A proto-dramatist work that's parts Catch 22 and parts The Things They Carried, Irwin Shaw's Bury the Dead is a one act play that explains what happens when six soldiers refused to be buried, on the grounds that the rational for their deaths is insufficient for their permanent internment so they will stay unburied until they finish their purpose.

A minimalist setup is good for creating some brief, stark images. The idea is a brilliant foundation of potential to question philosophy, mortality and everything in between. While Shaw often gets a little too heavy handed and didactic, especially with the generals' interludes, there are moments in the play that speak strongly to the incomprehensible nature of death and dying for causes not personally held by those who suffered for it. At the very least, playwrights might want to keep this as historical context of an anti-war play that speaks to the times between the world wars. ( )

Brilliant concept.

The six vignettes between the dead soldiers and their "women" are quite rich, and the final sequence packs a tremendous punch. The dialogue is sometimes a little stilted, particularly when the Generals confront the dead and all respond in nearly oratorial tones - it would have been more effective if they spoke the same sentiments but in the tones they later used in their dialogues with the women. Busy, busy spotlight action throughout would be hard to manage but highly effective if done well, particularly Mrs. Dean's scene and the brief appearances of the helpless First General.

Perhaps the most effective aspect of the piece is that it does not harangue against war; it shows people, different and confused and complicated people, dealing with one thing war could never abide: the simple failure of the dead to allow themselves to be reduced to buried patriots. ( )

Bury the Dead is one of the most incredible plays I've ever read. ( )