THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURDTHE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

NEW MEANING OF EXISTENCE FRENCH EXISTENTIALISM BECKETT

HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDHISTORICAL BACKGROUND

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE II WORLD WAR, THE SHOCK OF THE ATROCITIES OF THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS, GAS CHAMBERS, THE ATOMIC OLOCAUST

CONCENTRATION CAMPSCONCENTRATION CAMPS

The western world had lost its orientation, had a sense of helplessness and the feeling that human efforts towards progress are futile

New meaning of existenceNew meaning of existence THE LACK OF MORAL THE LACK OF MORAL

ASSURANCE, THE DECLINE ASSURANCE, THE DECLINE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH, THE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH, THE DISILLUSIONMENT WITH DISILLUSIONMENT WITH BOTH LIBERAL AND BOTH LIBERAL AND SOCIALIST THEORIES OF SOCIALIST THEORIES OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROGRESS, THE MISTRUST PROGRESS, THE MISTRUST IN REASON CREATE THE IN REASON CREATE THE FEELING THAT ALL HUMAN FEELING THAT ALL HUMAN EFFORT TOWARDS EFFORT TOWARDS PROGRESS ARE FUTILE, A PROGRESS ARE FUTILE, A SENSE OF HELPLESSNESS SENSE OF HELPLESSNESS AND THE LOSS OF AND THE LOSS OF ORIENTATIONORIENTATION

FREUD:FREUD:““LIFE IS A DISEASE LIFE IS A DISEASE OF THE MATTER”OF THE MATTER”

New meaning of existenceNew meaning of existence PHISOSOPHICAL PHISOSOPHICAL

HUMANISM SWEPT AWAY HUMANISM SWEPT AWAY BY THE FORCES OF BY THE FORCES OF HISTORY AND THE CULT OF HISTORY AND THE CULT OF THE EGO LEAVING AN THE EGO LEAVING AN IRRATIONAL AND IRRATIONAL AND SUBJECTIVE VISION OF THE SUBJECTIVE VISION OF THE HUMAN CONDITION.HUMAN CONDITION.

NIETZSCHE, NIETZSCHE, KIERKEGAARD , KIERKEGAARD , SCHOPENHAUER AND SCHOPENHAUER AND SARTRE DENIED IN PART SARTRE DENIED IN PART THE EXISTENCE OF GOD THE EXISTENCE OF GOD AND QUESTIONED THE AND QUESTIONED THE POSITION OF MAN.POSITION OF MAN.

“GOD IS DEAD”

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

FRENCH EXISTENTIALISMFRENCH EXISTENTIALISM THEY SHARE WITH THE THEY SHARE WITH THE

ABSURDISTS THE SAME VIEW OF ABSURDISTS THE SAME VIEW OF EXISTENCE: MAN IS TRAPPED IN A EXISTENCE: MAN IS TRAPPED IN A HOSTILE WORLD. HOSTILE WORLD.

THE MEANINGLESSNESS OF THE MEANINGLESSNESS OF EXISTENCE GIVES A SENSE OF EXISTENCE GIVES A SENSE OF CONFUSION ,DESPAIR AND CONFUSION ,DESPAIR AND EMPTINESS FOR THE EMPTINESS FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE OF A WELL- DISAPPEARANCE OF A WELL- DEFINED SYSTEM OF BELIEFS AND DEFINED SYSTEM OF BELIEFS AND VALUES.VALUES.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM IS THAT THE EXISTENTIALISTS IS THAT THE EXISTENTIALISTS PRESENTED THIS ABSURDITY BY PRESENTED THIS ABSURDITY BY MEANS OF A LUCID LANGUAGE MEANS OF A LUCID LANGUAGE AND LOGICAL REASONING WHILE AND LOGICAL REASONING WHILE THE ABSURDISTS THOUGHT THAT THE ABSURDISTS THOUGHT THAT IF LIFE IS ABSURD IT MUST BE IF LIFE IS ABSURD IT MUST BE REPRESENTED BY A LANGUAGE REPRESENTED BY A LANGUAGE THAT ALSO HAS TO BE ABSURD.THAT ALSO HAS TO BE ABSURD.

Jean Paul SartreJean Paul Sartre

ALBERT CAMUSALBERT CAMUS ALBERT CAMUS:ALBERT CAMUS: L’E’TRANGERL’E’TRANGER LA PESTELA PESTE In 1942 in “THE MYTH OF In 1942 in “THE MYTH OF

SISYPHUS” HE HAD ALREADY SISYPHUS” HE HAD ALREADY SUMMED UP THE SUMMED UP THE IRRATIONALITY OF THE HUMAN IRRATIONALITY OF THE HUMAN CONDITION.CONDITION.

“…“…..IN A UNIVERSE THAT IS ..IN A UNIVERSE THAT IS SUDENLY DEPRIVED OF SUDENLY DEPRIVED OF ILLUSIONS AND OF LIGHT MAN ILLUSIONS AND OF LIGHT MAN FEELS A STRANGER. HE IS AN FEELS A STRANGER. HE IS AN IRREMEDIABLE EXILE, IRREMEDIABLE EXILE, BECAUSE HE IS DEPRIVED OF BECAUSE HE IS DEPRIVED OF MEMORIES OF A LOST MEMORIES OF A LOST HOMELAND AND THE HOPE OF HOMELAND AND THE HOPE OF A PROMISED LAND TO COME”.A PROMISED LAND TO COME”.

THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

MARTIN ESSLIN GAVE THE DEFINITION OF “ ABSURD” AS “OUT OFHARMONY” (WHICH WAS ITS ORIGINAL MEANING IN A MUSICAL CONTEXT). THE MOST IMPORTANT REPRESENTATIVES OF THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD ARE: THE RUMANIAN EUGE’NE IONESCO, THE RUSSIAN ARTHUR ADAMOV, THE IRISHMAN BECKETT, THE ENGLISHMAN HAROLD PINTER.

CHARACTERS OBSESSED BY THE MEANINGLESSNESS OF THEIR LIVES BUT HAUNTED BY A NOSTALGIA FOR PAST MEANINGS

REDUCTIVISM: THE CHARACTERS IN HIS PLAYS ARE STYLIZED, WITHOUT INDIVIDUAL HISTORIES OR SOCIAL IDENTITIES. LANGUAGE TOO IS STYLIZED OR PATTERNED; IT DOESN’T EXPRESS SIGNIFICANCE BUT IT IS PURE FORM, A WAY TO FILL THE EMPTINESS.

NO ACTION, SINCE ALL ACTIONS ARE INSIGNIFICANT

THE REALITY IS ILLOGICAL, THE LANGUAGE BECOMES NONSENSE: NEW DRAMATIC SYNTAX

MAIN FEATURES

BECKETT(DUBLIN 1906-BECKETT(DUBLIN 1906-PARIS1989)PARIS1989)

MOST IMPORTANT MOST IMPORTANT WORKS:WORKS:

MOLLOY, MALLOY MOLLOY, MALLOY DIES, THE DIES, THE UNNAMABLE(TRILOGY UNNAMABLE(TRILOGY OF NOVELS)OF NOVELS)

WAITING FOR WAITING FOR GODOT(PLAY)GODOT(PLAY)

ENDGAME(PLAY) ENDGAME(PLAY) KRAPP’S LAST KRAPP’S LAST

TAPE(PLAY)TAPE(PLAY) HAPPY DAY(PLAY)HAPPY DAY(PLAY)

WAITING FOR GODOTWAITING FOR GODOT SETTING: ANONYMOUS (CAN SETTING: ANONYMOUS (CAN

STAND FOR ANY PLACE IN THE STAND FOR ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD. WORLD.

ONLY ONE BARE TREE ONLY ONE BARE TREE (DESOLATION)(DESOLATION)

TIME: EVENING (TWO TRAMPS ARE TIME: EVENING (TWO TRAMPS ARE BORED BY A DAY OF BORED BY A DAY OF NOTHINGNESS AND BOREDOM)NOTHINGNESS AND BOREDOM)

THEME: WAITINGTHEME: WAITING CHARACTERS: VLADIMIR AND CHARACTERS: VLADIMIR AND

ESTRAGONESTRAGON POZZO AND L UCKYPOZZO AND L UCKY PLOT: THE TWO TRAMPS ARE PLOT: THE TWO TRAMPS ARE

WAITING FOR GODOT IN THE TWO WAITING FOR GODOT IN THE TWO ACTS BUT HE NEVER TURNS UPACTS BUT HE NEVER TURNS UP

WAITING FOR GODOTWAITING FOR GODOT VLADIMIR AND ESTRAGON VLADIMIR AND ESTRAGON

ARE COMPLEMENTARY ARE COMPLEMENTARY CHARACTERS LIKE LUCKY CHARACTERS LIKE LUCKY AND POZZO.AND POZZO.

VLADIMIR AND LUCKY VLADIMIR AND LUCKY REPRESENT THE REPRESENT THE INTELLECT WHILE THE INTELLECT WHILE THE OTHER TWO REPRESENT OTHER TWO REPRESENT THE BODY.THE BODY.

THE TWO COUPLES ARE THE TWO COUPLES ARE MUTUALLY DEPENDENT.MUTUALLY DEPENDENT.

POZZO (THE MASTER) POZZO (THE MASTER) LUCKY(THE SERVANT) LUCKY(THE SERVANT) APPEAR IN THE CENTRAL APPEAR IN THE CENTRAL PART OF EACH ACT WITH PART OF EACH ACT WITH AN IMPORTANT CHANGEAN IMPORTANT CHANGE

STRUCTURESTRUCTURE

THE PLAY HAS A CIRCULAR STRUCTURETHE PLAY HAS A CIRCULAR STRUCTURE THERE’S NO BEGINNING NOR CONCLUSIONTHERE’S NO BEGINNING NOR CONCLUSION BOTH ACTS START AND END IN THE SAME BOTH ACTS START AND END IN THE SAME

WAY, PLACE, TIMEWAY, PLACE, TIME IT’S A TRAGICOMEDY: IT ECHOES POPULAR IT’S A TRAGICOMEDY: IT ECHOES POPULAR

FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT(CIRCUS FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT(CIRCUS CLOWNING, MUSIC-HALL, SILENT FILMS OF CLOWNING, MUSIC-HALL, SILENT FILMS OF CHAPLIN, LAUREL AND HARDY)CHAPLIN, LAUREL AND HARDY)