- Martin Esslin coined the term "Theatre of the Absurd" in his 1962 book to describe plays that defied traditional genres, such as Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. - Waiting for Godot premiered in 1953 and became hugely popular despite having no plot, repetitive dialogue and action, and an unexplained ending. - Characteristics of absurd plays include hopelessness, absurd or unexplained endings, comic scenes, repetition, and elements of existentialism which questions the existence and purpose of man.

1. •NAME: PIPAVAT GOPI
•CLASS:M.A SEM 3
•SUBMITTED TO:
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
BHAVNAGAR UNI.
•TOPIC NAME : ‘WAITING
FOR GODOT’ –AS AN ABSURD
THEATRE

3. Introduction of martin Esslin:
Martin Julius Esslin was a Hungarian born
English play Write, Producer , Journalist.
He coined the phrase ‘theatre of absurd’
in his famous 1962 book of the same name.
He used to take an active part in theatre
as writer , translator, reviewer, and adviser
all through his life.

4. What made Esslin to coin the phrase?
 A number of produced in the late 1950s and Early
1960s that defied any traditional genres. Esslin
coined the phrase.
 Samuel beckett's ‘waiting for Godot’ premiered a tiny
avant-garde theatre in Paris in 1953.It had been
translated in to more than twenty languages within
five years.

5. It was seen by more than a million spectators
during that period.
As it was yet to be given a name. Came
forward and coined the phrase ‘theatre of the
absurd’ in his masterpiece, of the same name
published in 1962

6. Who used the term ‘absurd’ for the
first time?
 The term ‘absurd’ was
originally used by Albert
Camus in his 1942 Essay
“myth of Sisyphus”
 wherein he described
the human condition as
‘meaningless and
absurd”

7. Characteristics of the “theatre of absurd”
 Hopelessness in characters
 Absurd or unexplained
ending
 Comic scenes
 Importance of Repetition
 Elements of “Existentialism”

8. ‘Waiting for Godot’ as an theatre
of absurd: by Samuel beckett.

9. •Samuel backett
 Backett came from well-to-
do family and attended
trinity college Dublin, were
he studied French and
Italian, graduating in 1927
 His first published literary
work was a short poem with
footnotes called
‘Whoroscope’ in 1930

10. • The dramatic work that became best known
was an attendant Godot (1949) Waiting For
Godot,which was first performed in 1953 and
appeared in English 1954.

11. •Lack of plot
No beginning ,climax and ending.
Same place and time
Unexplained story
Nothingness and Emptiness

12. •Importance of Repetition
 Absurd play has
repetitive cyclical
structure.
 Similar setting – Debris
 Timing – Day to moon
rise.
 Action –hat swapping
scene
 Similar acts structure
• Same acts Ending
• Same dialogues

13. Element of Existentialism
 Absurd theatre questions
the existence of men
 Human existence has no
meaning and purpose
 “The mystery of human
existence lies not in just
staying alive,but finding
something to live for.”
 -Fyodor Postoyevsky

14. Different from Traditional Drama
 No use of interesting plot
 No sense of story
 No use of drama,fantacy and poetic language
 Absurd ending
 Absurd play has
unexplained,hopes,religions,nothingness,
forgetfullness,purposelessness of man ending is not
conclusion.
Thank you