Edward Albee (1928---)

EdwardAlbee(1928---)adramatistofTheatreoftheAbsurdLifestoryBornonMarch12,1928inWashington,DC.AdoptedininfancybymillionaireReedAlbeeInhisadoptivefather’stheatreEdwardfirstgainedfamiliaritywiththetheatreasachildAt20,heleftTrinityCollegeandmovedtoNewYorktopursuehiswritingcareerservingasadistinguishedprofessorattheUniversityofHoustonfrom1989to2003.Pulitzer(3);TonyAward(LifetimeAchievement);NationalMedalofArtsMajorworksTheZooStory(1958)TheSandbox(1959)TheAmericanDream(1960)Who'sAfraidofVirginiaWoolf?(1961-62,TonyAward,GrammyAward)ADelicateBalance(1966)PulitzerPrizeSeascape(1974)PulitzerPrizeThreeTallWomen(1990-91)PulitzerPrizeTheGoatorWhoisSylvia?(2000,TonyAward)TheatreoftheAbsurd荒诞派戏剧WhatdoIknowaboutman'sdestiny?Icouldtellyoumoreaboutradishes.-SamuelBeckettTheatreoftheAbsurdTheterm“TheatreoftheAbsurd”wascoinedbyMartinEsslininhis1962bookbythattitle.ItreferstotheworkofalooselyassociatedgroupofdramatistswhofirstemergedduringandafterWorldWarII.Originally,EsslinidentifiedSamuelBeckett,ArthurAdamov,EugèneIonesco,andJeanGenetastheprimaryplaywrightsoftheabsurd.OthersincludingHaroldPinter,andEdwardAlbeeandsoon.BackgroundTheateroftheAbsurdcameaboutasareactiontoWorldWarII.Ittookthebasisofexistentialphilosophyandcombineditwithdramaticelementstocreateastyleoftheatrewhichpresentedaworldwhichcannotbelogicallyexplained,lifeisinoneword,ABSURD!TheaimoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdTheatreoftheAbsurd,inasense,attemptstoreestablishman’scommunionwiththeuniverse.Dr.JanCulikwrites,“AbsurdTheatrecanbeseenasanattempttorestoretheimportanceofmythandritualtoourage,bymakingmanawareoftheultimaterealitiesofhiscondition,byinstillinginhimagainthelostsenseofcosmicwonderandprimevalanguish.TheAbsurdTheatrehopestoachievethisbyshockingmanoutofanexistencethathasbecometrite,mechanicalandcomplacent.Itisfeltthatthereismysticalexperienceinconfrontingthelimitsofhumancondition.”ThespecialfeaturesThisgenreoftheatretookquitesometimetocatchonbecauseitusedtechniquesthatseemedtobeillogicaltothetheatreworld.Theplotsoftendeviatedfromthemoretraditionalepisodicstructure,andseemtomoveinacircle,endingthesamewayitbegan.Thescenerywasoftenunrecognizable,andtomakemattersworse,thedialogueneverseemedtomakeanysense.Characteristics1.Whereastraditionaltheatreattemptstocreateaphotographicrepresentationoflifeasweseeit,theTheatreoftheAbsurdaimstocreatearitual-like,mythological,archetypal,allegoricalvision,closelyrelatedtotheworldofdreams.Thefocalpointofthesedreamsisoftenman'sfundamentalbewildermentandconfusion,stemmingfromthefactthathehasnoanswerstothebasicexistentialquestions:whywearealive,whywehavetodie,whythereisinjusticeandsuffering.2.Oneofthemostimportantaspectsofabsurddramaisitsdistrustoflanguageasameansofcommunication.Language,itseemstosay,hasbecomenothingbutavehicleforconventionalized,stereotyped,meaninglessexchanges.TheTheatreoftheAbsurdconstitutedfirstandforemostanonslaughtonlanguage,showingitasaveryunreliableandinsufficienttoolofcommunication.Absurddramausesconventionalizedspeech,clichés,slogansandtechnicaljargon,whichdistorts,parodiesandbreaksdown.Byridiculingconventionalizedandstereotypedspeechpatterns,theTheatreoftheAbsurdtriestomakepeopleawareofthepossibilityofgoingbeyondeverydayspeechconventionsandcommunicatingmoreauthentically.”3.Absurddramasubvertslogic.Itrelishestheunexpectedandthelogicallyimpossible.AccordingtoSigmundFreud,thereisafeelingoffreedomwecanenjoywhenweareabletoabandonthestraitjacketoflogic.Rationalistthought,likelanguage,onlydealswiththesuperficialaspectsofthings.Nonsense,ontheotherhand,opensupaglimpseoftheinfinite.”TheworksoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdWaitingforGodotbySamuelBeckettTheDumbwaiter(1957)byHaroldPinterWho'sAfraidofVirginiaWoolf?byEdwardAlbeeTheAmericandreamItwasfirststaged24January1961attheYorkPlayhouseinNewYorkCity.ItisanexaminationoftheAmericanScene,anattackonthesubstitutionofartificialforrealvaluesinoursociety,acondemnationofcomplacency,cruelty,emasculation,andvacuity.TheplotTheplay,asatireonAmericanfamilylife,concernsamarriedcoupleandtheirgrandmother.Theyarevisitedbytwogueststhisparticulardaywhoturntheirworldupsidedown.ThefamilyinthisplayconsistofadominatingMommy,anemasculatedDaddyandacleverandwittyGrandma.Aneighbor,Mrs.Barker,entersandthedialoguecontinueswiththeoccasionalinterjectionbyGrandma.Inthisdarkcomedy,AlbeepresentsuswithanAmericanfamily,Mommy,Daddy,andGrandma.Thedysfunctionbetweenthecharacterisgrosslyapparent.AsadominatingMommyemasculatestheDaddyandtheGrandmaispackingupsothatthelongfeared“vanman”cantakeheraway,Mrs.Barkercomestothedoorbutnoonereallyknowswhysheisthere.Inthemidstofthechaos,the“AmericanDream”arrives.Heisahandsome,beautiful,shellofamandevoidoffeeling,life,andanythinghuman.Asthesoontobeadoptedson,heistheperfectreplacementforthesonthatwasdestroyedintheMommy'sattemptatperfection.Heistheperfectpackageandthepromiseoflongsought-aftersatisfaction.AnalysisofthemaincharactersGrandma:theironiccommentatoroftheplay,themostappealing,themostrefreshingandthewisestfigureintheplay.Mommy:anarchetypal“badm