Theatre of the Absurd

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Theatre of the Absurd

• Eugene Ionescos
• Rhinoceros

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Eugene Ionesco (1909-1994)

• b. Romania, near Bucharest, raised Paris
• Father a lawyer, back to Romania during WWI
• 1922 return Romania to his father, now remarried
• 1928 debut as poet degree in French 1933
  continued poetry, reviews, literary criticism
• 1936 married 1938 back to Paris
• 1945 worked in publishing house in Paris
• 1948 begins writing plays (Bald Soprano)
• Pataphysics science of imaginary solutions w/
  other artists he acts and writes with them
• Became a French citizen (50) and member French
  Academy (70)
• Leading figure of literary avant-garde
• Activist for human rights, esp in Romania

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It seemed to me that people allow themselves
to live, as it were, unconsciously. Perhaps it's
because everyone, all the others, are convinced
in some unformulated, irrational way that one day
everything will be made clear. Perhaps there will
be a morning of grace for humanity. Perhaps there
will be a morning of grace for me. (Hermit, 1973)
Im pot -bellied, dumpy, small, Ive short legs.
Im a peasant from the Danube, as Ive said.
(Critical Inquiry, 1975)
I dont know if you have noticed it, but when
people no longer share your opinions, when you
can no longer make yourself understood by them,
one has the impression of being confronted with
monsters, rhinos, for instance. They have that
mixture of candour and ferocity. They would kill
you with the best of consciences. (Le monde 1960)
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Ionesco

• Pot-bellied, dumpy, small .

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Rhinoceros, 1959

• Ionescos response to fascism the terror of
  brute force becomes beauty
• The struggle of one man to keep integrity (see
  Millers essay on common man tragedy)
• BBC radio 1st production (on heels of debate over
  realism w/ Kenneth Tynan)
• Staged 1960 at Odéon in Paris by Barrault and
  Orson Welles directed at Royal Court, London
• 1962 Martin Esslins Theatre of the Absurd names
  Beckett, Ionesco, Genet, Adamov, Pinter
  absurdists defines new anti-realism trend

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Theatre of the Absurd

• Term from Camus Myth of Sisyphus, 1942 out of
  harmony, but one must imagine Sisyphus happy.
• If the world were clear, art would not exist.
• Esslin says the authors all face the
  senselessness of human existence and the
  inadequacy of rational explanations (philosophy,
  religion, literature).
• Absurd in this case means devoid of purpose
• Among the absurdists, Ionesco deals more with
  social situations than individual, ethical
  choices that have ramifications

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Sisyphus
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Dramaturgy of Absurd

• Plot logical development would be antithetical
  exposition is lacking rarely a climax. Circular
  structure is common.
• Characters often devoid of history except as
  defined in stage actions. Often trapped in
  meaningless situations. Often cant communicate
  effectively. Find meaning in absurd actions,
  relationships, social gestures.
• Theme dramatic symbols often dominate all other
  elements. Background image, anyone?
• Language devolves into cliché or routine rhythm
  and sound may overtake denotative meaning
• Spectacle stage use, objects, relationship to
  audience commonly symbolic and address audience
  as such

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Locations

• Quaint French village Act 1 very idealized
• II Village with restaurant, grocery, street.
  Sunday, noon, summer
• Iii Law publishing office. Next morning
• II Jeans room, Monday afternoon
• III Berengers room, a few days later
• Big challenge is the visual of rhinos especially
  Jeans onstage transformation in Act II. Your
  next group project is to design this.

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Characters

• Berenger the absurd hero. Never bought the
  values of his community. Drinks too much gets to
  work late.
• Jean his foil he fits into his small town
  world, the values of work, dress, socializing
• Daisy ingenue
• Mr. Papillon boss
• Botard in office, a hard worker, populist
• Dudard young man at work w/ bright future
• Logician is totally misleading in this case who
  cares how many horns when people are
  transforming?
• Mr. and Mrs. Boeuf
• Townspeople Grocer, Housewife, Old Gentleman

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Fascism

• Is never directly mentioned.
• It is my duty to stick by them. I have to do my
  duty. and If you are going to criticize them,
  its better to do so from the inside. Dudard, p.
  114
• I feel responsible for everything that happens.
  I feel involved I cant just be indifferent.
  Bérenger p. 98
• (shouting out front) Ill never join up with
  you! Berenger p. 106
• Botard says we must move with the times p.109
• everyone has a relative or close friend among
  them p. 111 Daisy, so they cant be contained
• Logic is used to support fascism Berenger
  never good at logic knows intuitively its wrong

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Rhinos

• How explicit would you be in production?

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Influence Today

• Next generation of writers after Ionesco include
  Tom Stoppard (RG are Dead), Edward Albee
  (Virginia Woolf), Arthur Kopit (Wings), Caryl
  Churchill (Top Girls), Vaclav Havel, Mamet and
  Shepard to a lesser extent.
• Young writers today Suzan Lori Parks
  (Topdog/Underdog or The America Play), Tracy
  Letts (Bugs), Geneseo students
• And even though it doesnt matter both species
  of African Rhinos have 2 horns. 1 of the 3
  species of Asian rhinos has 2 horns.