Influence of ‘Theater of Absurd’ on the Play “The Birthday Party”

Name: Riddhi JaniRoll No:Paper: 9, The Modernist LiteratureSemester: 3rd

Submitted To: Department of English,M. K. Bhavnagar University

About “Theatre of Absurd”

• “Theater of Absurd” is a term or particular movement started in late 1950s.

• Martin Esslin “Theatre of Absurd”• Albert Camu “Myth of Sysiphus”• World is without meaning & life is without

purpose.• Associated with Existentialism.• Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, Tom Stoppard,

Friedrich Durrenmatt, Harold Pinter etc.

• “Theatre of Absurd” = “Expression in art of the meaninglessness of human existence.”

Characteristics of the “Theatre of Absurd”

• Broad comedy• Menacing and tragic effect• Alienation effect• Hopelessness in characters• Fragmentations• Parody of the concept of ‘well maid play’• Unconventional writing• Irrationality• At some extent similar to the characteristics of

Postmodernism.

Effect of ‘Theatre of Absurd’ in “The Birthday Party”

• “The Birthday Party”(1957) is the second full length drama by Harold Pinter (1930-2008).

• This play comes under both “Comedy of Menace” and “Theatre of Absurd”.

• Broad Comedy:

• Mainly it is found in the characters of Meg, Stanley and Lulu.

“Meg: Stan! I'm coming up to fetch you if you don't come down! I'm coming up! I'm going to count three! One! Two! Three! I'm coming to get you! (She exits and goes upstaires. In a moment, shouts from STANLEY, wild laughter from MEG)”

“MEG: What are the cornflakes like, stanley?

STANLEY: Horrible.”

• Menacing and tragic effect:

• Frightening effect we find very much as it is “Comedy of Menace” also.

• In movie background sounds play vital role for it.

• In movie we have many dialogues and scenes such as Blindmen’s Buff scene (menace) and Interrogation scene (tragic element).

• Very much use of screaming and shouting in the play.

Stanley: They carved me up. Carved me up. It was all arranged, it was all worked out. My next concert. Somewhere else it was. In winter. I went down there to play. Then, when I got there, the hall was closed, the place was shuttered up, not even a caretaker. They'd locked it up. (Tragic effect)

• Alienation effect:

• In this technique the "artist never acts as if there were a fourth wall besides the three surrounding him [...] The audience can no longer have the illusion of being the unseen spectator at an event which is really taking place."

• In absurd theatre it is very much in fashion technique.

• In this technique characters see audience as very much internal part of the play, so they don’t tell the connected links, so audience don’t find coherence and so it seems absurd.

• Hopelessness and fragmentation in characters:

• In almost every character we find a kind of disappointment and complain from life.

• Meg keeps on running meaningless conversations like “how is cornflakes ?” or “didn’t you enjoy your breakfast ?”etc. It is perhaps to fill the emptiness within her.

• And Petey’s indifferent silence.

• Lulu’s frustration comes out when the dialogue between her and Goldberg occurs.

“Lulu: Do you think I'm like all the other girls?”

“Lulu: [with growing anger.] You used me for a night. A passing fancy.”

“Lulu: You didn't appreciate me for myself. You took all those liberties only to satisfy your appetite. Oh Nat, why did you do it ?”

• Even Goldberg and McCann also. When the dialogue between them comes and it in a way becomes Goldberg’s monologue.

• Pauses brigs very good effect of fragmentation.

• And fragmentation in the plot also. Viewers cannot find connection.

“Goldberg: Because I'm telling you, I'm telling you, follow my line? Follow my mental? Learn by heart. Never write down a thing. And don't go too near the water. And you'll find-that what I say is true.

Because I believe that the world... [Vacant.]...

Because I believe that the world...[Desperate.]...

BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THE WORLD...[Lost.]... ”

• So, in this way the Theatre of Absurd” reflects in this play.

• In absurd plays readers or viewers should not expect for any well explained story or plot.

• A dialogue of Petey and Meg in this play, I think, gives very good definition of Absurd plays.

“Petey: This is a straight show.

MEG: What do you mean?

PETEY: No dancing or singing.(Here we are supposed to understand “no story or plot”)

MEG: What do they do then?

PETEY: They just talk.”