Theatre of Absurd in Literature II Definition, Characteristics, Examples II Literary Terms

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THEATRE OF ABSURD

Introduction

In every field we experiment on various subjects. We all have seen tragedy, comedy, tragy-comedy etc type of theaters. But there are some persons who really depict the existing story into the theatres. By using Existentialism they have made the absurd plays. World is without meaning & life is without purpose. Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, Tom Stoppard, Friedrich Durrenmatt, Harold Pinter etc they all have used Existentialism. Let’s  discuss about Theater of Absurd. Let’s put a glance in  what is Absurd?

What is Absurd?

“The condition of state in which human exist in a meaningless irrational universe where in people live have no purposes or meaning.”

“Theater of Absurd” = “Expression in art of the meaninglessness of human existence.”

“Myth of Sisyphus” written by Albert Camus is also full of Absurdity. Myth of Sisyphus defied the god and put death in chains so that no human needed to die. When god make a decision on his castigation for all infinity. He would have push a rock up a mountain upon reaching the top the rock would roll down again.

“What is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying.” Albert Camus, Myth of Sisyphus.

“Waiting for Godot” written by Samuel Beckett is also deals with the belief of theatre of Absurd. It is originally in not depicting any theatrical clashes. In the play, basically nothing happened, no advancement is to be found, there is no beginning and no end. The complete action stew down in an absurd setting of a country side road with two tramps Vladimir and Estragon who simply idle away their time waiting for Godot about whom they have only unclear ideas.

Indeed, this play goes under "Theater of Absurd". It is a sort of deplorable parody and unlikable truth about existence and world is portrayed here. There are just five characters in this play. They are Vladimir, Estragon, Pozzo, Lucky and a kid. The impact of existentialism can be discovered particularly here. The play itself is an image of misery and nothingness. In "Theater of Absurd", there is no plot, no story, no start and no end. To put it plainly, it challenges the convention of well house keeper play. This play has same 'nothing'. The dialect is straightforward and dubious.

The Theatre of the Absurd shows the world as an incomprehensible place. The spectators see the happenings on the stage entirely from the outside. Without ever understanding the full meaning of these strange patterns of events as newly arrived visitors might watch life in a country of which they have not yet mastered the language.

The estrangement impact  is a dramatic and realistic gadget "which keeps the gathering of people from losing itself latently and totally in the character made by the performing artist, and which subsequently drives the group of onlookers to be a deliberately basic eyewitness. The term was authored by writer Berthold Brecht to portray the feel of epic theater. The primary absurdist plays stunned groups of onlookers at their debuts; however their strategies are currently basic in Cutting Edge Theater and in some standard works. Contemporary writers whose work demonstrates the impact of the theater of the ludicrous incorporate American playwrights Edward Albee and Sam Sheppard, British producers Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard, German screenwriters Günter Grass and Peter Weiss, Swiss producer Max Frisch, and Czech screenwriter Vaclav Havel.

Characteristics of the “Theater of Absurd”

·       Broad comedy

·       Menacing and tragic effect

·       Alienation effect

·       Hopelessness in characters

·       Fragmentations

·       Parody of the concept of ‘well maid play’

·       Unconventional writing

·       Irrationality

At some extent similar to the characteristics of Postmodernism.

Main features of the Theater of the Absurd in Waiting for Godot

Meaningless of Life:

Theater of the Absurd presented the life as meaningless and one that could simply end in casual slaughter. This was reflected in the society of the time. It was because of the following reasons:

·       Mechanical nature of Man of the Life

·       Alien worlds

·       Time

·       Isolation

A play is required to engage the crowd with coherently manufactured, witty discourse. In any case, in this play, similar to some other ludicrous play, the discourse appears to have declined into negligible chatter. 'Nothing to be done' is the words that are rehashed much of the time. The discoursed the characters trade are inane cliches.

Lack of the Plot

·       No Beginning

·       No Middle

·       No End

Absurd plays have lack of the plot. There is the great deal of the repetition in action and language.

Ex. It lacks the traditional standards of drama, no causal chain of effects and events, no Aristotle’s structure of drama.

Non Conventional Story:

Theater of the absurd have not the conventional story which can convince the readers or viewers. Ex. In this play Estragon & Vladimir always waiting for the man namely Godot who never come.

Contradiction and repetition of the dialogues

For instance Vladimir hollers to Estragon: "Go ahead . . . give back the ball wouldn't you be able to, once as it were?" Vladimir's protest is expressive of a significant part of the exchange in the rest of the play; it is especially similar to two individuals playing an amusement with each other and one can't keep the ball in play.

In the play props like cap and boot likewise symbolizes something in the play. While in first we see Hat and Boots use as props in the play. Both props are means for their time pass. They changing cap sitting back. In any case, in more profound undertone Boots is an image of lower request of intuition or related with body just and Hat it symbolize higher thinking and mind that Vladimir is doing.

Devaluation of The Language:

The absurd dramatist felt that traditional dialect had fizzled man and it was insufficient method for correspondence. The futility of dialect was utilized by the characters constantly; they talk in platitudes, abused, tired expressions. They utilize dialect to feel the vacancy between them, to disguise the way that they don't have anything to discuss to each other.

Cyclical Structure:

·       Actually, everything is organized by this retribution intention. Be that as it may, in Waiting for Godot, where there is no inspired activity, the feeling of nothingness assume the significant part in deciding the each part of the play. Absurd play has a redundant recurrent arrangement.

·       Similar setting Debris

·       Timingday

·       to moon rise

·       Actionshat

·       Swapping scene

·       Similar Acts structure

·       Same acts ending

Theatre of Absurd : The Birthday Party

·       Broad comedy

·       Menacing and tragic effect

·       Shifting Identies

·       Ambiguity and Mystery

·       Hopelessness and Fragmentation characters

To shake audiences from their more conventional viewing habits, the playwrights of the Absurdist Theater used traditional settings to ease the audience into their plays, and then shocked them with surreal imagery, uncommon circumstances, or fragmented language. Language within the Absurdist Theater often transcended its base meaning. As in The Birthday Party, nothing is as it seems and no one speaks the whole truth. Also, the use of silence as language was often utilized in these plays.

 

The writer of the Birthday Party , Harold Pinter explained this absurdist concept best in his 1962 speech “Writing for the Theater,” which was presented at the National Student Drama Festival in Bristol. He said, “I suggest there can be no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false.” The thin line between truth and lies is perhaps the defining characteristic of the Theater of the Absurd.

Broad  Comedy

Mainly it is found in the characters of Meg, Stanley and Lulu.

  “Meg: Stan! I'm coming up to fetch you if you don't come down! I'm coming up! I'm going to count three! One! Two! Three! I'm coming to get you! (She exits and goes upstairs. In a moment, shouts from STANLEY, wild         laughter from MEG)”

             “Meg: What are the cornflakes like, Stanley?

              Stanley: Horrible.”

Menacing and tragic effect

·       Frightening effect we find very much as it is “Comedy of Menace” also.

 

·             In movie background sounds play vital role for it.

·   In movie we have many dialogues and scenes such as Blindmen’s Buff scene( Menace) and Interrogation scene (tragic element).

·            Very much use of screaming and shouting in the play.

Hopelessness and fragmentation in characters

·       In almost every character we find a kind of disappointment and complain from life.

·       Meg keeps on running meaningless conversations like “how is cornflakes ?” or “didn’t  you enjoy your breakfast ?”etc. It is perhaps to fill the emptiness within her.

Ambiguity and Mystery

         Stanley’s past is so Mysterious

         Goldberg and McCann  way of asking questions to Stanley

   Kafka’s work intensifies the dreadful angst experienced by the protagonist   

Conclusion :

To wind up this topic, Absurd theater is a new literary term which introduced by Martin Esslin. According to some critics, the idea of Absurd theater is anti-theater literary subject because its totally breach the traditional way of representing work with theater. But still it has its own success and charm and “Waiting for Godot” and “The Birthday Party” are examples of it.