What's absurd about the Theatre of the Absurd?
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2 comments:
The Theatre of the Absurd, I believe, is rightly called so because of several key hallmarks that appear in plays that fit into its genre only- stilted dialogue that is punctuated with pauses of varying lengths, menacing humour, giving audience no context or clues as to why characters act as bizarrely or seemingly monotonously as they do, and leaving much of the power to interpret meaning to the viewer. These features are often what makes plays from the theatre of the absurd as intelligent and thought-provoking as they are- in the ambiguity we as readers are left to connect dots and read between the lines.
One could argue that nothing in art or literature can ever be ‘absurd’, just creative in their own unique ways, but I don’t think the title is an insulting one, just one fittingly descriptive of these plays at their face value. The underlying messages these plays convey are poetic, gritty and meaningful, but I don’t think having these qualities and being absurd are mutually exclusive.
What's interesting about "The Theatre of Absurd" is that its underlying themes and messages are anything but absurd. The name is seen fit considering that upon the first viewing, most audiences tend to find such plays "absurd" due to various features such as inane dialogue, unnecessary repetitions, constant pauses and ambiguity.
Upon analysis, however, we come to find that the inane language, senses repetitions and illogical construction of language actually mask significant and thought-provoking themes including the fundamental loneliness of man and his attempt to make sense of the bewilderment around him. In the birthday party, for instance, the absurd language is used to explore themes of religion, authority, dominance and many other crucial aspects of the society we live in.
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