Does Vyrozumeni Properly Belong to What Is Called the Theatre of the Absurd?
analytical Essay
1079 words
To be able to discuss whether or not Vyrozumeni belongs to the Theatre of the Absurd it is important to know what this genre actually is.
The playwrights who are associated with the Theatre of the Absurd did not form an organized movement, but nevertheless one can extrapolate specific criteria for absurdist drama. According to Martin Esslin these are: mechanistic actions, devaluation of language, circular structure, lack of solution for a problematic situation. The Theatre of the Absurd has been dealt with primarily as a Western European phenomenon, usually focusing on Eugene Ionesco and Samuel Beckett.
Yet in this play Havel applies the basic absurdist construction to express the dehumanization process in a socialist society. I will argue that Vyrozumeni does belong to the Theatre of the Absurd, as it for fills all the above mentioned criteria that defines absurdist drama.
Mechanistic actions
One of the most obvious mechanistic actions in the play is the way in which Kubs, the assistant of Balas, resembles a robot in his mannerisms. The audience never hear him speak; instead he just repeatedly shakes or nods his head when his opinion is required. This could be showing that Kubs' opinion, as a mere assistant, is of no real importance to the people in charge of the office and thus he doesn't feel the need to speak. However, throughout the play the audience gets the notion that Kub's has great influence on what goes on in the company, as Ptydepe was originally his idea. By not speaking he is able to keep a low profile and can, underhandedly, carry on taking over the office. Thus his mechanistic actions highlight the absurdity of bureaucracy, as the people who are officially less superior have the most power and influenc...
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...ration for the West was a closer depiction of reality for those in communist-controlled countries.
The effect on the respective audiences also differs. The Western Theater of the Absurd reflects the perceived impossibility of altering one's destiny. However, the Eastern European viewpoint finds individuals culpable not only for creating but also for maintaining the closed and oppressive political system. Havel is not willing to accept the status quo as unchangeable. Although he does not champion a particular type of assault, nonetheless he sounds a call for active change.
Thus even though there are differences between Vyrozumeni and the mainstream Theatre of the Absurd, Vaclav Havel has applied the basic absurdist constructions, which I have depicted in the analysis, to express the dehumanization process and the absurdity of bureaucracy in a socialist society.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that vyrozumeni belongs to the theatre of the absurd, as it fulfills all the above mentioned criteria that defines absurdist drama.
- Analyzes how kubs' mechanistic actions highlight the absurdity of bureaucracy, as the people who are officially less superior have the most power and influence in the office.
- Analyzes how ptydepe highlights the mechanistic actions and circular structure of the play.
- Analyzes the devaluation of language in ptydepe, which is a mechanical language that allows no room for independent expressions or deviations.
- Compares the western theater of the absurd with the eastern european theater, where the individual was subservient to the state.
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