Genre
Drama, Melodrama
Language
English
Setting and Context
London 2004
Narrator and Point of View
POV is that of Dan, Alice, Larry and Anna
Tone and Mood
Serious, Dramatic, Melodramatic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is Alice. Antagonist is Dan.
Major Conflict
Dan leaves Alice for Anna.
Climax
After multiple swaps between partners, Alice leaves Dan for New York where she is hit by a car and killed. Larry and Anna's relationship falls apart and he is with a new woman while she is left alone.
Foreshadowing
Dan's internet prank with Larry foreshadows his involvement in this lust quartet to come.
Understatement
It is understated that Alice has no family or friends to look out for her.
Allusions
The play is an allusion to the harm of chasing after lust and impulsive feelings in order to create love for your life. That it leaves one dead, alone, on to the next conquest or clinging to what or whom is dead.
Imagery
The photography show of Anna's featuring Alice's photograph with tears coming from her eyes--the imagery expresses the pain that these people have caused one another and yet, their inability to separate from each other's lives.
Paradox
Dan fights tooth and nail to get Alice back at the end of the play; paradoxically, his pride stands in the way of staying with her as he demands for her to admit she slept with Larry.
Parallelism
Anna sitting alone at the end of the play parallels her being alone at the Aquarium when she first meets Larry.
Personification
Dan becomes the personification of lust and self-pity; while Larry is the personification of revenge and "truth"; Alice the personification of being deeply wounded and Anna the personification of loneliness.
Use of Dramatic Devices
Marber uses a screen on stage to show the adult chat room conversation that Larry and Dan are having to create a firsthand experience for the audience. It allows their imaginations to discover what they would feel or think if this were them.
