Theatre of Absurd

Arts & Entertainment page of Master Class site describes the theatre as: "Theatre of the Absurd is a theatrical genre that explores existentialism and the human condition." ("Theatre of Absurd")

We could also add this mention from Encyclopaedia Britannica: "... that the human situation is essentially absurd, devoid of purpose". "("Theatre of Absurd")

Critic Martin Esslin in his book Absurd Drama firstly introduced the term “theatre of the absurd”. He specified how absurdist plays are not driven by realism, plot, character development, or any traditional notions of theatre, therefore completely going against the traditional approach of plays. Instead, absurdist theatre focuses on the state of mind of its characters as they’re trapped in absurd and utterly illogical situations. (Esslin XVII, XVIII, XIX)

The absurd theatre emerged in the 1950s, reflecting the doubts and fears surrounding World War II. It emphasizes the irrationality of human existence, often depicting characters in illogical situations, engaging in repetitive dialogue, and exploring themes of existential despair, isolation, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world. (Chalupský)

In theatre of absurd the use of language plays a huge part of the absurdity. The language can act as if mocking the traditional formal English. It also depicts the contrast between the formal language and the informal and/or absurd situation.
Jindra Ondryášová in her book ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE (A short Survey) also mentions that language is devalued and loses its unique positions because what is going on on the stage is more important than what is being said. (Ondryášová 93)

Absurd drama was influenced by many factors:
1.   Bertold Brecht's Epic Theatre -> alienation or distancing effect
2. Vaudeville = a theatrical "genre" of variety entertainment (US, cca 1880-1930) -> a performance is made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together
3. Dadaism -> senselessness of a WW - art that made no sense, absurdity of attaching things that “do not go together”
4. Existentialism -> philosophy of A. Camus; absurdity. freedom; idea of human existence having no meaning or purpose; actions are pointless; repetitiveness in many ways in the absurd play
5. WWII -> loneliness, anxiety, loss of identity, fear and disillusion (Chalupský)

Arts & Entertainment page of Master Class site lists 6 Notable Absurdist Plays:

1. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (1953)
The most famous work of absurdist theatre. In Waiting for Godot, two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, spend the entire play waiting for the arrival of a figure named Godot. They deliver dialogue repeatedly, and though they try to leave their situation, they are stuck in the same place in the end. In the play, change is desired but inherently impossible.
Here is a link to the play in pdf format: Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett

2. Endgame by Samuel Beckett (1957)
The follow-up to Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Endgame is about a blind, paralyzed man and his servant waiting for “the end”—which could mean the end of life or the end of the play. The tragicomedy explores the existential angst and despair when one realizes that the human condition is meaningless.
Here is a link to the play in pdf format: Endgame - Samuel Beckett

3. The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco (1950): 
The play is about two families in London who engage in a meaningless dialogue with stories and conversations that go nowhere. They never communicate anything meaningful, make a connection, or even truly listen to each other. In the end, the characters recite dialogue from the beginning of the play.
Here is a link to the play in pdf format: The Bald Soprano - Eugène Ionesco

5. The Balcony by Jean Genet (1957)
The play takes place in a brothel in an unnamed city during a revolution. When the most influential members of society are killed in an uprising, the brothel patrons take on those roles. Genet’s play explores power and showcases that even when faced with unrest, the status quo will always reassert itself.
Here is a link to the play in pdf format: The Balcony - Jean Genet

6. The Birthday Party  by Harold Pinter (1957)
The first full-length play is about a birthday party that is disrupted by the arrival of two menacing strangers. The characters are unreliable and frequently contradict themselves, and it’s never clear why the two men arrive to terrorize the main character during his birthday. ("Theatre of Absurd")
Here is a link to the play in pdf format: The Birthday party - Harold Pinter

Another play by the Czechoslovakian author Tom Stoppard Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966) is about characters finding themselves trapped in a story (Hamlet) in which the outcome has already been written. "Stoppardian" as a term describes works using wit and comedy while addressing serious philosophical concepts and issues. (Chalupský)
Here is a link to the play in pdf format:  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Tom Stoppard

Here is a good YouTube video about Theatre of Absurd: Beckett, Ionesco, and the Theater of the Absurd: Crash Course Theater #45

Work cited:

CrashCourse. “Beckett, Ionesco, and the Theater of the Absurd: Crash Course Theater #45.” YouTube, YouTube, 25 Jan. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ7w2I83ba4&ab_channel=CrashCourse.

Chalupský Petr. "26. MAJOR TRENDS IN 20TH CENTURY BRITISH DRAMA - II.) THEATRE OF THE ABSURD" British Literature, 2020, Charles University, Class lecture

Ondryášová, Jindra. “4. DRAMA.” ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE (A Short Survey), STÁTNÍ PEDAGOGICKÉ NAKLADATELSTVÍ, PRAHA, 1975, pp. 92–93.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead the Play, coldreads.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/rosencrantz-and-guildenstern-are-dead.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Samuel Beckett’s Endgame (1957), edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/3346220/mod_resource/content/1/ENDGAME%20BY%20SAMUEL%20BECKETT.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

The Bald Soprano.Pages, static1.squarespace.com/static/578eb479f5e231d1bffb72ce/t/5cc9e5dee79c7006d07242a0/1556735455313/the+bald+soprano.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

“The Birthday Party Full Text.” SlideShare, Slideshare, 27 Sept. 2009, www.slideshare.net/Johof/the-birthday-party-full-text-2073679.

“Theatre of the Absurd: 6 Absurdist Plays.” MasterClass, www.masterclass.com/articles/theatre-of-the-absurd. Accessed 19 Oct. 2024.

“Theatre of the Absurd.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 4 Oct. 2024, www.britannica.com/art/Theatre-of-the-Absurd. Accessed 19 Oct. 2024

The_theatre_of_the_absurd.Pdf - Is Muni, is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2013/DVBK03/um/The_theatre_of_the_absurd.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Waiting for Godot, resources.saylor.org/wwwresources/archived/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Waiting-for-Godot.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

author of the page: Tereza Nacherová, 563516