Transcript Diapositiva 1

THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
NEW MEANING OF EXISTENCE
FRENCH EXISTENTIALISM
BECKETT
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
The western world had lost its orientation, had a sense of helplessness
and the feeling that human efforts towards progress are futile
New meaning of existence
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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”
New meaning of existence
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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.
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
“GOD IS DEAD”
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 WELLDEFINED 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
ALBERT CAMUS
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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”.
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 B
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
BECKETT(DUBLIN 1906PARIS1989)
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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)
WAITING FOR GODOT
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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
WAITING FOR GODOT
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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
STRUCTURE
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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)