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THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. THE EXPERIENCE OF THE II WORLD WAR, THE SHOCK OF THE ATROCITIES OF THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS, GAS CHAMBERS, THE ATOMIC OLOCAUST. CONCENTRATION CAMPS.

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THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

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  1. THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

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

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

  4. New meaning of existence • THE LACK OF MORAL ASSURANCE, THE DECLINE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH, THE DISILLUSIONMENT WITH BOTH LIBERAL AND SOCIALIST THEORIES OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROGRESS, THE MISTRUST IN REASON CREATE THE FEELING THAT ALL HUMAN EFFORT TOWARDS PROGRESS ARE FUTILE, A SENSE OF HELPLESSNESS AND THE LOSS OF ORIENTATION • FREUD: • “LIFE IS A DISEASE OF THE MATTER”

  5. New meaning of existence FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE • PHISOSOPHICAL HUMANISM SWEPT AWAY BY THE FORCES OF HISTORY AND THE CULT OF THE EGO LEAVING AN IRRATIONAL AND SUBJECTIVE VISION OF THE HUMAN CONDITION. • NIETZSCHE, KIERKEGAARD , SCHOPENHAUER AND SARTRE DENIED IN PART THE EXISTENCE OF GOD AND QUESTIONED THE POSITION OF MAN. “GOD IS DEAD”

  6. FRENCH EXISTENTIALISM THEY SHARE WITH THE ABSURDISTS THE SAME VIEW OF EXISTENCE: MAN IS TRAPPED IN A HOSTILE WORLD. THE MEANINGLESSNESS OF EXISTENCE GIVES A SENSE OF CONFUSION ,DESPAIR AND EMPTINESS FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE OF A WELL- DEFINED SYSTEM OF BELIEFS AND VALUES. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM IS THAT THE EXISTENTIALISTS PRESENTED THIS ABSURDITY BY MEANS OF A LUCID LANGUAGE AND LOGICAL REASONING WHILE THE ABSURDISTS THOUGHT THAT IF LIFE IS ABSURD IT MUST BE REPRESENTED BY A LANGUAGE THAT ALSO HAS TO BE ABSURD. • Jean Paul Sartre

  7. ALBERT CAMUS • ALBERT CAMUS: • L’E’TRANGER • LA PESTE • In 1942 in “THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS” HE HAD ALREADY SUMMED UP THE IRRATIONALITY OF THE HUMAN CONDITION. • “…..IN A UNIVERSE THAT IS SUDENLY DEPRIVED OF ILLUSIONS AND OF LIGHT MAN FEELS A STRANGER. HE IS AN IRREMEDIABLE EXILE, BECAUSE HE IS DEPRIVED OF MEMORIES OF A LOST HOMELAND AND THE HOPE OF A PROMISED LAND TO COME”.

  8. 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. MAIN FEATURES 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

  9. BECKETT(DUBLIN 1906-PARIS1989) • MOST IMPORTANT WORKS: • MOLLOY, MALLOY DIES, THE UNNAMABLE(TRILOGY OF NOVELS) • WAITING FOR GODOT(PLAY) • ENDGAME(PLAY) • KRAPP’S LAST TAPE(PLAY) • HAPPY DAY(PLAY)

  10. WAITING FOR GODOT • SETTING: ANONYMOUS (CAN STAND FOR ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD. • ONLY ONE BARE TREE (DESOLATION) • TIME: EVENING (TWO TRAMPS ARE BORED BY A DAY OF NOTHINGNESS AND BOREDOM) • THEME: WAITING • CHARACTERS: VLADIMIR AND ESTRAGON • POZZO AND L UCKY • PLOT: THE TWO TRAMPS ARE WAITING FOR GODOT IN THE TWO ACTS BUT HE NEVER TURNS UP

  11. WAITING FOR GODOT • VLADIMIR AND ESTRAGON ARE COMPLEMENTARY CHARACTERS LIKE LUCKY AND POZZO. • VLADIMIR AND LUCKY REPRESENT THE INTELLECT WHILE THE OTHER TWO REPRESENT THE BODY. • THE TWO COUPLES ARE MUTUALLY DEPENDENT. • POZZO (THE MASTER) LUCKY(THE SERVANT) APPEAR IN THE CENTRAL PART OF EACH ACT WITH AN IMPORTANT CHANGE

  12. STRUCTURE • THE PLAY HAS A CIRCULAR STRUCTURE • THERE’S NO BEGINNING NOR CONCLUSION • BOTH ACTS START AND END IN THE SAME WAY, PLACE, TIME • IT’S A TRAGICOMEDY: IT ECHOES POPULAR FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT(CIRCUS CLOWNING, MUSIC-HALL, SILENT FILMS OF CHAPLIN, LAUREL AND HARDY)

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