George And Martha Relationship

During the film the two relationships are observed: one between George and Martha and the other comprising of Nick and Honey. We will start by first analyzing the relationship between George and Martha, then move to Nick and Honey. The film centers on the failing marriage between George and Martha. George is a history professor at a nearby college and received his job from Martha’s father who is the president of the college. Martha is a stay at home wife, however the fact that George’s status depends on Martha creates an imbalance in the relationship that fuels a spiteful marriage. George and Martha dramatically clash the entire film especially through hurtful, yet playful games. Late one night, Martha invites the new Math professor, Nick,
On one side we see George and Martha. A couple that is so unhappy with themselves that the only satisfaction they get is putting their partner down. Instead of facing problems head on, like discussing a child, they turn to games and insults. Illusions are so abundant it is hard to tell what is truth and what is illusion to both the audience and the characters. For example, in the beginning we are not completely sure if their son exists, and we can’t know for certain where their “child” has gone. On the other hand, there is Nick and Honey who have their own share of illusions. Nick and Honey also have child issues, as Honey is unable to have a child due to “hysteria”. This illusion is broken down, and we discover that Honey has been taking pregnancy pills to avoid a pregnancy. Nick and Honey arguably live in a bigger fantasy world than George and Martha because they can’t even pretend anything is wrong. George and Martha at least express their unhappiness, even though it is far from a healthy exercise. Nick and Honey are so entrenched in their own fantasy world that they can’t see the illusion they are naively living in. Instead of dealing with problems at all, Nick and Honey act like they don’t exist. Both couples live in their own versions of fantasies, however they can be better explained as