualise the characters enacting the dialogue and action of the play while the audience can see the actors perform live on stage” (Tutorial notes-Unit 1, 2017). As a short story or novel, a play especially tragedy, according to Aristotle (384-322 BC) contained six vital elements. It includes (in order of importance)
The play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, written by Edward Albee in 1962, is set on a chilly winter night in New England University during the time of The Cold War. It gives a vital insight into the American life through two couples while bringing out the raw human truth behind the phony exterior portrayed by the society. Albee presents characters caught in hopeless, repetitive, and meaningless situation, trying to battle their inner turmoil between truth and illusions. The meaninglessness of life is further brought out through the distorted relationships between the characters by Albee’s characterisation. He brings out the sense of Nihilism where the lack of belief in the world is fuelled by the fear of a nuclear war.
M. Synge’s well-known tragedy Riders to the Sea, the sea also plays a great role throughout the work as a background, as a living character, as a force of nature, as an agent of destiny. Like the sea of “The Open Boat” it is also dark, mysterious, and powerful. That is why the characters do not know its moods. It has been presented as both kind and cruel. It is kind as it provides livelihood to the inhabitants of the island.
Through the use of diction and irony the author successfully reveals the artist’s attitude towards nature and his task. Hughes use of diction helps emphasize the artists contrasting thoughts on nature. The author chose words with opposing connotations in order to show “the two minds of this lady”. The author chose words with negative connotations to represent the violent and scary side
Question 1-Shakespeare in Love Shakespeare in love as a comedy Shakespeare in love is comedy that provides a clear juxtaposition of Shakespeare’s live in Elizabethan time and creates allusions to his works and modern times with allusion to famous Hollywood films. Aspects of the Elizabethan times are evidently displayed throughout the play. The clothing worn by the actors and actresses was characterised by doublets, breeches, gowns, corsets, collars, ruffs and hats. It was evident that there was a clear class division.
Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream film adaptation creates a fantastical spin on the well-known Shakespeare play. The director is able to create an effective dream-like setting with the use of projections, lighting, and puppetry. From the beginning, there is a sense of wonder created, as without word or introduction, Puck, played by Kathryn Hunter, glides onto stage and lays down on a mattress supported by branches. Puck is then lifted into the air and a large white sheet consumes the stage. Even for those familiar with the play, such as myself, it immediately commands your mind to travel to the dream world Taymor has created.
The AQA critical anthology describes ecocriticism as “the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment” – C. Glotfelty, the earth is seen as being
“You’re a blank, a cipher… a zero.” (Albee, 1962, p.18). With these words, Martha the main character in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” showed her husband, George, that he was nothing. Edward Albee, the writer of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” talked mainly about Martha and George who pretend to have different identities just in order not to face reality. Moreover, Arthur Miller, the author of “A View from the Bridge” presented the idea of identity in a different way.
A narrative critic’s close reading assumes literary integrity and reads the text holistically. The text is processed consecutively and the parts are related to the whole. The methodology of narrative criticism can be summarized in four steps. First, the form of the text is analysed and categorized according to formal and conventional literary aspects and genres.
The Ironic Scenes of Shakespeare’s Famous Play “Never did mockers waste more idle breath,” cried Helena, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, incorrectly thinking she was being mocked (Shakespeare 3.2 170). This is one of multiple examples of dramatic irony in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows more about a character 's situation than the character does. This is one of three types of irony, the other types are situational and verbal.
The selections “Act Without Words” and “Imagination Dead Imagine” written by Samuel Beckett and the short play “The Sandbox” written by Edward Albee illustrate the term ‘Theatre of Absurd’ as their selections or play develop. The term ‘Theatre of Absurd,’ is a form of drama that demonstrates the absurdity of human existence by illustrating repetitions, meaningless dialogue, and confusing situations that lack logical development. Although both Beckett and Albee share many common similarities in their works, they also share many differences in their own respective works. In both selections by Beckett and the short play by Albee are similar through the theme of death and the lack of character significance, but they differ through the perception
As mentioned in the introduction, the main subject of ecocriticism or ecological criticism is the connection between nature, meaning the environment, and culture, meaning the human world, and how the two influence each other. In ecocritical works, “[t]he question of ‘enough’ is all-important, and one posed by both ecological and fictional literature” (Wolter 265). In Oryx and Crake, Atwood clearly poses this question by depicting scientists who accidentally release genetically modified animals which are a threat to humanity and other animals. The question of ‘enough’ is also asked in relation to Crake, which will further be analyzed in chapter three, part
This paper presents the conflict of ‘Wild life’ versus ‘Human life and destruction of ecosystem’ versus ‘Human survival’. How human share complex ecosystem with animals? With reference to “The Hungry Tide”. Ghosh’s concern nature and the animals (dolphin, Prawn and other sea animals) are made prominent in this novel. Amitav
There are characteristic analysis of the mother image as well as studies on the son’s psyche. Family relationship is attended to from the aspects of alienation and eco-criticism. Romantic expressionism is also put into exercise in analyzing its stylistics. On the whole, the preceding analysis of “The Rocking-Horse Winner” is quite partial and segmented, critics didn’t integrate the modern myth in an encompassed bird-view, where Lawrence deliberately juxtaposes elements of feminism, mammon and Oedipus complex, which bears potential connection in Lawrence’s
Nature is one of the most powerful and mysterious forces of the universe that influences man greatly. Philosophically considered, the universe is composed of nature and soul. It controls all the living, non-living, human, non-human, organic, inorganic and visible, invisible things. It rules over the universe like a monarch and man can’t escape from the influence of nature; he is influenced by both nature and culture. To man nature is the pure and original source of happiness.