Wit

SCENES 1-4

Reading Check

1. Seventeenth-century poetry specializing in Donne’s Holy Sonnets (Scene 1)

2. “It is not my intention to give away the plot; but I think I die at the end. They’ve given me less than two hours.” (Scene 1)

3. Advanced metastatic ovarian cancer (Scene 2)

4. “Out of the question” (Scene 2)

5. A “force” (Scene 3)

6. Wit (Scene 3)

Short Answer

1. The play opens with the following stage direction: “(VIVIAN BEARING walks on the empty stage pushing her IV pole. She is fifty, tall and very thin, barefoot, and completely bald. She wears two hospital gowns—one tied in the front, and one tied in the back—a baseball cap, and a hospital ID bracelet. The house lights are at half strength. VIVIAN looks out at the audience, sizing them up.).” This stage direction highlights the protagonist’s physical features, characterizing her appearance directly. (Scene 1)

2. By breaking the fourth wall, Vivian highlights that this play will include both “irony” and “humor,” aspects that she is not particularly proud to see as she “would prefer that a play about [her] be cast in the mythic-heroic-pastoral mode.” (Scene 1)

3. Vivian introduces the audience to Professor Ashford, her mentor, in a flashback, where the Professor informs Vivian that she must rewrite her essay on “Holy Sonnet Six” as the edition she used from the library had incorrect punctuation. In recalling this memory, she agrees to receive all eight cycles of chemotherapy. (Scene 2)

4. Vivian summarizes the contributions she made to English literature, including working with Professor Ashford, publishing her dissertation and articles in journals, and the release of her book on the Holy Sonnets. Vivian breaks the fourth wall as she delivers these achievements; however, the audience discovers this information juxtaposed against the reality of the situation, which is Vivian navigating the mundane activities in the hospital with technicians. (Scene 3)

5. Dr. Jason Posner is a former student of Vivian who is also in charge of examining her. After reviewing her medical history, he conducts a pelvic exam during which he finds the tumor. Vivian notes in the following scene that this interaction “was thoroughly degrading.” (Scenes 3-4)

6. Susie is a primary nurse who supports Vivian through her chemotherapy. She provides a calm and positive presence and offers to check in on Vivian after confirming that Vivian has not had any visitors, which indicates that Vivian does not have a support network. (Scene 4)

SCENES 5-10

Reading Check

1. “Brevity” (Scene 5)

2. He says that “[s]he’s tough. She can take it.” (Scene 7)

3. The metaphysical school (Scene 8)

4. Because she “think[s] they foresee celebrity status for themselves upon the appearance of the journal article they will no doubt write about [her]” (Scene 9)

5. He comments on the speed and efficiency with which they replicate without ceasing and calls the process “[i]mmortality in culture.” (Scene 10)

Short Answer

1. While Jason reviews the technicalities of Vivian’s case with the Fellows, Vivian breaks the fourth wall with the audience to compare the “Grand Rounds” with higher education. She notes, “Full of subservience, hierarchy, gratuitous displays, sublimated rivalries—I feel right at home. It is just like a graduate seminar. With one important difference: in Grand Rounds, they read me like a book. Once I did the teaching, now I am taught.” (Scene 5)

2. The play shifts to a flashback where a 5-year-old Vivian sits with her father and reads a book. Mr. Bearing directs her by encouraging her to sound out the unknown word soporific and to use it in a sentence. She marvels at the ability to connect words with their meanings and tries to do so with her present medical situation. (Scene 6)

3. As her physical state worsens, Vivian breaks the fourth wall to clarify her paradoxical situation: “I am not in isolation because I have cancer, because I have a tumor the size of a grapefruit. No. I am in isolation because I am being treated for cancer. My treatment imperils my health.” (Scene 7)

4. In her reading of Donne’s “Holy Sonnet Five,” Vivian notes the final quandary in which the speaker chooses to hide from God, as opposed to accepting God’s forgiveness, and the reader’s desire to change the speaker’s actions. She reveal, however, that the reader has lost their chance to do so, and poses the question: “Have we outwitted Donne? Or have we been outwitted?” (Scene 8)

5. In speaking with Jason about his cancer research, Vivian notes that “The young doctor, like the senior scholar, prefers research to humanity. At the same time the senior scholar, in her pathetic state as a simpering victim, wishes the young doctor would take more interest in personal contact.” She then relates this to her own unsympathetic actions as a professor. (Scene 10)

SCENES 11-17

Reading Check

1. Student 2 claims Donne uses wit to hide behind. (Scene 11)

2. DNR (do not resuscitate) (Scene 12)

3. Being alive (Scene 13)

4. “Salvation Anxiety” (Scene 15)

5. “It’s time to go. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.” (Scene 16)

Short Answer

1. Susie brings Vivian a popsicle to soothe her discomfort. Vivian inquires about the nature of her treatment, confirming her suspicions that the medical staff really did not expect the cancer to significantly improve, but instead wanted to use her case as an opportunity for research. (Scene 12)

2. Despite Susie’s request for a Patient-Controlled Analgesic, Dr. Kelekian orders Vivian morphine instead to help with the pain. As Susie administers the morphine, Vivian says, “I trust this will have a soporific effect” to which Susie responds, “Well, I don’t know about that, but it sure makes you sleepy.” Vivian finds this interaction amusing, explaining the meaning of the word and laughing with Susie about the silliness of the entire interaction. (Scene 14)

3. Professor Ashford visits Vivian after learning from the university about her cancer. In an attempt to soothe Vivian, she offers to recite some Donne; however, Vivian rejects this offer and instead Ashford reads to her from The Runaway Bunny. (Scene 16)

4. Jason finds Vivian unconscious, immediately calling a code to resuscitate her. Susie tries to intervene, reminding Jason that Vivian is DNR; however, the room becomes chaotic as the code team is trying to revive her and Jason is concerned with losing her case for his research. Finally, Susie gains the attention of the team and calls their actions to a stop. Simultaneously, Vivian leaves the bed, sheds her clothing, and “reach[es] for the light.” (Scene 17)