Eugene Ionesco

1. Eugene Ionesco Presented by: Jamie Dawson, Demetrius Marshall, Wyatt Whipp

2. Absurdism Absurdism is the philosophy that encompasses the absurd. The notion of contrast between two things. Explained in the myth of Sisyphus: The absurd is born out out of this confrontation between human need and the unreasonable silence of the world. *It’s easy to highlight the absurdity of the human quest for purpose. There’s assumption/ faith in the the idea that everything has a purpose, and must have a higher reason for existence. But if one thing has a higher purpose, than what’s the reason for that purpose? Every new height must be validated by a higher one. But that philosophy sparks a simple question. If humankind was created by god then who created God? Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher

3. Leaders and Influencers of Absurdism Eugene Ionesco, absurdist playwright Debuted in 1950 with “The Bald Soprano” Ionesco emphasized that he didn’t mean to become a playwright His failed attempt at learning english inspired him to start playwriting. The Bald Soprano includes dialogue from his grammar books Died in 1994 Samuel Beckett, modernist playwright, born 1906 in Ireland, studied at university, research assistant to James Joyce, at one point he was stabbed by a pimp, moved to Paris for most of his adult life During ww2, he was active in the resistance movement and after the war began his career as a playwright, mostly writing in French, He had always written poems, stories, etc but his career really took off after he returned home from ww2 Most known for, “Waiting for Godot”, first staged in 1953, the play is about two tramps waiting for a man that never arrives Jean Genet, satire/absurdist playwright, Orphaned as a child, imprisoned at 18 for theft, later joined the French military but was kicked out for being gay, returned to a life of prostitution and petty theft. Debuted with “Our Lady Of The Flowers” in 1944, Written in prison After being released he turned to theater: Most of Genet’s characters are playing roles that can easily be reversed, reality shifts a lot, which gives a disturbing, off-putting quality to his work, “The Maids” Died in Paris 1986

4. Existentialism A philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will (We become who we are through our actions of free will, we are not put on thisearch with any specific purpose or meaning). However, there is no definitive definition because each “existentialist” has different ideas on what defines existentialism Existentialist thinkers are often optimistic about the future of human beings. There are several main concepts of existentialism that are present: • Thinking beings, Especially humans, have free will. • Humans are responsible for the consequences of their actions • Extremely few, if any, decisions are void of negative consequence • Even when part of a group, each person acts as an individual, and is accountable as such • The world is indifferent towards humanity

5. Leaders and influencers of Existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre, 1905-1980, in Paris, grew up living an “unnatural” childhood as a spoiled and unusually intelligent boy. Went to a university, joined the military, came home and became a teacher and continued to write. Thought that human beings lived in anguish, not because life is terrible, but because we’re condemned to be free. We’re thrown into existence, become aware of ourselves and having to make choices. “Every choice we make reveals to us what we think a human should be.” “There is no design for ahuma being, no way we have to be, no god to create a purpose for us, no human nature that fixes how we should live. He declared that existence precedes essence. I am what I do. Soren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855, born into wealth, youngest of 7 children, death was around him constantly form a young age, seems to be a pretty consistent theme in his novels, author of 22 novels, Wants us to wake up and give up our cozy, sentimental illusions, attacks the idea of having faith in family, comfort of jobs, attachment to love, overall tries to influence his readers to abandon the basic idea that life has purposeand meaning. “The only intelligent tactical response to life’s horror is to laugh defiantly at it”

6. Why theater as a platform for Absurdism The idea of absurdism really started to take off in the 1950’s in Eastern Europe. Theater of the absurd was heavily influenced by events in World War 2, after a war that took millions of lives, absurdism humor/ perspective seemed to be the only way to cope. Absurdism theater started as a “loose’ style of theater that playwrights started using. Critic, Martin Esslin absurdism theater and perceived these playwrights as giving artistic expression that life is meaningless. He thought is he could get his audience to accept absurdism theater than he could help people understand that life is truly meaningless, however he did not want to influence this idea in a negative way. He then wrote a book, “Theater of the Absurd” published in 1962 and became known for introducing Absurdism theater to the world

7. Background Information Eugen Ionesco is known for Born on Nov. 26 1909 in Slatina, Romania. Ionesco moved to Paris with his family until 1925 when he moved back to Romania with his father after his parents divorced. He began to study literature at the university of Bucharest, publishing his first article two years later in the Zodiac Review. Forced to move around because of ww2, Ionesco finally settled in Paris and published his first play in 1948 and staged “The Bald Soprano” in 1950

8. The Bald Soprano The Bald Soprano is an excellent example of Absurdism theater. The play beginning with a seemingly normal married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and continues to expose another couple, Mr. and Mrs. Martin, as married but neither of the two actually knew each other. This is an example of a plot that doesn’t make sense. Weird humor because there is no purpose of what he’s doing. However he’s also conveying a message about communication, showing that language, words, talking, can be useless. Throughout the play there are lines spoken that literally don’t make sense to the audience or the narrative. This is because Ionesco is trying to convey the message that sometimes talking just isn’t enough for the situation. Sometimes more is better.

9. More of Ionesco’s work Rhinoceros The play revolves around a drunk who’s having several conversations about philosophy all while a rhinoceros is passing by. This action leads to a new conversation about philosophy. The play progresses with the main character going to work but eventually turning into a rhino followed by several other people. The play continues to convey a message that uses a rhinoceros as a metaphor for mass hysteria, able to spread life a wildfire. A literal beast that takes over the entire town is a great metaphor for mass hysteria and the consequences it brings.