Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. During the mid-20th century, the concept of the “nuclear family” became a focal point for many Americans. What does the sociological term “nuclear family” refer to? How was this ideal transmitted in American society? Over time, has this ideal changed? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: This question introduces students to a sociological theme of the play: The Nuclear Family. Students unfamiliar with the term may benefit from a brief introduction through the summary that follows and a comparison of the resources below. During the post-World War II “baby boom,” many young men returning home from war quickly married and started families. As a result, society began to place great importance on the concept of a strong, centralized family home, usually represented by a husband, wife, son, and daughter. In this archetype, the husband would work, the wife would stay at home and support the household, and children would attend school. Such a model was transmitted and perpetuated through American media; in fact, the rise of consumerism after WWII allowed for more families to buy televisions and, therefore, be subjugated to the increased exposure to societal expectations in TV shows and commercial advertisements. While the concept of The Nuclear Family has changed over time, most notably in the late 20th and early 21st century with the increased visual exposure of LGBTQ+ and single-parent households, Albee’s play challenged the notion of a “perfect” family as early as the early 1960s. In the play, both sets of couples married their spouses in order to achieve the necessary stage of social expectations as a part of the aspirational “American Dream”; in reality, both couples are dysfunctional and markedly unhappy in their relationships.

• This 10-minute film from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History shares a 1950 film to guide families in proper social manners, including the ritual of a family dinner.
• This 2015 article from Pew Research Center examines the changing social structure of families.

Short Activity

In Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, playwright Edward Albee drew on elements from the Theater of the Absurd movement in the mid-20th century. Working in small groups, research Theater of the Absurd and select one of the playwrights associated with the movement. Consider the following questions as you conduct your research: What elements characterize Theater of the Absurd? How does this playwright’s background and interest fit in with the movement? Which plays did this person publish? How were these plays received by the public? Finally, present your findings to the class. Be sure to include any relevant visuals from the playwright’s life, as well as from his productions, if applicable.

Teaching Suggestion: This short activity offers students the opportunity to learn more about the theatrical movement that Albee’s work was aligned with. Within Theater of the Absurd, Albee combines a strong social base with elements of Blurring Lines Between Truth And Illusion for his characters. One group should select Albee as their playwright to introduce to the class; however, they should focus on their content on his works other than Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Students may find the following resources helpful in selecting a playwright.

• “Theatre of the Absurd” from Britannica shares a succinct overview of the movement in Europe and the US.
• “Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf as an Absurd Drama” from Indira Gandhi National Open University provides a thorough overview of Theater of the Absurd and Albee’s play, with reading comprehension questions at the end.

Differentiation Suggestion: For classes focusing on theater and/or film studies, this short activity may be amended to focus on a particular script or theatrical/film rendition of a piece associated with Theater of the Absurd. Invite students to either perform a scene out loud from another play, or show a clip of a scene to students, before analyzing the text for Absurdist elements.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the play.

What are some of the differences between generations in parental expectations for their children? In what ways does the concept of The Nuclear Family fit into these generational expectations?

Teaching Suggestion: This question invites students to consider the themes The Nuclear Family and The Tension Between Generations from their personal perspectives. Although never present in the play, the parents of the four adult characters are discussed prominently. This is because these different parents transmitted certain expectations for their children, particularly related to social status, employment, and even public personas. As a result, the characters have anxieties related to their own place in society and the reproduction of children, which has resulted in the characters deceiving others and themselves about the reality of their situations.