Question

Why is the play rhinoceros by eugene ionesco considered absurdist?

Answer 1

Things happen which are outside of ordinary reality

Answer 2

Answer:

Rhinoceros is an absurdist play as it highlights the meaninglessness and absurdity of the human condition.

Explanation:

• Rhinoceros is regarded as an absurdist drama because, although serving as a metaphor for the emergence of totalitarianism in Europe, the play's universe retains a repetitious, fantastical, and ultimately meaningless realism to highlight the folly of human existence. The only thing anybody would wonder if rhinoceroses appeared in the heart of a metropolis in the world in which we live is how and why they got there.
• Instead, the characters argue incessantly about the advantages of being a rhinoceros and maintain that they have the same right to exist in the city as everyone else. With the exception of the inebriated, gloomy protagonist Berenger, the population is gradually transformed into rhinoceroses. Everyone else in the narrative has turned into rhinos, but he breaks down.
• This is an absurdist illustration of political transition that serves as a humorous teaching tool. Because it should be clear that the humans in the play are addressing the threat of rhinos incorrectly, the play is perceived as absurd. But throughout history, the growth of fascism has always been accompanied by exactly the same behaviour from people.