ASSIGNMENT

BRITISH PROSE AND DRAMA

(TOPIC: ABSURD DRAMA)

SUBMITTED BY

NIVEDIYA P

III SEM MA ENGLISH

INTRODUCTION

Drama is a form of literature which is composed or designed in order to perform on stage.

Through characters, dialogues, actions and performance entertain the audience. The term drama
is derived from Greek word ‘drao’ which means to do or to act. There are different types of
drama with their own characteristics like tragedy, comedy, farce, melodrama etc.

Absurd drama is a type of drama that portrays human condition is essentially absurd. This
absurd condition is presented in the work of literature by presenting the work itself as absurd.
This form was influenced by movements like expressionism and surrealism. Works with the
theme of existentialism aroused after the horrors of the World War II. It was also a reaction
against the basic beliefs and values, traditional culture and literature. Earlier it was considered
human beings are rational being who live in a social structure. In 1940s there was wide spread
of existential philosophy and views of Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Through absurd
drama human life is presented fruitless.

The word absurd means making no sense at all or illogical or unreasonable. It was Martin
Esslin a critic who coined the phrase theatre of absurd. Martin Esslin used the phrase to refer to
a number dramatist of 1950s whose work evokes absurdity by abandoning the logical form.
Through his work The Theatre of Absurd he identified and classified the new trends in drama
especially the works of Samuel Beckett, Adamov and Genet. The term ‘absurd’ was used by
Albert Camus, a philosopher in his work The Myth of Sisyphus. In the myth of Sisyphus it
portrays a Greek mythological character Sisyphus who was to lead a life by of rolling a ball at
the top of mountain and when it roll down again the act is continued. This shows his futile life.
In the work Camus speaks about the philosophy of absurd. According to him man is on quest to
understand life and this process in itself is futile.

THEATRE OF ABSURD

In theatrical context absurd meant plays that are out of harmony. The theatre of absurd
consists of plays that do not satisfy the expectations of audiences; plays that do not fit to the
convections of play governed the stage till then. These plays were grouped under the label of
theater of revolt, theatre of derision, anti theatre and metatheatre. This drama dispensed the idea
of plot and characters. The lack plot and subject matter constituted the subject matter of the play.
These play focuses a series of senseless and action less actions.

It reflects the modern sense of human purposelessness in the universe without meaning or
value. Many 20th century prose writers stressed this absurdity of human life in their works such
as novels and stories of Franz Kafka. Theatre of absurd was a literary movement which was
prevalent in 1950s and 1980s. The movement was influenced by the existential philosophy. The
structure of the absurd play is typically round which means the finishing of the play is the
starting point itself. The actions and dialogues are illogical and at time do not make any sense at
all.

The absurd or New theatre was primarily Paris based. This became European and part of
world theatre as Paris had staged many European playwrights. Adamov, Ionesco and Beckett
were the three leading light of the theatre. They revolutionized theatre forever.

Catastrophic war was one of the reason for arise of theatre of absurd. There was a
transition in the mentality of people after witnessing the disastrous effect of war. After the end
of war there was only pessimism. Traditional ways of life was rejected and people were turned
into a state of hopelessness. Absurd drama related to theatre of absurd showed human existence
absurd and chaotic.

FEATURES OF ABSURD DRAMA

 Human life and existence is questioned in an absurd play. Meaning of life is

questioned throughout the play.
 There is a distrust in language as words fail to express the essence of human life
 Illogical speech and unreasonable action is presented.
 There is a lack of communication in the play and between characters.
 Conventional form of drama is rejected.
 Pauses and gibberish dialogues becomes part of the play.
  Cruelty and violence were showcased in the way characters speak to each other.

MAJOR WORKS AND AUTHORS

Samuel Beckett was an influential Irish writer of prose and drama. His work Waiting for
Godot and Endgame shows the irrationalism, illogical and absurdity of life in dramatic form
rejecting the realistic setting of the past. The play presents two tramps Vladimir and Estragon
who are waiting for the arrival of the mysterious Godot to give their life some purpose and
direction. But Godot never come or may not even exist. The play shows the pain and fear as well
as the humor of the two men as they are trying to use reason and argument to help them in a
situation where reason in itself is not enough.

Endgame also show characters in a closed situation which they continually fight against.
As in Waiting for Godot the surface detail are cut to bare essentials. It is set in no particular place
at any particular time and character play games with words which they intend to use to pass the
time. Beckett’s characters carry on even if it is a life without purpose trying to make sense of
senseless and to communicate the incommunicable.

Harold Pinter was another writer who contributed to the theatre of absurd. His plays have
a central theme the impossibility of communication between characters in a closed situation. The
closed situation is often a room whose comfort and safety is compared with the dangers of the
world outside. Harold Pinter’s characters speak gibberish and sentences are half complete.

In the play The Birthday Party presents the closed comfortable situation of a small room
and tension arises with the arrival of two mysterious strangers who have come to collect one of
the people living there. The feeling of danger is made strong with suggestion of violence and the
reason why the stranger has come to collect the two people is never explained.

In Pinter’s and in Beckett’s work it is not only the words that are important, the silence is
also focused. Pinter has said there are two sorts of silence one where there are no spoken words
and the other where flood of language is being used and his play reflects the difficulty in
communication between the people.
 The early plays of tom Stoppard such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and
Travesties exploit the devices of absurdist theatre more comic than philosophical ends. French
playwright Jean Genet, American Edward Albee has written similar plays.

CONCLUSION

Through unconventional forms playwright presented another aspect or perspective of human

condition. The audience at first was shocked at this form of drama later on accepted it. Absurd
drama was a feature of the 20th century literature when people had to face hard realities after the
end of world war. Absurd drama revived the conventional clowning and farce to show the
impossibility of purposeful action and paralysis of human aspirations.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abraham, M H. A Glossary of Literary terms 7th ed. Thomas Heinale, 2003.

Baldick, Chris. Concise dictionary of literary terms 2nd ed. 2001.

Thornley, G C and Gwyneth Roberts. An Outline of English Literature. Dorling Kindersley,

2011.