Wit is a play written by American playwright Margaret Edson, which won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play revolves around the final hours of Dr Vivian Bearing, an English professor at Columbia, dying of ovarian cancer. Over the course of the play, Vivian reflects on her life and reputation. She has lived her life alone, is unmarried and without children, her parents are deceased, and she has no emergency contact. At the hospital, she recognizes that doctors are interested in her for her research value and, like her, tend to ignore humanity in favor of knowledge. Vivian reaches the end stage of her disease in extreme pain as Susie Monahan, a nurse at the medical centre, offers Vivian compassion and discusses with her the option of exercising her final option, "do not resuscitate" (DNR), in case of a severe decline in her condition. Vivian decides to mark the DNR option. When Vivian flat lines, the doctors try to resuscitate her and Susie stops them pointing out the DNR instruction. The play ends as Vivian, unclothed after her death, walks from her hospital bed "toward a little light". Over the course of the play, Vivian grows and the biggest change comes when she realizes the most important part of life isn't intellectualism but rather kindness.

Professor Vivian Bearing, Ph.D.

Helena Scholz-Carlson

Professor E.M. Ashford, D.Phil

Sinclair William

Jason Posner, M.D.

Alex Schneidman