1. Absurdism and Existentialism

2. At the beginning of this unit, I told you to…
Think about what kind of meaning is actually CREATED by a purposefully meaningless play.
So…
Find a quote that has meaning.
Place yourself on the spectrum.

3. The Meaning of Life
What are some common philosophies and/or debates about the meaning of life?

4. A Couple of Well-Known Philosophies
Theism—There is a god that created us and makes life meaningful for us. Religion provides a framework for us to work within.
Naturalism—Humans react to three outside persuasions (heredity, instinct, environment), leaving very little free-will.

5. The Problem of Absurdism
The philosophy of absurdism argues that:
Being certain about anything is impossible
The universe is meaningless.
The universe is indifferent towards humanity.

6. Absurdism “There are no facts, only interpretations.”
--Friedrich Nietzsche
For example:
--Fayetteville St. (Do things exist outside of our perception?)
--Walking a dog
--Ants

7. Absurdism and Metatheatre
How does the philosophy of absurdism connect to the effects of metatheatre in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead?
Points out that theatre is not actually real life, but then blurs the line between what is theatre and what is real life.

8. “Audiences know what to expect, and that is all that they are prepared to believe in.”
--R and G are Dead, Act I

9. The “Answer” of Existentialism
The philosophy of existentialism argues that:
Life is meaningless, so humans must create their own meaning.
There is no “human nature”—our choices define who we are, and each individual is responsible for his or her choices.
We should focus on our individual actions, not on trying to find some larger meaning or order, because there isn’t one.

10. Existentialism: Condemned to be Free
Being free sounds great! We make decisions and are responsible for ourselves.
But, apart from our existence, there is only nothingness, which makes that freedom overwhelming.
We can find reality only in action, but we have nothing to help us or show us how to act.

11. You are free and that is why you are lost.
--Franz Kafka
I love life. And I do not believe that my life serves a purpose. I do not believe that my life has any meaning.
—Michelle Lara Lin
Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself.
—Jean-Paul Sartre
The point is there ain’t no point.
–Cormac McCarthy

12. R and G are Dead
Pick six out of the seven quotes located around the room.
For each, write a few sentences that contain the following information:
When [Character Name] says ________, it is connected to the existentialist [or absurdist] idea of ___________. It is connected because__________.

13. The Final Question
How do elements of theatre of the absurd and metatheatre help communicate the author’s existentialist message?