The Theatre of Absurd and Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) Samuel Beckett
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The Theatre of Absurd andSamuel Beckett (1906-1989)Samuel Beckett
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
NEW MEANING OF EXISTENCE FRENCH EXISTENTIALISM SAMUEL BECKETT
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
1. The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
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• The aftermath of World War II increased by the Cold War.
• The atrocities of the Nazi concentration camps.
• The Allies’ atomic bomb.
• Disillusionment coming from the realization that Britain had been reduced to a second-class power.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
2. Historical background
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The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, 1945
The infamous entrance to Auschwitz.
• Awareness of man’s propensity to evil and conscience of the destructive power of scientific knowledge.
• The lack of moral assurance and the decline of religious faith.
• The disillusionment with both the liberal and social theories about economic and social progress.
• Mistrust in the power of reason.
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A sense of anguish,
helplessness and
rootlessness
developed especially
among the young
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
3. New meaning of existence
• Existentialism saw man trapped in a hostile world.
• Human life was meaningless and this created a sense of confusion, despair and emptiness.
• The universe was not rational and defied any explanation.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
4. French existentialism
Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)
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The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
4. French existentialism
• The main exponent of this philosophical current was the French Jean Paul Sartre.
• Existentialists presented the absurdity of human condition by means of a lucid language and logical reasoning.
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Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)
• Absence of a real story or plot.
• No action since all actions are insignificant.
• Vagueness about time, place and the characters.
• The value of language is reduced; in fact, what happens on the stage transcends, and often contradicts, the words spoken by the characters.
• Extensive use of pauses, silences, miming and farcical situations which reflect a sense of anguish.
• Incoherent babbling makes up the dialogue.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
5. The Theatre of the Absurd: main features
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• The sense of man’s alienation.
• The cruelty of human life.
• The absence or the futility of objectives.
• The meaninglessness of man’s struggle.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
6. The Theatre of the Absurd: main themes
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• Waiting for Godot (written in French in
1952 and translated into English in 1954)
• Endgame (1958)
• Krapp’s Last Tape (1959)
• Happy Days (1961)
• Breath (1970)
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
7. Samuel Beckett (1906-1989)
Samuel Beckett
Main works
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• No Setting: a desolate country road and a bare tree.
• Time: evening.
• Characters: two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, bored by a day of nothingness; Pozzo and Lucky.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
8. Waiting for Godot
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Poster for a staging of Waiting for Godot.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
8. Waiting for Godot
• Theme: the static situation of waiting.
• Plot: the two tramps are waiting for a mysterious Godot who never turns up.
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Poster for a staging of Waiting for Godot.
• Vladimir and Estragon are
complementary.
• Lucky and Pozzo are linked
by a relationship of master and
servant.
• Vladimir and Lucky represent
the intellect.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
9. Waiting for Godot: characters
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Waiting for Godot, London, Peter Hall Co.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
9. Waiting for Godot: characters
Waiting for Godot, London, Peter Hall Co.
• Estragon and Pozzo stand for
the body.
• The two couples are mutually
dependent.
• The character the two tramps
are waiting for is Godot
Biblical allusions in this name.
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• The play has a circular structure it ends almost exactly as it begins.
• The two acts are symmetrically built the stage is divided into two halves by a tree, the human races into two, Vladimir and Estragon.
• It is pervaded by a grotesque humour.
• Its tone is tragic and desperate.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
10. Waiting for Godot: structure
Waiting for Godot, London, Peter Hall Co.
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• Human impotence in the face of life’s meaninglessness.
• A static world where nothing happens.
• Absence of a traditional time there is no past, present and future, just a repetitive present.
• Disintegration of language absurd exchanges, broken and fragmented dialogues.
• The lack of communication use of para-verbal language: mime, silences, pauses and gags.
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
11. Waiting for Godot: themes
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Beckett OsbornePlot Obscure, non
consequential True-to-life, consequential
Setting Symbolic, bare Realistic, related to working class
Theme Meaninglessness of human experience
Social critic against middle-class values
Stage Directions Repetitive, frequent Detailed, informative, clear
Language Everyday, meaningless Everyday, simple, clear
The Theatre of the Absurd and Samuel Beckett
12. Beckett vs. Osborne
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