Transcript absurd
ABSURDITY IN ART A prologue to Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead Le poète est un menteur qui dit toujours le verité -----Jean Cocteau Art is a lie that allows us to see truth --------Picasso Contents Magritte & Surrealism Lewis Carrol & Nonsense Poetry Existentialism Tom Stoppard Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead The Movie Rene Magritte Belgian painter 1898-1967 Produces “intentional mysteries”; doesn’t explain them; doesn’t answer questions raised Surrealism Magic Realism Surrealism Surrealism: the search for a reality above or within the surface reality by suspending logic, reason, and morality Magic Realism Seeks to enrich our idea of what is “real” by incorporating various imaginative dimensions LEWIS CARROLL English Mathematician Professor at Oxford 1832-1898 Alice in Wonderland, 1871 Nonsense Poetry Nonsense Poetry A form of nonsensical, light verse that has strong rhythms, created words, & a lack of logical and consecutive development Alice in Wonderland There was a book lying near Alice on the table,…she turned over the leaves, to find some part that she could read, “for it’s all in some language I don’t know,” she said to herself. It was like this... Jabberwocky ‘Twas brilling, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe All mimsy were the borogroves And the mome raths outgrabe. Jabberwocky Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The fruminous Bandersnatch!” Jabberwocky He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the maxome foe he sought So rested he by the Tumtum tree, And stood a while in thought. Jabberwocky And, as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame. Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! Jabberwocky One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it for dead, and with its head He went galumping back. Jabberwocky “And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” He chortled in his joy. Jabberwocky “Twas brilling, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe All mimsy were the borogroves, And the mome raths outgrabe. Alice in Wonderland It seems very pretty, she said when she had finished it, “but it’s rather hard to understand!” (You see she didn’t like to confess, even to herself, that she couldn’t make it out at all.) “Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas---only I don’t exactly know what they are! However, somebody killed something; that’s clear, at any rate---” Metaphor in Alice “The last level of metaphor in the Alice books is this: that life, viewed rationally and without illusion, appears to be a nonsense tale told by an idiot mathematician…We all live slapstick lives, under an inexplicable sentence of death, and when we try to find out what the Metaphor in Alice castle authorities want us to do, we are shifted from one bumbling bureaucrat to another. We are not even sure that Count West-West, the owner of the castle, really exists.” ------Martin Gardner The Annotated Alice Existentialism 20th century philosophical movement Sartre, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Camus Existence precedes essence I exist. Because I exist, I think; I feel; I perceive Existentialism Choice is always possible; Not choosing is impossible Uncertainty is certain Absurd universe; no clear purpose for existence; no moral imperatives;humans must create morality One constant that all humans share: DEATH Theatre of the Absurd Portrays the senselessness & absurdity of the human condition Reveals the illogical & purposeless nature of existence Theatre of the Absurd Provides concrete images of situations that epitomize humanity’s fundamental helplessness in a contradictory & alienating universe Exposes the inadequacy of reason and language Absurd Theatre Portrays essential human realities: death, self, time, loneliness, communication, & freedom Emphasizes situation rather than event Has no clear moral or message Usually lacks a coherent plot Merges fantasy with reality; filled with irrational events Absurd Theatre Strips language of its traditional poetic & utilitarian functions Creates a space for silence Uses characters who lack appropriate motivation for actions Conveys meaning through masks, sounds, ritual, gestures, costumes, stylized action Presents images meant to elicit subjective responses TOM STOPPARD Czech born English playwright R & G, his first staged play, 1967 Script doctored Shakespeare in Love Recipe for Play Take one famous tragedy. Shake well. Scoop out the main characters who float to the top. Set aside. Pick out the two smallest characters remaining. Blow these up with hot air. Let them float though your play as heroes. Toss main characters in lightly and in small amounts. Serves all who enjoy laughing while they think. THEMES & MOTIFS Themes Motifs Death Identity Alienation Life as a game Exits & entrances Acting versus reality Games Messengers Boats Home Wheel Direction Coins The Movie Written/directed by Stoppard in 1992 More scenes from Hamlet than included in play Look for additions, alterations, and deletions from play Keep in Mind... Expect weirdness & confusion Consider what play HAS; not what it is missing Laugh! It’s supposed to be funny The End