As an absurdist, Albee believed that a life of illusion was evil because, in consideration, it created false content for life, so it is not surprising that the theme of "Truth and Illusion" throughout Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf plays an important role. Using critical language through stage directions and direct speech, Albee creates the lives of two couples who, over the course of one evening, radically change. It is obvious to the audience, from the first scene, that tension will play a large role in the eventual confessions and climax of the play, and that through the rupture of the characters, truth and illusion will be determined. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayAlbee presents the party's hosts George and Martha as an unconventional and abusive married couple who seem to hate each other, which immediately creates an atmosphere of uncertainty and ambiguity in the room. Martha and George constantly bicker and intentionally frustrate each other; however, Albee creates a sharp contrast between their two personalities; George is passive towards Martha, intelligent and witty, but also very sad, on the other hand Martha is vicious, abusive both mentally and physically, and is also an alcoholic, which adds to his abusive nature. The couple's relationship is difficult to understand because one minute George calls Martha a "subhuman monster" who "screams", but the next Martha defends the great qualities of her husband, who "continues to learn the games we play." Let’s play as fast as I do.” can change the rules,” which greatly increases the illusion surrounding the duo, as the audience never really understands who is telling the truth. Albee suggests through the couples' interactions that they both agree that there is no objective reality; “Marthe; Truth and Illusion, George; you don't know the difference. George: No, but we have to continue as if we did. Martha: Amen.' It is difficult for the audience to infer whether Martha and George understand each other's emotions and whether, at any given moment, they are simply pretending to love or hate each other; which instantly adds illusion and illusion to scenes. Likewise, Albee creates an illusion of gameplay between the two couples; and through their interactions during the play, many unwanted truths are revealed. The overconsumption of alcohol throughout the "evening" both increases the tension between the characters, but also makes revealing the truth much easier; “I’m pretty numb…and I’m not talking about the drinking, although maybe that’s part of the process.” George's numbness is depicted through his often apathetic and calm persona. It's difficult to decipher whether this is what George really looks like in reality, or whether the evening's illusions are giving the audience the wrong impression. Throughout the play, George and Martha insist that Honey and Nick play several very revealing games; “Work the Hostess”, “Get the Guests” and to complete the “End Game”. The title of the first act "Fun and Games" is itself an illusion, as the games the guests are forced to play are certainly not "fun" on many occasions, like most people's idea of " amusing ". Albee proposes that Martha and George often play games, but it seems strange to the audience that the couple's idea of ​​"fun" is to make fun of both their guests and each other, although at all times it seems that only one person from their marriage wants to play; George, for example, at one point in the play,wants to "sit over there and read a book", while Martha taunts him by suggesting that she and Nick will actually play "Hump the Hostess", or when George mentions the "End Game". » Martha pleads for there to be no more gameplay in a "tenderly" movement, which expresses both her sensual and vulnerable personality. The general doubt and uncertainty of the play induces fear that the characters will withhold information, which could potentially alter the entire meaning of the play, and leaves necessary questions unanswered, which adds tension and reveals the truth about the personality of the characters, although it escapes the explanation of illusions. creates an illusion of George and Martha's "son" that essentially becomes a metaphor that supports the couple's turbulent marriage; and ultimately George believes he has the power to "kill" their son in an imaginary car accident, through the game of "raising baby", which also ties into the theme, as Martha takes the whole fantasy too far in reality that the public considers it madness. George and Martha add to the illusion of their "son" by exposing minute details about the child, such as his birth, and the color of his eyes and hair, "with fair eyes and blue hair" as George says, which highlights the influence of alcohol on both the illusion and the way the illusions are presented. Nick and Honey, the other two main characters, are introduced to the host's imaginary son at the beginning of the play, and doubt immediately arises as to whether George and Martha are telling the truth, although deliberately intending to try to confuse and intimidate their guests with Insidious gameplay shows how George and Martha swapped a sane reality for an illusory one. Nick and Honey, the guests Albee creates to attend the after-party at George and Martha's house, have a marriage focused around false pretenses and illusions. The couple appears to be a conventional "all-American" family, practically perfect in appearance, but throughout the evening their truths are revealed to the same extent as George and Martha's secrets. The recurring theme of fertility, or lack thereof, continues within their relationship; the couple's reason for marrying has been described as natural love between childhood friends and a hysterical pregnancy, although in the final scenes Nick reveals that he actually only wanted to marry Plain Honey in an attempt to inherit her family. his wealth. Throughout the play, as each of the characters becomes increasingly drunk, Martha and Nick's flirtatious behavior particularly develops; at the end of the second act, the couple kiss while Honey unconsciously passes out in the bathroom, illustrating that their marriage certainly lacks truth and communication. Additionally, Honey is described as being the "perfect housewife", but from her actions, the audience infers that she actually has an abnormally youthful personality; for example, thumb sucking and sleeping in the fetal position alongside other tendencies demonstrate his refusal to accept himself as an adult. There are continued references to Honey being "thin-hipped", but the truth is revealed that in fact she is terrified of becoming a parent and, as a result, takes preventative medication, or "jelly apple”, to ensure that it does not fall. pregnant. In the end, although there is a significant change in her character, she is moved by George and Martha's account of their son and announces her decision to have a baby. The misconception of Honey and Nick's marriage is an obvious example of how Albee explores the theme of truth and illusion, which is linked to both the false identities of relationships.