Page 46 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes 7. In England, William Shakespeare’s ......... might be considered the first comedy of
manners.

State whether the following statements are true or false:
8. Marriage is a frequent subject in the plays of comedy of manners.
9. In the 20th century, the comedy of manners reappeared in the plays of the British
dramatists Noel Coward.
10. A Comedy of Manners is a play concerned with satirizing society’s manners.

3.2 Absurd Theatre

3.2.1 Introduction and Definition

The Theatre of the Absurd (French: Théâtre de l’Absurde) is a theatrical style originating in France
in the late 1940’s. It relies heavily on existential philosophy, and is a category for plays of absurdist
fiction, written by a number of playwrights from the late 1940s to the 1960s, as well as the theatre
which has evolved from their work. It expresses the belief that, in a godless universe, human existence
has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down. Logical construction
and argument give way to irrational and illogical speech and as its ultimate conclusion, silence.
Often Absurdist works utilise theatrical conventions such as— but not limited to—Mime, Gibberish,
Heightened Language, Codified Language and Vignette. The pieces generally lack conflict, and
involve high levels of contrast, alienation, and irony, for example, a funeral scene performed by
actors happily, or a birthday scene performed somberly.
A form of drama that emphasizes the absurdity of human existence by employing disjointed,
repetitious, and meaningless dialogue, purposeless and confusing situations, and plots that lack
realistic or logical development.
The Absurd Theatre is a designation for particular plays that expressed the belief that, in a godless
universe, human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks
down. Logical construction and argument gives way to irrational and illogical speech and to its
ultimate conclusion, silence.

3.2.2 Origin of the Absurd Theatre

Martin Esslin coined the term “Theatre of the Absurd” in his 1960 essay and, later, book of the same
name. He related these plays based on a broad theme of the Absurd, similar to the way Albert Camus
uses the term in his 1942 essay, “The Myth of Sisyphus”. The Absurd in these plays takes the form of
man’s reaction to a world apparently without meaning, and/or man as a puppet controlled or menaced
by invisible outside forces. Though the term is applied to a wide range of plays, some characteristics
coincide in many of the plays: broad comedy, often similar to Vaudeville, mixed with horrific or
tragic images; characters caught in hopeless situations forced to do repetitive or meaningless actions;
dialogue full of clichés, wordplay, and nonsense; plots that are cyclical or absurdly expansive; either
a parody or dismissal of realism and the concept of the “well-made play”.

Playwrights commonly associated with the Theatre of the Absurd include Samuel
Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, Jean Genet, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Friedrich Dürrenmatt,
Fernando Arrabal, Edward Albee, Boris Vian, and Jean Tardieu.

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