1. Social Drama and Tragicomedy
Existentialism
And -
Theater of the Absurd

2. I stick my finger into existence---It smells of nothing. Where am I
I stick my finger into existence---It smells of nothing. Where am I? What is this thing called the world? Who is it who has lured me into the thing, and now leaves me here? How did I come into the world? Why was I not consulted? --Søren Kierkegaard

3. I stick my finger into existence---It smells of nothing. Where am I
I stick my finger into existence---It smells of nothing. Where am I? What is this thing called the world? Who is it who has lured me into the thing, and now leaves me here? How did I come into the world? Why was I not consulted? --Søren Kierkegaard
With your groups:
Find a quote in Hamlet that parallels this idea.
Be ready to explain your choice to the class.

4. Social Drama and Tragicomedy
Existentialism
Hamlet
And -
Theater of the Absurd
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead

5. Questioning our existence:
Does life make sense or is it just a big accident?

6. Where and when did this start?
Early to mid 1900’s
Began in Europe
Reaction to World Wars:
Mass destruction of lives
Atomic Bomb
Holocaust

7. Existential Questions
Why are we here?
Where did we come from?
How can there be a god?
Where do we go after we die?
What is real? What isn’t real?
If life is meaningless, then what should we do with our lives?

8. Existentialism Defined
Disclaimer:
A precise definition is impossible; however, it suggests one major theme: a stress on individual existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice.

9. What it isn’t…
Most philosophers since ancient Greek thinker Plato have held that the highest ethical good is universal.
Nineteenth-century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard reacted against this tradition…

10. What it might be…
…insisting that the individual's highest good is to find his or her own unique vocation.

11. What it might be…
In terms of moral choice, existentialists have argued that there is no objective, rational basis for decisions; they stress the importance of individualism in deciding questions of morality and truth.

12. What it might be…
Most existentialists have held that rational clarity is desirable wherever possible but that life's most important questions are not accessible to reason or science.

13. Nietzsche (knee-chi)
Nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche espoused tragic pessimism and life-affirming individual will.
Heidegger argued that human beings can never hope to understand why they are here; instead, each individual must choose a goal and follow it with passionate conviction, aware of the certainty of death and the ultimate meaninglessness of one's life.

14. Nietzsche (knee-chi)
Nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche espoused tragic pessimism and life-affirming individual will.
Heidegger argued that human beings can never hope to understand why they are here; instead, each individual must choose a goal and follow it with passionate conviction, aware of the certainty of death and the ultimate meaninglessness of one's life.

15. Sartre (sar-tra)
Twentieth-century French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre first gave the term existentialism general currency by using it for his own philosophy. Explicitly atheistic and pessimistic, his philosophy declared that human l`ife requires a rational basis but the attempt is a "futile passion." Nevertheless, he insisted that his view is a form of humanism, emphasizing freedom and responsibility.
so…

16. Theatre of the Absurd
"Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that Yes, yes, it's the most comical thing in the world.“
– Samuel Beckett

17. Theater of the Absurd: What is it?
The playwrights loosely grouped under the label of the absurd endeavor to convey their sense of bewilderment, anxiety, and wonder in the face of an inexplicable universe.

18. What is it?
They rely heavily on poetic metaphor as a means of projecting outward their innermost states of mind.

19. What is it?
Images of the theater of the absurd tend to assume the quality of fantasy, dream, and nightmare; they do not so much portray the outward appearance of reality as the playwright's emotional perception of an inner reality.

20. Traditional Plot Structure
Not realistic, does not imitate real life.
Used to interest, excite or educate an audience.
Rational in nature.

21. FREYTAG’S PYRAMID- TRADITIONAL
Explication-setting, introduce characters, set themes
Rising action – story unfolds, conflicts & complications arise
Climax– turning point, emotionally charged
Falling action – moves us in logical fashion
Denouement/Resolution – creates catharsis, finished feeling, delivers closure

22. Existential/ Absurd Plot Structure

23. Existential/ Absurd Plot Structure
Mimics life in its irrationality
No easy answers
Each person must strive to draw their own conclusions
Cyclical or a downward spiral
No release, repetitious, empty
Shows painfulness and meaninglessness of life

24. Beckett's Happy Days
(1961) expresses a generalized human anxiety about the approach of death through the concrete image of a woman sunk waist-deep in the ground in the first act and neck-deep in the second

25. Ionesco's Rhinoceros
(1960) demonstrates the playwright's anxiety about the spread of inhuman totalitarian tendencies in society by showing the population of a city turning into savage pachyderms.

26. How to read the play: 1. Look for subtle changes!!!
Time
Place
Characters
Scenes/props
Attitudes

27. 2. Read with precision and care
Look for allusions and references.
Look for humor!!! Characters, events are comical and their dialogue show this.

28. Ironic and Metaphorical Style
“They give birth astride a grave, the light gleams for an instant, then it’s night once more.”
From Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett

29. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead PLOT: Summoned on an secretive and confusing mission, our “heroes” are thrust into a bewildering world that takes place both in a darkened wood (hint, hint- think archetype) and also in the Castle Elsinore, kingdom of Denmark. The sinister intrigue happening here is even more confusing to these characters, who seem lost in space and in time, and are flummoxed even as to their own names.