The theater of the absurd is a term formulated by the writer and critical Martin Esslin to indicate a theatrical direction important 20th century (more precisely of 2nd half of the XXéme century, after second world war).

Ionesco, Adamov, Beckett, Genet even Pinter are among the authors of these works which upset conventions of the kind. The characteristic of Ionesco and Beckett is that they exposed a philosophy in a language itself absurd which reduces the pesonnages to the row of puppets, destroyed between them all possibilities of communication, removes any coherence with the intrigue and any logic with the remarks made on scene.

The nonsense of the situations but also the destructuration of the language itself made of this theatrical style a dramatic movement with whole share. This type of theater shows an existence stripped of significance and puts in scene the insanity of the world in which humanity is lost.

Critical origin

The test of Martin Esslin published in 1961, where the expression theater of the absurd becomes famous, defines this type of dramaturgy by analyzing it in the light of the writings of Albert Camus, and in particular of the Mythe of Sisyphus which relate to the nonsense to be it. For Esslin the principal playwrights of the movement are Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet and Arthur Adamov, although each one of these authors has the concerns and of the very personal styles which exceed the absurd term .

Geographically, the theater of the absurd in the beginning is very clearly located in the Paris avant-gardist, the theaters of pocket of left bank, and even more precisely of the Latin Quarter. However among the leaders of this movement who live in France little are French.

Avant-garde of the post-war period

By analyzing the repertory dramatic avant-garde of its time, Martin Esslin shows that these plays is less eccentric than they appear and than they have an own logic, attempting to create myths, in other words a reality more psychological than physical. They show the man plunged in a world which can neither answer its questions, nor to satisfy its desires. A world which, with the direction existentialist of the word, is “absurd”.

Starting from the Professional singer bald person, first part of Ionesco in 1950, however bases a specifically theatrical absurdity, nearer to the Raisonnement by the known absurdity in Logique, than of the concept existentialist. Besides the criticism of the time called also this dramatic movement: “new theater”, the expression “theater of the absurd” at the beginning being repudiated by Ionesco and Adamov which challenged any membership of the existentialism. This kind is also based on the total spectacle preached by Antonin Artaud.

This theater which goes, says Esslin in 1961, to provide a new language, novel ideas, from the new points of view and a new philosophy, vivified, which would transform in the future rather near the ways of thinking and feelings to the general public.

Playwrights

The base

Precursors

Pioneers

Heirs

See also: Theater postdramatic

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