The author is credited with the definition of the term and its use in the contemporary world. Literature critic Martin Esslin in his essay work coined the term by basing the plays on the theme of absurd. He used the title in his book published in 1961, and two other editions produce later in the 2000s. According to the playwrights, absurd is a form of human reaction to the universe without true meaning. Consequently, man in this situation is seen as a puppet controlled by unseen external forces. Some of the writers acknowledged for working on the Theater of the absurd in included William Shakespeare, whose work is titled Macbeth. Others include Samuel Beckett, Albert Camus, Harold Pinter, and Sarte among others. Martin succeeds in providing readers with a brief history of the theatre of absurd within Europe and at the same time giving credit to the various writers. Esslin also portrays himself as an exceptional playwright and analyses the works done by other artists
Bloom, Harold. Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. New York: Bloom’s Literary Criticism, 2008. Print.
Bloom in this book introduces readers to Samuel Beckette’s play titled Waiting for Godot. He describes Beckett as one of the most popular absurdist playwrights as revealed in this work. Born on April 1906, Beckette has been an excellent playwright. His work focuses on two themes and they include the collapse of the human race to communicate, and the uselessness of human action. After completion of his studies, he published several literary works in the form of essays, poetry, short stories, and novels. Becket’s famous play, Waiting for Godot are still the most popular play to present with absurd characters that have trouble when communicating among themselves their language of communication is often ridiculous. The cyclic pattern results in the play ending in the same manner it commenced with no big changes. Bloom succeeds in revealing the qualities of Beckette as a talented playwright whose work is appreciated by the entire world.
Hughes, John. Theatre of the Absurd?: Waiting for Godot, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Arcadia. Melbourne: Phonenix Education, 2005. Print.
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