It will be a battle of wits and wit, mind and matter, the body and soul of Vivian against the destiny that nature has given her. to her student, a young Vivian Bearing, is an early indication in this remarkable play that the story of Vivian's battle with cancer is going to be more than just one of doctors, medicine, sickness, and emotion. 'Nothing but a breath-a comma-separates life from life everlasting.' This remark by E. But as her disease and its excruciatingly painful treatment inexorably progress, she begins to question the single-minded values and standards that have always directed her, finally coming to understand the aspects of life that make it truly worth living. Confident of her ability to stay in control of events, she brings to her illness the same intensely rational and painstakingly methodical approach that has guided her stellar academic career. Seventeenth-century poet John Donne, is diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer.

Spent years studying and teaching the intricate, difficult Holy Sonnets of the The immediacy of the presentation, and the clarity and elegance of Edson's writing, make this sophisticated, multilayered play accessible to almost any interested reader.Īs the play begins, Vivian Bearing, a renowned professor of English who has In Wit, Edson delves into timeless questions with no final answers: How should we live our lives knowing that we will die? Is the way we live our lives and interact with others more important than what we achieve materially, professionally, or intellectually? How does language figure into our lives? Can science and art help us conquer death, or our fear of it? What will seem most important to each of us about life as that life comes to an end? It's about compassion, but it shows insensitivity.' It's about kindness, but it shows arrogance. As the playwright herself puts it, 'The play is not about doctors or even about cancer. What we as her audience take away from this remarkable drama is a keener sense that, while death is real and unavoidable, our lives are ours to cherish or throw away-a lesson that can be both uplifting and redemptive. Margaret Edson's powerfully imagined Pulitzer Prize–winning play examines what makes life worth living through her exploration of one of existence's unifying experiences-mortality-while she also probes the vital importance of human relationships. Winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, and the Oppenheimer Award

Wit play margaret edson