A Biblical Archetypal Study On Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

Edward Albee(1928~) is the most important playwright of the United States in the 1960 s. His works concentrate on human being’s inner world in modern society, like betrayal and abandonment, illusion and reality, and the death of life. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, as Albee’s masterpiece, was researched by scholars from many angles since its appearance, among which psycho-analysis, the failure of the American Dream, feminism and absurdity are important ones. On the other hand, Chinese scholars broke a new ground of the research of the play. They researched it from the angels of new historicism, ethics, ritualization and carnivalization. However, the researches from the perspective of the biblical archetype are rare. Even if there is any, most of them monolithically allude the son-myth to the scapegoat in the Bible.Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? embodies abundant biblical features. Using the theory of the archetypal criticism of the Canadian critic Northrop Frye to study the play places the mental suffering of the modern people in the whole western culture, revealing the root of the suffering. It is meaningful for seeking spiritual redemption.The thesis includes three main parts: the introduction, the body and the conclusion. There are the introduction to Albee, the introduction to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the literature review in the first part.The body is from Chapter One to Chapter Five. Chapter One introduces Frye’s archetypal criticism, presenting some concepts of the criticism, on which the thesis is established.Chapter Two analyzes the narrative mode of “sin--suffering--confession--salvation” which is embodied in both the play and the Bible. After Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden for eating the forbidden fruit, human had to suffer and atone on the cursed earth. The two couples in the play were all tempted by their desires to sin in their lives, therefore they were harshly punished by life and had to pray for redemption.Chapter Three discusses the similarities between George and Adam, Martha and Eve, and the son-myth and Satan respectively. The young George was handsome and capable, however, he married the president’s daughter for material success. Accordingly, he had to suffer from his marriage and carrier. Martha discarded her first marriage which was her paradise and pursued more promising men constantly because of her insatiable thirst for love. In their desperate marriage, they fancied out a son to comfort themselves, but the devilish son hauled their lives to the abyss of destruction.Chapter Four explores the reflection of Babel and the City of Sin in the play. Babel is similar to people’s endeavoring to develop natural science which leads to the disequilibrium between science and humanity, in the aspect of both its appearance and its influence. Human’s greed to material success results in the fall of morality. Home becomes a small City of Sin. As the miniature of the society, home reflects the United States and even the whole western world which both are bigger Cities of Sin.Chapter Five probes the embodiment of the motif of judgment and the motif of resurrection in the play. The crazy night is like the doomsday when everyone needs judging. All of their secrets are ruthlessly exposed that night. Furthermore, Albee provokes the audience to judge the society where they live through the play. On the other hand, the shift from night to daytime, the re-rising of the moon in George’s mind and the four characters’ disillusion all mean the process from death to a new life. After their repenting, they would embrace the hope of salvation.Lastly, the conclusion shows that Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? truly reflects the social conditions and people’s spiritual state of the United States in the middle of 20 th century. The study on the play from the perspective of the biblical archetype has significant implications for modern men on how they choose for their future after half a century.