Volume 4 Issue 3 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND

December 2017 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926

Eugene Ionesco's Experimentalism and Avant-Garde Approaches in

Rhinoceros

Marwan M. Abdi
Department of English,
College of Arts and Letters
Cihan University/Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Abstract

The 'Theatre of the Absurd' challenged the theatrical traditions and absurd dramatists tried to
depict a confusing and seemingly meaningless world where mankind face various unanswered
questions and absurd circumstances. The philosophy and the thought provoking aspect of
such works was able to hit the audience and it proved to be an influential medium of
representation which could address the ailments of the modern man. Many of the absurd
dramatists experimented with different techniques to make their works as effective as possible.
One of the pioneers of this movement was Eugène Ionesco, whose innovative and
controversial approaches are associated with existentialist Philosophy. This aim of this
paper is to shed light on the innovations and experimental approaches that have been used in
Rhinoceros in order to highlight this dramatist's contribution to the avant-garde theatre and
absurdist movements.

Keywords: Theatre of Absurd, Avant-Garde, Experimentalism, Realism, Existentialism.

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Eugene Ionesco's Early Career as a Dramatist

Born (on November 26 -1909) to Romanian father and a French mother, Ionesco spent
most of his childhood in France. However for gaining a university degree he returned to
Romania. He came to theater late in life, and he wrote his first play "The Bald Soprano" in
1948. Later on Ionesco was recognized as one of the practitioners of the 'Theater of the
Absurd'. He produced a number of one-at nonsense plays, including "The Lesson(1951), The
Chair (1951) and the Submission (1955)." His Latter Woks were full- length plays such as
rhinoceros'. During this period, Ionesco was attacked by Kenneth Tynan who "warned his
readers of the danger that Ionesco might become the messiah of the enemies of realism in the
theatre "(Esslin 125). Kenneth Tynan who supported Ionesco at the beginning of his Career,
Changed his mind and argued that Ionesco only represented an escape from the likes of
Osborne, Chekhov, Brecht and miller. For Tynan, this dramatist was regarded as "the
gateway to theater of the future, that bleak new world from which the humanist heresies of
faith in logic and belief in man will forever be banished" (Michael Bennet 90). Tynan feared
that Ionesco had diverted 'the main road', and while his theatre was interesting and exciting it
remained a marginal divertissement.

In this stage Ionesco not only as a dramatist but also as a theorist of this field of
literature proclaimed his own views on the nature of a modernist playwright. For Ionesco a
playwright was not to give any kind of message. "A Playwright must be content with being a
witness. Reflecting from his suffering content with being a witness, reflecting from his own
suffering and happiness…". Social reality Ionesco retorted, "was the most Superficial kind,
which had made Sartre, Osborne, Brecht and miller, merely the 'new authors of the boulevard'
Conferring to prescribed left- wing doctrines ….."(Flumley210)

Ionesco believed that Drama must be far from a mere portrayal of a religious or political
doctrine. However the Criticism mentioned earlier, enforced him to infuse some of his plays
with some political or social issues. The best example is his work Rhinoceros, which most
scholars regard as a political play.

Ionesco and the Theatre of the Absurd

Theatre of Absurd, also referred to as the theatre of derision and as anti-theatre was
dominated by Ionesco and Samuel Becket in France. This genre emphasized either a
philosophical stance that explores the meaninglessness of existence or a total resistance to the
idea that theatre can expound meaning or reflect reality. This trend according to Abbotson
was a direct "response to what critics saw as the collapse of moral, religious, political and
social structures in the twentieth century" (S. Abbotson 1).

Influenced by the Dadaist and Surrealist movements these playwrights explore the
inadequacy of language for human Communication. Disregarding the conventional notions of
character, plot and diction, these dramatists often attack social injustice and individual
conformism, but its true target is the complacency of the traditional theater audiences (Ed.
Forman 17). With such a background Ionesco regarded the theater of the Naturalist and
Realist period as an Absurd attempt to ignore the innate theatricality of trying to present 'Real
life' on stage. In other words he rejected their claims of portrayal a real life, while their

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medium was a dramatic and theatrical one. From Ionesco's perspective, during the history,
literature and theatre have tried to express "human emotion and condition" and following the
same method his anti-theatre seeks to achieve the same goal, but in a different style.
Ionesco's Anti-Theatre: Eugene Ionesco labeled his first play 'the bald Soprano' as an
anti-play and later on critics termed his theatre as anti-theatre. Through presenting this new
genre, Ionesco tried to push theatre beyond traditional imitations. His plots followed some
idiosyncratic rules that made them distinguished. His circular plots never contain a traditional
climax or resolution and there is no place for reason and rationality. In his plays one can't find
a 'hero' or a main character in search of a moral value. There is neither a goal nor a sense of
completion at the end of the play and language is an incompetent medium of communication
and characters do not understand what they are communicating. Characters state some terms
repeatedly and this repetitiveness resembles their being static from the beginning to the end of
the play, i.e., language moves them nowhere.

In addition to circularity and repetitiveness, exaggeration is another recurrent feature in

the plays of this dramatist. All the techniques and innovation brought about, however aimed at
a certain goal which was writing for the "pure theatre, and an endeavor … to communicate an
incommunicable reality" (Fredrich Lumley 210).

Ionesco's Rhinoceros which is one of his most frequently performed plays, presents
most of these techniques although one can find some traditional dramaturgy in this play. The
anti-hero of the play Berenger (who has a role in a trilogy) makes his entry as a passive and
easygoing person. The town which he lives in, undergoes a profound change and one by one
the residents including his love "Daisy" turn into rhinoceroses. More and more the residents
get infected by the rhinoceritis, which not only makes them change into rhinos but actually
makes them want to turn themselves into these strong, aggressive and insensitive animals. At
the end even Daisy cannot resist the temptation of doing what came naturally to all the others
and Berenger is left alone, the last human being who defiantly proclaims his intention never to
Capitulate.

The first thing in this play which is striking is its title. It could be a suitable starting
point for the analysis of this play. How and why Ionesco selected this title for his play? This
question could be answered by Martin Esslin's quoting Ionesco in his book where Ionesco
describes how "history has shown us during the last quarter of century that people thus
transformed, not only resemble rhinos, but really become rhinoceroses " (Esslin179).

This story of metamorphosis is developed in three acts and multiple settings, which at
first look appears conventional. In spite of this three act structure one can see no progression,
but on the contrary there is a sort of intensification as the setting becomes narrow. In a sharp
contrast with the growing number of the 'Rhinos', the action is moved from a public square to
an office and at last to an apartment, a thoroughly private place. This proliferation, however
offers no solution in the act. Instead it worsens the dilemma of the anti-hero. This pattern of
condensation and intensification of the action is distinguished quality in Ionesco's works
which separates him from Backett and Adamov. According to Esslin the circular shape and a
return to the initial situation or a zero point of these playwrights is not followed by Ionesco.
Ionesco insisted that the process of intensification, accumulation and progression, "most not

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be confounded with the story teller's endeavor to build action toward a climax. He moreover
adds; "in the narrative, the Climax leads toward the final solution. And 'I' detest the reasoning
play, constructed like a syllogism, of which the last scenes constitute the logical conclusion of
the introductory scenes…"(Esslin 186). Here it becomes crystal clear, how Ionesco's notion of
the plot structure differs from the conventional and other modern trends. In his works, instead
of offering a solution, Ionesco demands for moving towards an intensity and a gradual
heightening of psychological tensions at the end of the play. In Rhinoceros, for example
Berenger is a man with a nightmare and a deadly experience. Left alone, he begins to question
his own existence and his role in driving Daisy to the rhinos and his real status within the
world.

Ionesco's Language and Characterization in Rhinoceros:

In addition to the proliferation technique, Ionesco's regard for 'dramaticality' rather than
'literariness' is evident in this play. Unlike Beckett, Ionesco mistrusted language, to such an
extent that it assumes a distinctly minor function. (Parsell 2) For him acting and dramaticality,
visual elements and the gesture of the actors played an important role. That is why most of the
critics regard Ionesco's works not literature but a valuable dramatic work, because they
depend heavily on actors, scenery and directors for their completion. Ionesco replaces the
'normal' speech either by incongruous banalities or by equally nonsensical monosyllables and
the overlapping dialogue is a recurrent strategy in his plays.

At various stages in the play Rhinoceros, especially in Act I, characters say the same
words at the same time. "This is a technique for an emphasis on the collective thinking that is
taking place in the play".( Drama for students 203) Throughout the play as the conformity of
the characters to the imposed norms increases the language becomes more repetitive a its
diversity diminishes. In this play the conversations and discussions are not argumentative. In
the first act, for instance, in a conversation between Jean, Berenger, The Logician and The
Old Gentleman, similar ideas are expressed by a similar language. This method is to stress on
the hold of a dominant ideology on the mind of the individuals. This theme which is blended
with the language is recurrent up to the end of the play.

Eugene Ionesco, unlike Beckett and Adamov, presents characters that are far from
being ‘interdependent and complementary’ personalities. As Esslin has explored, "lonesco's
most frequently recurring basic pattern is the married couple….In rhinoceros Berenger is a
lonely and isolated individual, but he is also in love with the ideal of an understanding young
working – woman, daisy, who combines grace, beauty and savoir-fair" (Esslin, 193). Unlike
Beckett’s personages who are tramps and isolated people, Berenger lives in a community, but
he suffers from a metaphysical isolation. This, in some sense, however increases the despair
and absurdity of his isolation.

Most critics regard Berenger as a semi-autobiographical character and as Ionesco's'

'every m’. He invented this universal character, because he believed in, " trans historicism and
the universal nature of humans" (Bennet 90). Berenger presents the condition of the modern
man whose life is defined by the meaningless work. He suffers from shallowness of his
relationship with others and tries to find solace in alcohol. In contrast to the whole characters,
who undergo a negative metamorphosis, Beranger undergoes a moral change and this leaves

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him a completely new individual. At the beginning of the play his only hope for life is
presented in his love for Daisy, but at the end this hope turns into disillusionment. At the
moment of anagnorisis he comes to recognize the absurdity of his life. In this stage he is
motivated to behave like a responsible individual and he makes up his mind and vows to fight
to the end. At this level perhaps one can infer that, "Ionesco wishes the audience to appreciate
the admirable effort of withstanding the forces of evil and the absurd struggle from which
Berenger can never emerge as victor" (Krauss, 3). In this stage, Berengers‘ recognition of the
absurdity is different from that of an addict person. Here he has gained a courage to stand
against all, but his courage sources from a stoic acceptance of his absurd condition in a life of
failure.

Beranger's' final monologue reveals his announcement to the 'world' and to 'himself' that
he will rouse himself from the absurdity of his world and will resist with all his strength. Jean
is representative of a kind of philosophic 'super-man' who sees himself as above the morality
and ethical beliefs of his own community. Having such qualifications, however Ionesco
presents him as a fallible character. His transformation presents the best picture of 'humanity
with its bestial nature'.

The Logician who appears only in the first act, represents the rationalism of some
characters like 'Botard, Dudard and Jean'. These Personages arrogantly believe in the power
of their own intellect to make sense of the absurdities of the world. The logician's statements
could be analyzed as the fact that man's reason and logic' can't explain all things. 'His' logic is
circular and shallow and he is unable to see the clear answers of questions. Through this
character Ionesco tries to tell the audience that this world is absurd and in order to understand
it, one has to admit the absurdity of man's life in this world.

Totalitarian Trends & The Conformist Society

Ionesco's theatre basically presents fundamental themes such as the protest against the
deadlines of a repetitive mechanical life and the bourgeoisie civilization, the loss of 'felt
values' and the resulting degradation of life. Another predominant theme is the "loneliness
and isolation of individual, his difficulty in communicating with others, his subjection to
disregarding outside pressure and to the mechanical conformity of society"(Esslin 192).
Rhinoceros presents a mindless conformity and following of others in order to be like the
herd. The society which Berenger belongs to, transform to a sort of sameness in appearance,
aspirations, thoughts and intellectuality. This atmosphere overtakes the society and confines
each character in coly sense of isolation. When Ionesco wrote this play an overwhelming
trend of 'fascism' in Romania had appeared. Influenced by the social and political context he
wrote his 'Rhinoceros'. "This play applies to Fascism, Stalinism and all other political or
religious doctrines that justify arbitrary violence in the name of an ideal" (Magill's S. Of Lit.)

Daring his lifetime Ionesco Constantly criticized the atrocities of Nazim and Fascism.
But more than a mere critique of sub totalitarian regimes, Ionesco was "determined to explore
the psychology and mentality of those who succumb with little resistance to 'Nazism' allowing
their individual ideals and free 'will' to be subsumed into a violent group consciousness
"(Drama for Students 200). The passivity of the characters in Rhinoceros is depicted in their
repeated words and ideas, that other personages have stated earlier. By juxtaposing 'man' and

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'bestial nature' in this work, Ionesco underscores how malleable or impressionable people can
be seduced by a 'dominant consciousness'. His satire is directed toward those who turn a blind
eye to their rising to power and those who join the ranks of these political movements. In both
cases, these people, are portrayed as a partner in the atrocities of such intellectual and political
movements.

Existentialism and free will:

Existentialism as a philosophical approach rejects the idea that universe can offer any
clues about how humanity should live. One of the forerunners of this movement J. P. Sartre
claimed that "Existence precedes essence", i.e., the identity (essence) of any one can't be
found by examining what other people are like, but only in what he has done. Because no one
can claim that his actions are "caused" by anyone else, existentialist literature focuses on
freedom and responsibility. (Literary Movements 222).

Having knowledge about this literary movement one can trace its rules in Ionesco's
rhinoceros. Throughout the three acts the only character who undergoes a positive change is
Berenger when he becomes aware of the power of his own 'will'. His 'will' has transformed
him from an apathetic addict into an independent personality who stands against a huge
current.

Unlike the other characters (even those who are rational) who fail the final test of 'will
power', Brenger gradually gains a sense of power. In contrast to those who give up against the
power of rhinoceroses, he emerges as a man who can feel a sense of love and responsibility
for humanity. In the terms of existentialist philosophy, Berenger becomes the figure of the
superman, gathering his will power to reinforce his love for his people and to take
responsibility for his own role in sustaining humanity.

Conclusion
Through a detailed analysis of Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros, this paper tried to shed
light on the works of this Avant-Garde and revolutionary dramatist. He is regarded as one of
the most influential exponents of experimental drama and many scholars have acknowledged
his works as a "touchstone, according to which serious drama would henceforth have to be
written and Judged"(Parsel 1). Ionesco's new approaches to dramaturgy has made him an
exceptional dramatist as he tried to push theatre beyond traditional imitations. His
experimentalism is evident through his characterization, plot structure, language etc. His
concern with dramatic craft, scenery and staging has made this work heavily different from
the works of other Absurdist who intended their work to be literature rather than drama.
The incongruous banalities or nonsensical monosyllables and the over lapping dialogues in
the play are qualities that distinguishes this work from works of former absurd dramatists.
Ionesco's 'dramatis personae' are rather more advanced multi-dimensional characters who
suffer from a metaphysical isolation.The play's multi-faceted critique of Fascism, Stalinism
and all other manipulative political or religious doctrines has made it a remarkable work of
art.
In 1971 Ionesco was honored by election to the highly conservative 'Academie Francaise'.
Apparently this event was a sort of submission to the establishment, on the part Ionesco. But
infact, a change in the nature of the French stage made this unification possible. Like

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Osborne's 'angry voice' he gave a new breath to the French stage. Ionesco's singular approach
to dramatic creation was ultimately revolutionary to the 'French' and the 'international' stage.

Ionesco's status in world literature could be described by Esslin's historic description;

"Ionesco sees himself as part of a tradition including Sophocles and Aeschlus, Shakespear,
Kleist and Buchner, because these authors are consumed with the human condition in all its
brutal absurdity" (Esslin 194).

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References

- Abbotson, Susan C. W. Thematic Guide to Modern Drama, U.S.A. Greenwood press,

2003.
- Bennett, Michael. Reassessing the theatre of the absurd, U.S.A. Palgrave Macmillan,
April 2011.
- Parsell, David. " Eguene Ionesco" Critical survey of drama. Salem Press, 2003.
eNotes.com .2006. 23dec,2011 < http://www.enotes.com/
- Esslin, Martin, The Theatre of the absurd. London, cox & wyman ltd.1968.
- Forman, Edward. Historical Dictionary of French Theatre, scarecrow press, inc.2010.
- Kenneth krauss. "Rhinoceros." Master plots, Revised Edition. Salem Press, 1996.e
Notes.com 2006.23dec, 2011.
- Lumley, Frederick, New Trends in 20th century Drama. Barrie & Jenkins.
London,1972.
- Literary Movements for Students. Ed. Ira Mark milne. 2009 Gale, Gengage Learning.
Printed in U.S.A.
- Drama for Students. Ed. Mark Milne. 2008 Gule. Cengage Learning prt. U.S.A.
- Eugene Ioneco. "Rhinoceros." Magill's Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition.
Salem Press, 2009. eNotes.com. 2006. 23Dec, 2011.
- RHINOCEROS AND OTHER PLAYS By Eugene Ionesco. Trs. Derek Prouse Grove
Press, INC New York.

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