Act Two Commentary

Early in Act Two the Stage Manager tells us, "The first act was called Daily Life. This act is called Love and Marriage." He assumes that we expect the first act to be entitled "Death."

The Stage Manager tells us what he thinks is behind the whole experience of life. "Nature's been pushing and contriving," he says, implying that marriage is a natural process as erosion or gravity. "Most everybody in the world climbs into their graves married," he goes on, and by associating marriage with death (the grave) he again stress the inevitably of both events.