Martin Esslin, a theatre critic coined the term “The Absurd” to
describe a number of works being produced in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s
that rejected all traditional forms of drama. In 1961 Esslin published his best
known and most influential book “The Theatre of the Absurd” in which he tried
to establish a new movement in contemporary dramatic theory. The famous
playwrights associated with this movement include Samuel Backett, Arthur
Adamov, Jean Genet and Harold Printer.
The term ‘Absurd’ was originally used by Albert Camus in his essay
“Myth of Sisyphus’ where he described the
human condition as meaningless and absurd. The key element to an absurdist play
is that the main characters and their situations are out of synchronizing with
the world around them. There is no discernable reasoning behind their
strangeness, though a threatening sense of change shakes their existence to the
core.
Beckett's works
offered a bleak and tragicomic outlook on human existence. He often coupled
with black comedy and gallows humour. His writings became increasingly
minimalist in his later career. He is considered one of the last modernist
writers, and one of the key figures in as Martin Esslin called the
"Theatre of the Absurd".
Some early
philosophical critics like Sartre and Theodor Adorno praised him as one for his
revelation of absurdity. Some critics refused his works' critical refusal of
simplicities. Georg Lukács condemn Becket for 'decadent' lack of realism.
Beckett produced four major full length stage
plays: En attendant Godot (written 1948–1949; Waiting for Godot),
Fin de partie (1955–1957; Endgame),
Krapp's Last Tape (1958), and Happy Days (1961).
These plays are often considered, rightly or wrongly, to have
been instrumental in the so called "Theatre of
the Absurd". These absurd plays deal in a very blackly humorous way with themes
similar to those of the roughly contemporary existentialist thinkers.
The term "Theatre of the Absurd"
was coined by Martin Esslin in a book of the same name; Beckett and Godot were
centerpieces of the book. Esslin claimed these plays were the fulfillment
of Albert Camus's concept of "the absurd"; this is
one reason Beckett is often falsely labeled as an existentialist. This is based
on the assumption that Camus was an
existentialist, though he in fact broke off from the existentialist movement
and founded his own philosophy. Though many of the themes are similar,
Beckett had little affinity for existentialism as a whole.