Allegory in Edward Albees The American Dream Essay -- Edward Albee Am

Allegory in Edward Albees The American DreamOur understanding of Edward Albees achievement in The American Dream (1960) has come a coarse way since 1961 when Martin Esslin hailed it as a brilliant first ideal of an American contribution to the Theatre of the Absurd1 and 1966 when Nicholas Canaday, Jr. labeled it Americas best example of what has come to be known as the theatre of the absurd.2The shrewdest assessment of absurdism in Albee is by Brian Way, who shows convincingly that, although Albee has successfully mastered the techniques of theatrical absurdism, he has save shied away from embracing the metaphysics that the style implies.3 That is, Albee knows that Theatre of the Absurd is an absorption-in-art of certain existentialist and post-existentialist philosophical concepts having to do, in the main, with mans attempts to make sense for himself out of his senseless position in a world which makes no sense.4 But Albee n of all timetheless believes in the validity of reason- -that things can be proved, or that events can be shown to have clear meanings.5 Structurally, the chief evidence for this claim is that Albees plays, including The American Dream, move toward resolution, denouement and completion rather than the circularity or open-endedness typical of Theatre of the Absurd.6In come across to content, Ways point may be extended by contrasting the implications of the titles of The American Dream and Eugene Ionescos The Bald Soprano, an absurdist drawing room comedy to which Albees play seems indebted in many ways. Ionescos title derives from the Firemans passing reference to the woman who always wears her hair in the same style.7 She is not a character in the play, nor is she ever referre... ...ampshire, where Wilder was a mentor and Albee was an aspiring poet. Richard E. Amacher implies that this comment was important in Albees turning to playwriting. (Edward Albee (New York Twayne, 1969), p. 19) Although Wilder is referred to negatively in Albe es Fam and Yam (along with Miller, Williams and Inge), that may be because he represents the dramatic establishment that a new playwright like Albee must challenge, rather than because Albee dislikes him or his drama. The intellectual and dramaturgical relationships between Albee and Wilder would make an provoke study.24. Michael E. Rutenberg, Edward Albee Playwright in Protest (New York Drama Book Specialists, 1969), pp. 230, 232. Albee adds, There might be an allegory to be drawn, and have the fantasy child the revolutionary principles of this earth that we havent lived up to yet. Ibid., p. 230.