In this brief article, Carter explains how the play's religious imagery and its wordplay interact.

Most critics of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? are mindful of the play's rich array of religious signiflers, from Martha's deified father (George: "He's a god, we all know that," 26 [New American Library edition of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1962]), to the sacrificial son (Martha: "Poor lamb," 221); from George's Requiem Mass ("Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis," 227), to the Sabbath denouement (George: "Sunday tomorrow; all day," 239), and so forth.

The self-rerlexivity of the play's language has also served as a point d'appui for critical inquiry. Similar words and phrases bounce back and forth throughout all three acts:

Martha. George and Martha, sad, sad, sad (191) Nick. George and Martha, sad, sad, sad. (191)

Honey, and so they were married___

George and so they were marned . (146) Nick. Lady, please. (232) Honey.Lady . please . (233)

What...