Theatre of the Absurd & Existentialism

1. Theatre of the Absurd & Existentialism

2. Theatre of the Absurd • Works depict the absurdity of human existence • The efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe will ultimately fail • No such meaning exists – in relation to humanity • Individual is isolated • Humans historically attempt to find meaning in their lives • They can find life meaningless and what we have is the here and now; OR • They can fill the void with a purpose set forth by a higher power • Suicide is a solution when confronted with living a life devoid of all purpose

3. Albert Camus • Camus – Absurdity is a conflict between two ideals • Human condition is absurd – Man’s quest for significance v. cold, silent universe • Specific human experiences evoke notions of absurdity • Such an encounter with the absurd leaves the individual with a choice: • Suicide • Life is too much • Offers way out of absurdity • Leap of faith • Act with the strength of the absurd • Deceiving the self • Intellectual laziness • Acceptance • Man embraces his own absurd condition • Individuals are truly free to create their own meaning • The individual is the most precious unit of existence

4. Camus’ Absurd Hero • Man can either act as a mystic or an absurd hero • Mystic – appeals to some supernatural force • Absurd hero • A revolt against the hope of a supernatural force • Refusal to hope allows him to live in the present with passion

5. Sartre , Kierkegaard & Nietzsche • Nietzsche – Proclaimed the death of God • Sartre – The absurdity of individual experience • Saw rationality as a form of "bad faith“ - an attempt by the self to impose structure on a world of phenomena • “Bad faith" hinder us from finding meaning in freedom • Kierkegaard • Deep anxiety of human existence — the feeling that there is no purpose • Absurdity of certain religious truths prevent us from reaching God rationally • There is no human-comprehensible purpose of God • Faith in God is absurd

6. Existentialism • Philosophical movement that claims that individual human beings have full responsibility for creating the meanings of their own lives • People make decisions based on what has meaning to them rather than what is rational • Central idea: Existence precedes essence • One is not bound by the generalities and definitions of what “being human” connotes • This is a reversal of what Aristotle believed