Essay on Edward Albee’s
The Zoo Story
By: Anas Ebrahim Mohammed Faculty of Education – 4th year English department – 2nd semester ub!ect: "rama uper#isor: $rof% amia Abu&Alam
'ontents: American "rama in early 2(th century )ntroduction to Edward Albee *he +oo tory $lot 'haracters and language etting *hemes
)ntroduction: Although the ,nited tates- theatrical tradition can be traced bac. to the arri#al of /ewis 0allam-s troupe troupe in the mid&1th century and was #ery acti#e in the 13th century as seen s een by the popularity of minstrel shows and of adaptations of ,ncle *om-s 'abin American drama $age 1 of 6
*he +oo tory
attained international status only in the 132(s and 5(s with the wor.s of Eugene 6-7eill who who won won three three $uli $ulit8e t8err $ri8e $ri8es s and the 7obe 7obell $ri8e $ri8e%% )n the middle middle of the the 2(th 2(th centu century ry American drama was dominated by the wor. of playwrights *ennessee 9illiams and Arthur Miller% Miller% /ater American playwrights of importance importance include Edward Edward Albee am hepard hepard "a#id Mamet 9endy 9asserstein and August 9ilson% Albee’s #ery rst play *he +oo tory performed in 13;3 was less e
ect it from the mild&mannered mild&mannered $eter $eter%% the 8oo is of course America where half li#e li.e human beings and the other half li#e li.e animals% *he +oo tory has been called ??the most impressi#e debut e#er made by an American dramatist’’ @Bigsby 2(((: 123% /i.e the Absurdist’s he belie#es that man has lost his faith in e#erything yet there is some hope in Albee’s in man’s ability to face his true condition and thus his sal#ation% *he *heatre of the AbsurdC is a term coined by 0ungarian&bor 0ungarian&born n critic Martin Esslin who made it the title of his 13D2 boo. on the sub!ect% *he term refers to a particular type of play which rst became popular during the 13;(s and 13D(s and which presented on stage the philosophy articulated by French philosopher Albert 'amus in his 1342 essay *he Myth of isyphus in which he denes the human condition as basically meaningless% 'amus argued that humanity had to resign itself to recogni8ing that a fully satisfying rational e
Edward Albee was born on March 12 132 and was adopted by millionaire couple Keed and Frances Albee at the age of two wee.s% Keed Albee was the son of Edward Fran.lin Albee a rich and powerful early American Laude#ille producer% An only child Edward grew $age 2 of 6
*he +oo tory
up in a pri#ileged household% 0owe#er his adopti#e parents were uncommunicati#e and cold and his mother controlling% *o her it was of utmost importance that Edward attend the rightC schools and associate with the rightC people% By age 2( Albee was estranged from his bourgeois family and had mo#ed to 7ew or.’s Nreenwich Lillage% An inheritance from his grandmother allowed Albee to li#e in 7ew or. 'ity where he continued to write @with little success and do odd !obs% After a period of depression he challenged himself to write a play before his 5(th birthday% Albee said: “I fnished The Zoo Story in three weeks… everything in my lie had led to this moment; the writing seemed to ow rom some inner need and conviction… it was sort o an explosion and the words never stoppe stopped! d! Ke!ected The Zoo Story Story made its way to e!ected by se#eral se#eral 7ew or. 'ity publish publishers ers The Europe where it premiered on eptember 2 13;3 at the chiller *heatre in 9er.statt Nermany% Four months later after much critical praise in Nermany it returned to 7ew or. 'ity at the $ro#incetown $layhouse in Nreenwich Lillage and instantly had a strong impact on critics and audiences ali.e% *his mar.ed the beginning of Albee’s career as a playwright% The Zoo Story Story into a two&act play% At the age of OO Kecent Kecently ly @in 2((4 2((4 Albee Albee e
The Plot: Edward Albee-s *he +oo tory is a long one&act play in which Pnothing happensP e
*he +oo tory
Nree. boy% *hen he launches into a long monologue about his disgusting lusty alcoholic landlady and her ugly sa#age blac. dog that attac.ed attac.ed =erry daily whene#er he tried to enter the rooming house although he attempted to pacify it by feeding it hamburger for si< days% 6n the se#enth day he poisoned the meat and the dog fell eicting emotions are the reality of being% *his story has a hypnotic eGect on $eter who ma.es no comment during its lengthy recitation% Nrotesuely e
Characters and language: 0ere we ha#e a clearly delineated characters as they resemble normal American citi8ens of the period% *here are two main characters that perform in the play% 0owe#er the actions of a third is introduced of the illusi#e landlady% *he rst character we hear from is =erry who is the only willing&to&tal. character in the play% $eter on the other hand prefers his boo.s than his fellow human intruding% $eter represents the upper middle&class of 7ew or. the biggest city in the world% =erry belongs to a lower class% *he two characters diGer or e#en contrast from the #ery beginning in their ideas interests beha#iour or e#en appearance% Peter: A man in his early forties neither fat nor gaunt neither handsome nor homely% 0e wears tweeds smo.es a pipe carries horn&rimmed glasses% Although he is mo#ing into middle age his dress and his manner would suggest a man younger% Jerry: A man in his late thirties not poorly dressed but carelessly% 9hat was once a trim and lightly muscled body has begun to go to fat and while he is no longer handsome it is e#ident that he once was% 0is fall from physical grace should not suggest debauchery he has to come closest to it a great weariness% *hroughout *hroughout the play =erry was trying to transmit a message to $eter $eter%% 0e uses many techniues in#ol#ing repetition in each% 0e rst tells him about the #isit to the 8oo then $age 4 of 6
*he +oo tory
uestions him about his life the way that irritated $eter% 0e tells stories of his miseries in life his lusty landlady the erce dog his neighbours% 9hen all that failed he paid his life as a price to complete his message% *he people =erry described are of real Americans that Albee wants to bring lights on or critics% Albee uses language as a magician depicting pictures of a real human being that one will no doubt about it being a friend a relati#e a man in the news or e#en oneself with the language that suits the content% *he rst tactic used by Albee is repetition as the opening line repeats itself )’#e been to the 8ooC% =erry’s centre of speech is what happened in the 8ooC as he repeats this type of moti#ating story to get $eter in#ol#ed in a con#ersation% $eter is ob#i ob#iou ousl sly y the the wea. wea.er er lin. lin. in that that line line%% 0e trie tries s o#er o#er and and o#er o#er to show show igno ignora ranc nce e annoyance or re!ection% *he beginning goes on a slowed pattern with short sentences% =erry as.s all the uestions $eter reluctantly comments ) don’t want to hear any moreC says $eter% *his happens while =erry tries to .now and hac. into $eter’s life% *he pace is uic.ened as =erry tells his stories about the landlady and the dog% *hence the speech is prolonged prolonged and the repetition is present as in the whole play%
Settng: )t is 'entra 'entrall $ar. ar. a und unday ay after afterno noon on in summe summer r the prese present% nt% *here *here are are two two par. par. benches one toward either side of the stage they both face the audience% Behind them: foliage trees s.y% At the beginning $eter is seated on one of the benches% 7ear the end =erry will produ produce ce a .nife and and a site of blood blood follows% follows% 9e also ha#e a worded picture of the four&storey rooming&house where =erry li#es with its inhabitants and some of their daily routine% 0e describes the rooms of e#ery >oor and their inhabitants% =erry and his neighbours are of the same class and share the same suGerings of badly&oG li#e% *his place is described in detail% $eter gi#es a brief description of his home set& up%
The!es: *he +oo tory is Albee-s rst masterpiece masterpiece and the beginning beginning of his great career as a dramatist% )n this play he introduced many themes li.e that of illusion and Keality in modern society isolation of human e
*he +oo tory
oGen oGender der’s% ’s% *his *his lac. lac. of commu communic nicati ation on is a domin dominati ating ng them theme e in the play play%% *he *he lac. lac. of communication between $eter and =erry =erry and his neighbours and e#en =erry and the dog% *he story of =erry and the dogC is a clear image of what he meant by the reality 8oo% *he dog used to attac. him and bite him in his way to stairs% *hat is the only way they used to communicate and that is the same way $eter answered =erry at the beginning% *he land landla lady dy has has that that same same mann manner er of atta attac. c.in ing% g% =er =erry trie tries s to buil build d some some appa apparrentl ently y communication means by oGering hamburger to the dog but in fact it ne#er was an act of .indness but rather a plot to .ill the dog% *his resulted in both parties treating each other with mutual indiGerence% *hat same way is the one =erry used as a last option to connect with $eter a way that costs him his life% *he landlady landlady is ta.en ta.en in by the illusion of lo#e the dog is ne#er decei#ed% decei#ed% For =erry in order to .eep his peace 0e is able to con#ince her of an illusion But ) ha#e found a way to .eep her oG %%% ) merely say but lo#e wasn’t yesterday enough for you and the day beforeT% *hen she pu88les % % % a simple&minded smile begins to form on her unthin.able face and she giggles and groans as she thin.s about yesterday and the day before as she belie#es and reli#es what ne#er happened %%% And ) am safe until our ne
$age 6 of 6
*he +oo tory
