Theatre of the Absurd

„Nothing is funnier than unhappiness … it‘s the most comical thing in the world.“

A selection of well-known plays of the Theatre of the Absurd. Here human existence lacks meaning and purpose and we keep running in circles.

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created by ribbits

last updated July, 2026

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Comments

I also want to share this super long quote by Martin Esslin about the Theatre of the Absurd (you can find it in the introduction of the book Absurd Drama by him (or read it on Wikipedia on the page for the Theatre of the Absurd):

"It is true that basically the Theatre of the Absurd attacks the comfortable certainties of religious or political orthodoxy. It aims to shock its audience out of complacency, to bring it face to face with the harsh facts of the human situation as these writers see it. But the challenge behind this message is anything but one of despair. It is a challenge to accept the human condition as it is, in all its mystery and absurdity, and to bear it with dignity, nobly, responsibly; precisely because there are no easy solutions to the mysteries of existence, because ultimately man is alone in a meaningless world. The shedding of easy solutions, of comforting illusions, may be painful, but it leaves behind it a sense of freedom and relief. And that is why, in the last resort, the Theatre of the Absurd does not provoke tears of despair but the laughter of liberation."

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Yaaaaaaasssssss I love absurd plaaaaaaays 🎭

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me too! i love theatre and the more strange and absurd the better 🙂‍↕️

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