In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? sex and infidelity are mostly used as weapons. The characters commit sexual acts or threaten them as way of gaining power over each other. In a few instances, characters try to become intimate in order to connect with each other. These attempts at true intimacy are short lived, however. For the most part, like most everything else in the play, sex is a tool for battle.
Questions About Sex
- What kind of sex life do you think George and Martha have? Why?
- Besides physical attraction, why might Nick want to sleep with Martha?
- Is Honey as oblivious as she seems to the blatant flirtation going on between her husband and Martha for most of the play?
- Why does George reject Martha's sexual advances toward him?
- To what extent has Martha been unfaithful to George in the past?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? sex is more often linked with power than intimacy.
Martha's almost infidelity is the last straw for George; it's what causes him to "kill" their imaginary son.