2. The play takes place over the course of about 12 months in a patient room of the University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center and in various places in the memory of Vivian Bearing. The main characters are Vivian Bearing, Harvey Kelekian, Jason Possner, Susie Monahan, E.M. Ashford, and Mr, Bearing. The protagonist is Vivian Bearing. Vivian is a professor of English literature and noted authority on the 17th-century English poet John Donne, recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The event that occurs before the inciting incident is when Vivian walks out on stage and starts talking to the audience telling us about herself. Exposition
3. After Vivian is done explaining herself and talking about her cancer and how serious it is, she pulls out her IV. Vivian now only has two hours to live. Inciting Incident
4. Vivian's is trying to tell her story to the people of the world - which might make up for the years of her life in which she neglected to speak to people on a personal level. By granting the members of the audience the capacity to hear Vivian's thoughts and true emotions, this makes the audiences acknowledgement of her very personal. Conflict
5. Vivian recalls her past when telling her story. In the first one, Vivian recalls the time she was diagnosed with cancer. In the second, she remembers the time when she was a student and was asked to re-write a poetry paper. When recalling both scenes she says, "It was something of a shock. I had to sit down." This pattern creates a strong contrast between Vivian's priorities before and after being diagnosed with cancer. Before her diagnosis Vivian lived most of her life as a person with no real grasp on human connection. Rising Action
6. Vivian realizes that she has become merely an object to be examined, thinking of the different treatment she receives from the hospital staff. Only Susie her nurse, provides comfort when the pain becomes unbearable. Susie also provides an emotional anchor when Vivian acknowledges the fact that she is really going to die. With Susie’s help, Vivian signs a “do not resuscitate” order. The day before Vivian's death E.M. pays her a visit, becoming the first and only person from her personal life to do so. Ashford holds the dying Vivian, they read together from a book Ashford has brought as a gift for her grandson. The next morning, Vivian undergoes cardiac arrest. Despite Vivian's earlier request to die peacefully, Posner calls for a code team, claiming that he needs her to live so he can continue to study her since she is just research. Climax
7. A small code team walks into Vivian's room and Susie tries blocking them from her body, reminding Jason of Vivian's final wishes. Realizing that Susie is correct, Jason collapses in front of the code team and begins to sob. Anow-deceased Vivian peacefully sheds her gown and moves to center stage and the lights go off. Falling Action and Denoument
8. After reading the play I would say Vivian is a dynamic character In the beginning of the story she doesn’t know how to connect with other people around her. But by the end she realizes how to open up to people, especially Susie. In the play a lot is at stake for Vivian. Although her life is the most at risk she is also at risk for never experiencing real human interactions. Vivian comes to reassess her life. Vivian
