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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 beginning 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. «128 +
