Oldal 130 [130]
ANIKÓ LUKÁCS
and systematic methodology."? — who, as a result of the mentioning of the
child and the resultant humiliation of the first game, enters the liminal phase,
which is when the chain reaction sparks the catastrophic collapse of a web of
lies, the first stop of which was Nick and Honeys Get the Guests.
HuUMP THE HOSTESS
The Hump the Hostess part is different in two important ways from George
and Martha’s earlier game (Get the Guests should be defined as George and
Nick’s game), which can be grasped firstly in Martha’s losing her position
of control, although as yet unaware of this. Being unaware of the change,
and shifting roles in the relationship, she commences their second game by
continuing the attacks on her husband, while beginning to leave the realm
of verbal provocation, penetrating a deeper layer of cruelty. But Martha only
wants to scratch the surface of Hump the Hostess, and this is where the second
discrepancy can be seen, which involves the reversal of roles, with George be¬
ginning to dictate the terms. While the first game took place within the realm
of speech — as George’s responses to the game are not components of the game
itself — the second game shows a shift in the conditions of operation that goes
beyond verbal limitations and can only be expressed physically:
MARTHA (Her anger has her close to tears, her frustration to fury) [...] You come
off this kick you're on, or I swear to God I'll do it. I swear to God
I'll follow that guy into the kitchen, and then I’ll take him upstairs,
and...
GEORGE (Swinging around to her again ... loud ... loathing) SO WHAT,
MARTHA?
MARTHA (Considering him for a moment ... then, nodding her head, backing off
slowly) O.K. ... O.K. ... You asked for it ... and you're going to get it.°°
The intention to commit adultery (functioning mostly as verbal provocation)
and the following response of approval and disinterest (almost daring her to
actually do it: “GEORGE (to Nick): I couldn't care less. So, you just take this
bag of laundry here, throw her over your shoulders, and...”)*!, takes cruelty to
a higher degree, the mutually humiliated participants reaching the point in
their struggle where they must face the final stage: “And the west, encumbered
® Veronika Darida: Antonin Artaud Es a mentälis terek, in Szinhaz-utöpiak, Budapest, Kijarat,
2010, 167.
50 Albee: Ibid., 173.
51 [bid., 172.
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