Themes & Conflicts to Consider in PROOF

It would be safe to focus on the following ideas in preparation of your FINAL EXAM:

CATHERINE - How does Catherine see herself as the play opens? How is her identity developed through the play? How does her father, sister, and Hal contribute to her notion that she is/is not insane? Is she more or less stable by the end of the drama? Why?

TITLE - In what way does the title PROOF refer to a mathematical proof, the concept of authentic scholarship and the proof that people seek to reassure themselves of the stability of their personal relationships? How do these all come to bear on the character of Catherine? In what way are the other characters involved?

GENIUS and INSANITY - What determines genius? What is the difference between the way a genius sees a problem or an idea and the way most of us see it? What is the difference between the way a person who is mentally unstable sees a problem/idea and the way most of us see it? Are most creative geniuses borderline (or fully) mentally or emotionally unstable? What does the evidence in the play seem to suggest?

THE IMPORTANCE OF HEREDITY - Are people "fated" to follow in the path of parents? Specifically, is Catherine likely, as she fears in the opening scene, of becoming "nuts" like her father? How has tending to her father the last three years effected Catherine? Has there been a positive outcome of caring for Robert?

SIBLINGS - In what way(s) are Catherine and Claire similar? Different? Where has Claire been? Why has she not helped Catherine care for their father? What is the first thing Claire does when she arrives home? What is Catherine's response? How does this simple act indicate the relationship between the two sisters?

OUTSIDERS - Into the play concerning family, there appears an outsider: HAL. What role does Hal play in the drama? What is his function? How does his involvement with Catherine impact on Claire as well? What IS Hal's motive? Is he genuine or is he motivated by self-interest? How do you know?