Wit Characters & Character Analysis

Wit Characters

Professor E. M. Ashford

E. M. Ashford is a professor of English literature and a graduate school mentor to Vivian Bearing Ashford is responsible for having guided Bearing through her studies of John Donne's poetry. It is also through Ashford that the audience first hears lines from Donne's poem "Death Be Not Proud," a pronounced theme of this play. It is with Ashford thatBearing shares one of the most poignant scenes. Ashford, sitting on the hospital bed shortly before Bearing dies, holds Bearing in her arms and reads a children's story to ease Bearing's pain.

Vivian Bearing, Ph.D.

Vivian Bearing is a professor of English literature and the main character of the play. She is fifty years old and has recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The treatment of her cancer and the effects of that treatment on her body, her thoughts, and her emotions are the focus of this drama.

Bearing has devoted her...
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