Absurdist Theatre - Study notes FET Drama

Theatre of the Adsurd

The sociopolitical backdrop 

of 

Absurdist Theatre

Absurdism in theatre arose in the post World-War II era. This was the age of the atomic bomb. People were disillusioned with both religion and technology. They battled to make sense the meaning of life. Absurdist theatre explores the reflects the sense of futility they experienced.

• The defining philosophy of Absurdism is existentialism. 
• The main concern of the existentialist philosophy is the meaning of existence.
• Existence is seen as meaningless and cruel.
• Each person has to make a real effort get themselves out of their absurd situation.

Characteristics of Absurdist theatre:

• The structure of the play is cyclical (non linear). 
• The play does not have a clear beginning, middle or end
• Action does not move towards a specific objective
• There is no climax - rather a cycle of anti-climaxes.
• There is no logical development
• Language in Theatre of the Absurd often goes nowhere. Dialogue is senseless and meaningless
• Characters often misunderstand one another, don't listen and talk past each other.
• The absurdity of the dialogue is the playwrights attempt to draw attention to the absurdity of life.

Camus and Satre

• Camus and Satre are examples of Absurdist playwrights.
• They saw the world as chaotic
• The were influenced by the philosopher Nietzsche (see below)
• They both wrote plays about characters who decided their own course in an otherwise chaotic world

• Camus was the first theorist to use the term  "absurd" in relation to human existence. He meant: 
• Humans were ridiculous creatures, out of harmony with their existence
• There is a gulf between our aspirations and the meaningless universe in which we exist
• The modern world made no sense.
• Reason and logic were futile

Before Absurdism:

• Inter-war years
• Dramatic representations are lighthearted.
• Audience requires escapism and relief from the hardships of life.
• Theatre seldom questions serious political issues.
• Eye on box office profits
• Audience demands: 
• light-hearted comedies
• drawing-room sagas 
• and musical comedies
• Stories with a clear beginning, middle and end.

Socio-political context of Absurdism.

However, after two world wars, people felt exhausted, desolate and disillusioned.

• Playwrights felt the need to refocus theatre on the nature of the basic human condition.
• They wanted to express the feelings
• They had replaced their faith in God with faith in technology.
• Technology, they felt, had failed them miserably. Scientific progress had led to the invention of the atomic bomb.
• Thinkers tried to sum up the attitudes and values of contemporary societies:
• Nietzsche (Philosophy)
• Darwin (Biology)
• Einstein (Science)
• Freud (Psychology)

Schools of thought which influenced Absurdist Theatre

Nietzsche (Philosophy)

• Believed the church had corrupted Christianity
• Believed God was forgotten
• Questioned the nature of God
• Believed the bible was futile
• "God is dead" - this meant that people's relationship with God was as good as dead.
• From this came the philosophy of Satre and Camus who grappled with what it meant to exist as human beings

Freud (Psychology)

• Coined the term "subconscious"
• Fight or Flight
• Believed religion is an illusion
• Believed people didn't have free will

Darwin (Biology)

• Affected our understanding of antibiotics
• The theory of evolution
• Natural selection
• Darwin's work was controversial because of the church

Einstein (Science)

• Accidentally invents nuclear weapons
• Black hole
• Theory of relativity
• Time
• Distance
• Energy
• Mass