The Theater Of The Absurd

Guillaume Apollinaire was the first person to use the word ‘surrealist’, when describing his 1917 play, Les Mamelles de Tirésias (Schwarts, 2002). As a result of his sub-title, Drame surrealist, the word ‘Surrealism” was created. It is the goal of this essay to discuss Surrealism as it appears in theatre; in order to understand its development, style, characteristics and philosophy.

The Theatre of the Absurd is the name for particular plays of absurdist fiction written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1950s, as well as one for the style of theatre which has evolved from their work. Their work expressed what happens when human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down, alerting their audiences to pursue the opposite. The Absurd in these plays takes the form of man’s reaction to a world apparently without meaning, and/or man as a puppet controlled or menaced by invisible outside forces. Theatre of the Absurd consisted of horrific or tragic images; characters caught in

The core idea of Albert Camus’ philosophy of absurdity centralizes upon the idea that humans exist in a meaningless universe, and follows that humans must simply accept this fact to live life to the fullest. In addition to this absurdist notion, Albert Camus also uses The Stranger to show how humans still strive to create superficial meaning to fulfill their own personal needs. Through the experiences and interactions in Meursault’s life, Camus illustrates that in spite of how events in life follow no rational order, society attempts to futilely create meaning to explain human existence.

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.

Realism provides only amoral observation, while absurdism rejects even the possibility of debate. (Frances Babbage, Augusto Boal). The cynicism of this remark reflects the aberrant attitude towards absurdism, yet there is truth to it. Theatre of the absurd is an esoteric avant-garde style of theatre based on the principles of existentialism that looks at the world without any assumption of purpose. Existentialism and Theatre of the Absurd became identified with a cultural movement that flourished in Europe in the 1940s and 1950s, after the Second World War. The idea that man starts with nothing and ends with nothing is a common theme amongst most absurd plays. Despite this strange philosophy, Theatre of the

Although ‘Waiting for Godot' is seen to be very depressing and contains many elements which may mark it as a tragedy, the four characters create a great deal of humour in their mannerisms and their behaviour. Beckett created the concept of ‘The Theatre of the Absurd', a play on human emotions and character which may give off feelings of despair, yet also of humour simultaneously. Most of the time, the audience tends to laugh at the helplessness created by Vladimir and Estragon in the play, and the play can be seen to be very funny at times, a prime example being when every character present has fallen to the floor and is supposedly unable to get up. Beckett uses humour for a number of different purposes in the play, which will be outlined

One thing is for certain: Waiting for Godot illustrates the inanity of everyday life. Inanity is defined as “silly and dumb”, but absurdism takes that to mean that life’s futility is funny. In the first act of Waiting for Godot, one can almost imagine the audience laughing and then thinking of the lines:

The beginning of my High school career started when I joined the Gresham High School’s Fall Musical “Brigadoon” lighting and sound department. When I joined my whole perspective on theatre changed drastically. I'd never even thought about how these designers and technicians managed to create such interesting concepts that would allow a production to have more than actors reciting lines, it created a mood. After the musical had ended I wanted to become a part of what really makes a production, the backstage crews.

The Myth of Sisyphus which was originally published in French in 1942 is a riveting one hundred and nineteen page essay written by French philosopher Albert Camus. The English translation by Justin O’ Brien followed thirteen years later in 1955. In this essay he tackles the question; does the realization of the absurd require suicide? Throughout this essay I hope to answer this question along with some other points made by Camus during the expanse of his essay.

The Myth of Sisyphus is the most revealing commentary on Albert Camus’ reasoning. Defining the absurd as arising from the meeting of two elements:

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, noted, "nothing is more real than nothing," a quote which became one of Beckett's favorites and an inspiration for his masterful plays (Hughes 1). Beckett's works have astounded many through their utter divergence from the typical basis of a

Camus identifies Sisyphus as the archetypal absurd hero, both for his behavior on earth and for his punishment in the underworld. He displays scorn for the gods, a hatred of death, and a passion for life. (going against dostovesky’s ideas on faith and religion

Albert Camus’ utilizes an existential philosophy, absurdism, in his story, “The Stranger”. Absurdism is when humans live meaningless lives in an irrational universe. Meursault, the protagonist in “The Stranger”, has an absurdist view to life, which the story revolves around. Meursault's unique view of life is unique and different from the ethics of the society. Absurdism plays a key role in Meursault's life as the absurd sun influences his actions while his absurdist philosophies make him a stranger to society.

In the play Waiting For Godot, Beckett questions the purpose of human existence on Earth and reflects uncertainties in life through a series of meaninglessness events and acts played by the characters. The play contains only two acts and involves Pozzo and Lucky, who meet Vladimir and Estragon while they are waiting for Godot in both acts. Instead of evolving in a narratively structured order, the play unfolds in anti-theatre fashion. Through Beckett’s use of language, set, and the ‘diminishing spiral’, he presents the play in a way that one is not sure of what, if anything, happens or the significance of the characters. Thus, Beckett seems to want his audiences to think and analyze the play in a way that they normally would not.

Albert Camus, one of the eminent French novelist, essayist and playwright is often considered as a nihilist, or extreme absurdist who believes that life is senseless and useless. ‘The Outsider’, Camus’s first novel is a representation of his absurd thinking about the world. The use of the term ‘absurd’ in literature is a vehicle for writers to explore and represent those elements in the world that do not make sense and ‘The Outsider’ is one of the beautiful representation of Camus’s revolt against the norms of the society.