Theatre of the Absurd

1Introduction As a result of the Second World War, theatre of absurd appeared to present illogical world through its philosophy that life is absurd. This theatre has its roots in the existential philosophy which are combined with dramatic elements to create a new style to show the absurdity of the world. This genre of theatre took somehow a long time to catch because its playwright techniques seemed to be illogical to the theatre world. However, Theatre of the Absurd accomplished its eventual popularity when

The Analogy of Theatre of the Absurd Confusing, weird, and nonsense dialogue that exemplifies the idea of the meaninglessness of life is a simple definition for a complex genre called Theatre of the Absurd, which emerged after World War II. This genre has no goals or purpose other than to focus on what people usually do not focus on, for example, secondary characters, slightest decisions that make big differences, and events that do not have light shed on them much throughout stories. One of the

Absurdity The absurd theatre is another movement that emerged as a reaction against the old methods of culture and literature. In fact, the idea of the absurd is not new but it roots in the history of human beings. Absurdity in life is primordial and not the invention of the theatre. With the beginning of life, man is struggling against it to find a solution. The efforts are aimed at a meaningful life and human being’s interrelationship with the universe. It is an eternal struggle between the

The Theatre of the Absurd is a collection of plays written after World War II that were considered of having ridiculous and random ideals. Many of these plays came from Europe, including Rhinoceros by Ionesco. In Rhinoceros, the main character Berenger is a man who is not keeping up with himself and is having a midlife crisis. Everyone else in the town is living a normal life when the townspeople start to turn into rhinoceroses. With his differentness and being so out of place, he is the only one

According to The Theatre of the Absurd began with American and European writers around the mid 1950’s to 60’s. Influenced by the recent World War II, the heartache and depression that came over a multitude of societies raised questions surrounding the point of life. In conjunction, the Theatre of the Absurd set to challenge the human condition and created existentialist (the belief that there is no greater influential power and that meaning is created through ones own free will) views and opinions

and the dialogues were nobleness. Few themes were tackled at that time. There was stereotyping regarding the characters and the language (Nicoll 15-16). Moreover, the Absurd Theatre was distinguished by different characteristics. The plots were not traditional at that time. The writers used comedy in their plays to reflect the absurd nature of human existence such as, Beckett's Waiting for Godot, (1953) (Drabble3). Beckett has tackled political themes in his plays such as, Catastrophe (1982), and

political, economic and social conditions at that time have forced people to feel lost. This feeling of loss makes group of playwrights to create the Theater of Absurd. The Theater of Absurd reflects the feeling of loneliness and isolation of people. The playwrights aim to use meaningless plot, repetition, foolish dialogues, and absurd language to present the suffering of people. All of their characteristics and techniques are new, as they revolt against all traditional forms and

In regard to time and place in the absurd theatre, it is noted that these two elements have their peculiarities that go with the absurd actions. Just as time and place are fundamental elements of man’s existence, they are also fundamental elements in literature. The time and place of man’s living may contribute not only to his personality, but also to his values, attitudes, and even his problems. In literature, time and place can also influence characters’ development and actions. So narrative writing

The Portrayal of the Theatre of the Absurd Throughout literature, much has been assumed and gathered about the state of man and his purpose in life. Different poets, novelists, and playwrights have employed the powerful tools of language to broadcast their respective statement to the literate world. Many authors stand out for their overly romanticized or horribly pessimistic notations on life, but only Samuel Beckett stands out for his portrayal of absence. As Democritus, a Greek philosopher

Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett are two of the biggest exponents of The Theatre of the Absurd. Both of their works present a world which cannot be logically explained, where the scenery, the language and the actions of the characters are almost incomprehensible and do not comply with the previously accepted norms of theatre. J.L Styan writes about Pinter. "His audience is made to feel, through an exquisite friction of nightmare and normality, the earthly need for security" (The Dark Comedy)