1. Literary Terms - litotes, Comedy of the Absurd/Theater of the Absurd, fourth wall, existentialism, stichomythia, repartee, didactic, malapropism, mimesis - Art Imitating Life
2. More on Existentialism -
Godot is among the most celebrated examples of what is called "Theatre of the Absurd." Absurdists argue that people today exist in a universe cut off from all roots; that they live in meaningless isolation in an alien world; that life has no sense, no significance beyond what the living may give to it. Translating those philosophical convictions to the stage results not in a series of interconnected incidents telling a story, but in a pattern of images presenting people as bewildered beings in a universe they cannot comprehend. Nevertheless, Godot is, and is intended to be, very funny in performance. It may help to imagine the main roles being played by Laurel and Hardy. (Look these up if you don't know them)
1. Watch Seinfeld - The Chinese Restaurant
Take notes on plot. What really happens or doesn't happen? Pay attention to the dialogue. What do the characters discuss? What do they argue about? What happens that highlights the absurdity of daily life? Are there any serious reflections about life and humanity?
2. Names of characters change....characters unable to commit to any course of action....dialogue and absurdity....characters switch rapidly from serious questions and reflections on life to trivial bickering.
3. Make comparisons to Waiting for Godot.
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