Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Power

This the first of the many drinks George makes for Martha. No matter how bad they're fighting he seems to always be willing to booze her up. Does this show that Martha has power over him? Perhaps, though, by making the drinks he is preying on her alcoholism, which then gives him power over her.

George's failure to advance in his career is the main weapon Martha wields in their battle for power.

Martha takes delight in telling this story, probably because it emasculates George. The fact that George got beat up by his wife definitely caused George to lose some power.

Here George and Martha use the illusion of their son as a battlefield for dominance.

George openly admits that he's intimidated by Nick's youthful potential, and that he's seeking a way to undermine it.

Revealing the secret of George's novel is a major power play on Martha's part.

George attempts to regain power by humiliating Nick and Honey. He uses what Nick told him about Honey's hysterical pregnancy against them.

By pretending to not care about Martha's infidelity, George gains power over the situation.

We wonder if Martha is only bossing Nick around because he failed in bed. There's a chance she would've treated him this way no matter how their trip to the bedroom turned out. Look at how she treats George.

The power struggle that has driven the action of the play ends here. By destroying the illusion of the child he gains full control. Martha is defeated, but at what cost? Will they recover?