God of carnage

number 14 May God of Carnage God of Carnage is a play written by Yasmina Reza. It is a play that is quitehard to categorize as it combines elements of comedy and tragedy and is full of philosophical implications that make audience look at human civilization at a surprising angle. In this essay I will analyze the moral portrait of each and every protagonist of the play and contemplate on the art of co-existence that this play touches upon.
There are four protagonists in the play, which are parents of the 11-year-old boys who had had a fight. Alain and Annette Reille are the parents of the boy named Ferdinand; Michel and Veronique Vallon are the parents of another boy named Bruno. They would have probably never met each other if not their kids. The thing is on November 3 Ferdinand struck Bruno in the face and knocked out two of his teeth. This was the reason why the families of Vallons and Reilles met later that day at Vallons place to settle the case in a civilized and diplomatic manner. However, step by step the conversation between parents spun out of control and they started pointless argument screaming and swearing at each other by the end of the night. Alain is a well-to-do lawyer and Annette is a housewife who is managing the wealth of their family, as she herself characterizes herself. Michel is a second-rate wholesale dealer and his wife, Veronique is currently endeavors to write a book about Darfur, a war-ridden Sudanese province, and works at a bookshop part-time. The way Michel describes his occupation makes one feel he is a loser, ” its never exactly been a bonanza” (Reza 9). Alain anticipates such a characterization by asking Michel arrogantly and without scruple on how successful he is, ” Money in that, is there?” (Reza 9). Alain himself is a successful lawyer but, although he behaves quite arrogantly, he is tight-lipped and modest when being asked about his profession. As to his occupation Alains reply is confined to a couple of words, ” A lawyer”, which only underlines his awareness of being a well-to-do and respected man (Reza 6). However, the only thing Alain seems to care about is his job. Even Michel wife cant help telling him, ” I dont understand why you dont seem to care about this”, when he doesnt take an active part in bickering about his own son with her (Reza 20). Alains wife, Annette, is a woman who easily loses her temper and the little things of life often make her depressed. When the conversation between the parents went out of control and they failed to find common ground Annettes husband said that he is not desperate about the situation at all and Annette confessed, ” Well, I am”, when Alain tried to calm her down and said with a bit of surprise, ” There is nothing to be desperate about”, she answered without hesitation, ” Yes, theres is” (Reza 21).
Alain behaves quite arrogantly and interrupts the conversation every now and then by answering the cell phone and talking business. He manages to establish antipathy with his counterpart, Michel, who becomes quite emotional as the tension grows. Alain remains cold whatever happens and, unlike Michel, seems to control his emotions all the way down making ironic remarks from time to time, some of which are quite disgraceful.
Work Cited
Reza, Yasmina. God of Carnage. London: Faber and Faber, 2009. Print.