1. Features of Absurd Drama Presented by Mr. Fulchand S. Shirsat Assit
Features of Absurd Drama Presented by Mr. Fulchand S. Shirsat Assit. Prof. of English Department of English Rayat Shikshan Sanstha’s Chhatrapati Shivaji College, Satara Maharashtra

2. Effect of World War - I & II on the European Society as
Devaluation of morality , life is
meaningless, loss of hope, destruction.
After World War - II it is emerged the different techniques and schools in British Literature .
1. Epic theatre
2. Kitchen Sink Drama
3. Absurd Drama
The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, 1945

3. THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD
Samuel Beckett
Tom Stoppard
                                
Albert Camus
Harold Pinter
Eugène Ionesco

4. Term Absurd in Albert Camus
‘The Myth of Sisyphus’ (1942)
‘The Theatre of Absurd’ coined by
Martin Essline in 1960
Word Absurd means – foolishness, senseless, opposed to reason, something silly and ridiculous.

5. Features of Absurd Drama
No Plot
Life is meaningless, hopelessness
Not purposeful
Static situation
Not unity of time, place and action
End of the Plays have depicted as an absurd or comic scenes.
Dialogue are incoherent, use of short speeches

6. 1 . Lack of Plot-
No plot
Different from conventional drama
Having situation rather than story
e.g. ‘ Waiting for Godott’
cyclical - beginning and end is same.

7. Climax
Rising of action
Falling of action
Resolution
Well – Made Play
In absurd drama it can not find rising of action, climax, falling of action and resolution

8. 2] Life is Meaningless –
Effect of World War – I & II on European society
According to absurd dramatist ‘life is meaningless’
e.g. ‘ Waiting for Godott’ – characters Vladimir and Estragon.
Estragon : What about hanging ourselves
3] Not Purposeful –
It doesn’t present any problem , no purpose ,no goal .

9. 4] Static situation
In the play ‘Waiting for Godott’ Estragon and Vladimir both from beginning to end of the play are waiting for Mr. Godott . Waiting is static situation , here.
5] Not Unity of Time , Action and Place –
It is against the Aristotelian concept of unity of Time, Action and Place as in ‘ Waiting for Godott’.
One day is similar to other day

10. 6] End of the Plays have depicted as an absurd or comic scenes.
The Play ends with an absurd or comic scenes as in
1. Waiting for Godott absurd and comic
2. The Caretaker comic
3. The Birthday Party - comic

11. Vladimir : Well, shall we go?
7] Dialogue are incoherent –
Characters’ speaking and acting are different
e.g.
Vladimir : Well, shall we go?
Estragon : Yes, lets go
[They don’t move]
Only babbling
Not sequences in dialogue

12. Dialogues are means of killing time and aimless
Use of pause , repetition and pun
Meg : is that you Pety ?
Pause
Pety , is that you ?
Pety ?
Pety : What ?
[Birthday Party ]

13. Comparison Between Well made Play and Absurd Play Sr.no.1
Characters are well observed and convincingly motivated.
Characters are hardly recognizable human being, their actions are completely unmotivated. 2
Dialogue is witty and logical built up.
Dialogue seems to have degenerate into meaningless babble. 3
There is beginning, middle and end.
It starts from arbitrary point and seems to end as arbitrarily.

14. Sr. No. Well Made Play Absurd Play 4
There is unity of time place and action.
Unity of time, place and action is not here. 5
This type of drama are purposeful, gives some message, solves some problems.
But absurd drama is not purposeful. 6
Plot has rising of action, climax, falling of action.
There is not rising of action, climax, falling of action.

15. References :
Esslin Martin, The Theatre of the Absurd. Penguin Books London, Print.
Mane, Prabhanjan. Interpreting Drama. Atlantic Publishers, Print.

16. Thank you