Truth or illusion? When the fantasy world that people create to cope with the absurdity of life is brought too much into reality, it becomes difficult to distinguish between authenticity and fiction. This ambiguity is evident in both Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, in which marital relations are based solely on illusion. Both couples in the dramas use illusions to avoid feeling the truth and pain of failures. Yet, in the end, they are forced to wake up from the false world they have been living in and, by openly expressing their feelings, create hope for progress. It is essential to eliminate illusion to live life truthfully and fully. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Martha and George's Relationship in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? it is troubling from the start, as it was founded on illusion. Martha married George not for who he really was, but for who she imagined he might become. As she tells Nick in the first act, “Then I got the idea of ​​getting married to a college guy… which didn't seem to be as stupid as it turned out” (Albee 79). Her father was the president of the College of New Carthage, and Martha, being his only child, hoped to gain control of it herself through marriage. Thus, he married the illusion of George, who also believed in it. However, when they realized that this illusion was not real, as George did not "have the courage to" (Albee 85) succeed his father, their marriage was significantly damaged. However, the dominant illusion in George and Martha's lives lies in the seed of their relationship. Since they could not have children of their own and lived a miserable life, they decided to create an imaginary child. Therefore, the binding force in their relationship is also an illusion. Although Albee does not directly tell the audience about the child's unreality until the end, he provides clues that implicate him throughout the play. The first hint is given when George warns Martha not to "start talking about the baby" (Albee 18) as their two in the morning guests arrive at the door. The boy's physical perfection, "blond hair and blue eyes", also foreshadows the fact that he is an illusion. Then, as George and Martha use the boy to attack each other, their bizarre insults add to the boy's unreality. Martha first says that George made him sick all the time and George counterattacks by claiming that "the real reason our son threw up all the time was because he couldn't stand you playing with him" (Albee 120). Finally, in the last act, when George informs Martha that their son has been "killed" and Martha tells him that she "cannot decide these things" (Albee 232) it becomes apparent, even to Nick, that their son is simply a creation of the mind. Through Martha's reaction, however, one can see that the confusion between illusion and reality can cause something that is exclusively delusional to have a very real emotional impact. Similarly, in A Doll's House Nora and Torvald's entire marriage is built on illusions. The characters' falseness and mutual dishonesty marks their entire relationship. This is first revealed when Torvald asks Nora whether or not she broke any rules today and whether she "took a bite of a macaroon or two" (Ibsen 6). Despite the fact that the audience had just seen Nora put macaroons in her mouth upon entering, Nora completely denies it and falsely tells Torvald that “I should not think of going against your will” (Ibsen 6). Ibsen uses situational irony here to show that their entire marriage is based on false appearances.The biggest deception in their relationship, however, is in the form of Nora's secret debt. When Torvald was ill, he secretly borrowed money from Krogstad to travel to the southern climate and improve his condition. To this day Nora has not mentioned the matter to her husband and has secretly repaid the debt, as she claims that Torvald and their marriage cannot support knowing this secret. "How painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald, with his manly independence, to know that he owes me something. It would completely ruin our mutual relations;" (Ibsen 13). Therefore, Torvald's "manly independence" is only an illusion that also makes the basis on which they treat each other false. Illusions are so common in both plays that they blur into reality until even the characters find it difficult to distinguish between what appears to be true and what is false. Indeed, in most of Albee's works, George and Martha are engaged in emotional and psychological "games". This becomes evident when Martha tells the bewildered Nick that "there's only one man in my life that ever made me happy, George" (Albee 189-190). Despite George's constant insults and humiliations, Martha still truly loves him. With this paradox Albee suggests that their arguments are simply part of a game and that not everything is as it seems. Martha supports this idea when she advises Nick not to "always deal with appearances" (Albee 190). Furthermore, the only reason Martha seduces Nick is to get George's attention and make him jealous. However, George acts as if he is indifferent and begins reading a book while Martha sexually entertains Nick. Later, when George vents his fury alone on stage, it becomes apparent that he was only pretending not to care. Therefore, their actions may all be false appearances. Nick even comments at the end that he doesn't know when George and Martha are lying. By blurring the lines between truth and illusion, Albee shows that it is not important whether something is a lie or not, however the importance lies in how people choose to exist in a situation in which they have found themselves trapped. lies between Nora and Torvald, the roles each takes on in their marriage are only appearance. Nora, for example, plays the role of a child-wife and mother who is completely dependent on Torvald and who is a spendthrift when it comes to money. Torvald also supports this illusion through the names he uses to refer to her. For example, he calls Nora “my little squirrel” and “my little lark” (Ibsen 4). Ibsen uses animal imagery to show that Torvald views Nora as a small, helpless creature. Nora in turn reinforces her invented role by acting as she knows Torvald wants her to. The complete falsity of her actions becomes clear only in the last scene of the first act, when Nora tells Torvald that she absolutely needs his help, even with such a trivial matter as choosing a costume for the upcoming ball. “Torvald, you could not take me in hand and decide what I should do, seeing that… I cannot go on even a little without your help” (Ibsen 27). The audience knows, however, that Nora is not as helpless as she seems, as she has decided on her own the important matter of borrowing money to save Torvald's life. Therefore, the Nora that Torvald thinks he is married to is simply an illusion, and Torvald cannot distinguish between the false, helpless Nora and the real one. Furthermore, Torvald takes on the role of Nora's protector, who would risk his life to save her. This is “the wonderful thing” (Ibsen 48) that Nora thinks will happen when Torvald discovers her debt and her forgery. Since women at that time could not sign a loan, even if it was for the good of their family, Nora forged 58)..