Proof

by David Auburn

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Proof Questions and Answers

In what year is the play Proof set?

What was the inciting incident in the play Proof? 

In Proof, is Claire really cold, calculating, and insensitive?

What is a major theme in the play Proof by David Auburn?  

What do the notebooks symbolize in Proof by David Auburn?

What is the symbolism of the champagne bottle in the opening scene of Proof?

Has Catherine also inherited her father's mathematical genius, or has she just inherited his mental illness in Proof by David Auburn? 

In Act 1, scene 4, why did Claire sell the house and what would be the consequence if she didn't?  Was it purely for financial reasons?

What about the appearance of Robert, who is already dead, in act 1, scene 1 of Proof? Is this Catherine's hallucination?

How does Auburn present the relationship between Catherine and Hal?

What is the thesis of the play Proof by David Auburn?

What is the theme of isolation in Proof by David Auburn? Find specific quotations supports the theme, and explain how each quotation supports theme.

What exactly is Claire's motive in Act II, Scene 3 of Proof?

Proof opens with a dialogue between Robert and Catherine. What is the significance of this, in terms of theme, plot, and character? How does the structure, of switching between reality and a figment of her imagination, add to the themes of the play?

What was the public reaction to the work?