Sexual Themes in Two Plays by William Inge.

This paper analyzes sexual themes in two major works by William Inge, a Kansas playwright and closeted homosexual noted for his sympathetic portrayals of lonely, frustrated women. More specifically, it focuses on the highly differentiated descriptions of male and female characters in Come Back, Little Sheba and Bus Stop, as well as the portrayal of male-male relationships in the latter. Both plays (along with Picnic and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs) were among the remarkable string of Broadway successes enjoyed by Inge during the 1950s. Although Inge's sexuality is not directly mentioned in any of his major plays, there are subtle references to it in these two, at least, especially in the lavish attention shown by Inge to male bodies in the stage directions of both, and the surprisingly tender relationship between the cowboys Bo and Virgil in Bus Stop. Before beginning our analysis of sexual themes in these plays, we shall examine the more forthright treatment of homosexuality in some of Inge's minor works, including several one-act plays and the two novels he wrote towards the end of his life. Inge has been unjustly overlooked in critical and theatrical circles since his death in 1973, and it is hoped that the greater interest being shown today in LGBTQ+ artists may lead to a revival of interest in his work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]