The limits of our tolerance portrayed in The Goat or Who is Sylvia?

Edward Albee, born on March 12, 1928, is an American playwright who is well known for his controversial works. One controversial piece of work in particular was a play written in 2002 titled The Goat or Who is Sylvia?. The Goat or Who is Sylvia? has received mixed reviews. Some people believe that the sole meaning behind the play is bestiality and find the subject matter to be disturbing; others believe that the play has much more meaning to it besides bestiality. Edward Albee has said that The Goat or Who is Sylvia? is about “the limits of our tolerance of the behavior of others than ourselves, especially when such behavior ran counter to what we believe to be acceptable social moral boundaries, and our unwillingness to imagine ourselves behaving in such an unacceptable fashion.” In The Goat or Who is Sylvia?, writer Edward Albee uses dialogue between the characters Ross, Billy, and Martin to portray and criticized the limits of our tolerance as a society. In the opening scene of The Goat or Who is Sylvia? Martin is interviewed by his best friend, Ross Tuttle, on his fiftieth birthday. Martin is being interviewed for a television segment titled “People Who Matter” because of his recent accomplishments; he became the youngest person ever to win the Pritzker Price and was chosen to design a new two hundred billion dollar dream city of the future name “World City”. This is the happiest moment in Martin’s professional life, but he is not able to enjoy the moment because he is paranoid of what society will think of his secret. During the interview Ross notices that Martin is acting strange and begins pressuring Martin for the underlying reason. Martin does not want to share his secret with Ross, but Ross uses social pressure to get Martin to tell him his secret his secret. When Martin eventually tells Ross he is having an affair Ross pressures him for more information. Martin eventually tells Ross the story of how he and his mistress, Sylvia, meet. Martin describes Sylvia to Ross and says, “You don’t understand. I didn’t know what it was-what I was feeling. It was … it wasn’t like anything I’d felt before; it was … so … amazing, so … extraordinary! There she was, just looking at me, with those eyes of hers, and …” (44). Ross later replies “I almost dare not ask this, but who is Sylvia?” (44). Martin is hesitant to show a picture of Sylvia, but gives in to the pressure from Ross and eventually shows him a picture of her from his wallet. Ross later replies “THIS IS A GOAT! YOU’RE HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH A GOAT! YOU’RE FUCKING A GOAT!” to which Martin replies “Yes” (46). Ross represents society in this scene, he is not tolerant to an unfamiliar actions and ideas. Without giving himself a few moments to think about the situation, Ross becomes angry and begins yelling at Martin. In scene one Martin shares his feelings toward Sylvia with Ross and is faced with a great deal of resentment. It is clear that Martin is deeply in love with Sylvia but Ross does not care. In scene two Ross writes a letter to Stevie, Martin’s wife, sharing the terrible news he had heard about Martin’s affair with a Sylvia. It is not long till Martin’s son, Billy hears of the news as well. Martin is very upset with Ross for sharing the news of Sylvia to his family and feels betrayed. Martin enraged says “How could he!! How could he do such a thing?!” (49). In the final scene Ross confronts Martin for a final time and defends his reasoning behind the letter. Ross says, “Do you know there are prison terms for this? Some states they kill you for it? Do you know what they’d do to you. The press? Everybody? Down it all come-your career; your life … everything. For fucking a goat” (108). Ross only cares about what society will think of Martin, he is unable to comprehend Martin’s actions. Even though Martin expresses his true feelings for Sylvia, Ross is ashamed and embarrassed for his best friend. Martin responds to Ross by saying, “Is that what it is, then? That people will know!? That people will find out!? That I can do whatever I want, and that’s what matters!? That people will find out!? Fuck the … thing itself!? Fuck what it means!? That people will find out!?” (108). At this moment Martin is able to release himself from the standards of society. He realizes that he is no longer able to hide his feelings from society, even though society will not tolerate his feelings. Billy is Martin and Stevie’s gay seventeen year old son. When Billy hears of the letter Ross sent to Stevie in scene two he is angry and confused, his first words were “You’re doing what?! You’re fucking a goat?!” (47). Billy shows societal confusion throughout the play, he is unable to understand why or how his father could fall in love with a goat. He is more considered about what his peers and friends are going to think and what he is going to tell everyone than trying to get to understand his father’s behavior. Billy also demonstrates a child –like innocence, he cares more about what people will think rather than the consequences actions have. In scene three he says, “They asked us at school-when? Last week, last month?-they asked each of us to talk about how normal our lives were, how…how conventional it all was and how did we feel about it.” (98). He later continues, “I think what I’ll tell them is this: that I’ve been living with two people about as splendid as you can get; that if I’d been born to other people, it couldn’t have been any better. You two guys are about as good as they come. You’re smart, and fair, and you have a sense of humor-both of you- and … and you’re Democrats.” (100). This shows that up till the recent incident with Martin and Sylvia, Billy loved Martin and viewed him very highly. Billy later continues, “…until shit hit the fan, and the talk I was going to do in school became history. What will I say now!? Goodness me! The Good Ship Lollipop has gone and sunk. What will I say!? Well let’s see: I came home yesterday and everything had been great-absolutely normal, therefore great. Great parents, great house, great trees, great cars-you know: the old “great”.” (101). Billy has faced some criticism for his sexuality in the play from Ross, just like Martin faced criticism from Ross about Sylvia. Billy knows how it feels to receive criticism for his sexuality. Rather than trying to be there for his father he torments him and shows resentment, this shows that Billy is not tolerant to unfamiliar actions and ideas No character in the play, other than Martin, approves of Martin’s affair with Sylvia. No one understands or accepts Martin’s new relationship because it is considered strange and unusual. Although Martin’s son Billy is in a similar situation, being a young gay male in 2002, that not everyone in society seems to accept. Through the dialogue Martin does not seem to fully accept his gay son. Throughout the play Martin makes comments about his son’s sexuality. When Billy confronts his father about the affair with Sylvia Martin responds, “You know, your own sex life leaves a little too …” (48). Martin goes on and calls Billy a “Fucking Fagot!”, but later goes on and says, “I’m sorry. You’re gay, and that’s fine, and I don’t give a shit what you put where.” (48). In scene three Billy says, “That’s what I thought, and you’ve figured out that raising a kid does not include making him into a carbon copy of you, that you’re putting up with me being gay far better than you really are” (100). By writing that dialogue between Billy and Martin, Edward Albee makes the reader/audience feel as if Martin does not fully support his son. This is strange because Martin is going through a similar situation where no one supports his relationship with a goat. Martin sees a relationship between a man and a female animal as normal, but a relationship between two men as strange. Through the dialogue between Martin and Billy, Martin proves to not tolerant to an unfamiliar actions and ideas. When Edward Albee wrote, The Goat or Who is Sylvia? he wanted to portray and critic the limits of our tolerance as a society. He accomplished this by using the dialogue between Ross, Billy, and Martin. Edward Albee has been criticized for his sexuality by some. People have called Edward Albee a “gay writer”, but Albee believes he is much more than that. Edward Albee responded to the critics by saying, “A writer who happens to be gay or lesbian must be able to transcend self. I am not a gay writer. I am a writer who happens to be gay.” ("Playwright Albee Defends 'Gay Writer' Remarks.”). In The Goat or Who is Sylvia?, writer Edward Albee uses the characters Ross, Billy, and Martin to portray and critic the limits of our tolerance as a society.

Work Cited
"Playwright Albee Defends 'Gay Writer' Remarks." www.npr.org. NPR, 6 June 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. <http://www.npr.org/2011/06/06/136923478/playwright-edward-albee- defends-remarks>.