Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 8 hours ago

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Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
displays a harsh portrait of marriage
as a vehicle for conflict, arguments, and
disappointment. George and Martha,
though named after the first presidential
couple of the United States, are a model
of dysfunction, an undermining of the
idea of the happy couple.
The play depicts the unraveling of marriage
as the appearances that the characters assume
in public are sullied with the drunken revelations
of their private thoughts and histories. The
suggestion is that all marriages are marked
with some conflict and turmoil, but that, when
all is said and done, they continue on. The play
can be read as a reaction to the fifties, when
unrealistic images and advertisements of the
‘perfect American family’ and home life
abounded.
In this scene, George and Martha return from a
party drunk and George is moping as he is not pleased
that Martha invited company.Martha reminds him
of a joke. She sings, "Who's afraid of Virginia
Woolf?" The two tease each other alot and
George warns Martha not to "start in on the
bit about the kid" when the company arrives.
It is unclear what he means and they insult
each other but Martha includes an expletive.