Existence In Absurdity

As is known to all, the Theatre of the Absurd appeared in France in the early 1950s. As a new school of drama, then it came into vogue in Europe as well as America. It is against the traditional drama from form to content, for this reason; it is called "anti-theatre". Harold Pinter, the gifted British playwright, is the outstanding representative of second-generation dramatist of the Theatre of the Absurd. He won the 2005 Nobel Prize on 13th Oct.2005. Mr. Pinter "uncover the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms" the Swedish Academy said in announcing the award. "Harold Pinter is generally seen as the foremost representative of British drama in the second half of the 20th century," the Swedish Academy said. "Pinter restored theater to its basic elements:an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of each other and pretense crumbles. With a minimum of plot, drama emerges from the power struggle and hide-and-seek of interlocution."Existentialism is a philosophical movement developed from the end of the nineteenth century to the twentieth century. It is a very prevalent modern philosophy in the west. It first appeared in Germany in 1920s and during the World WarⅡ, it spread to France and came into vogue in this country. It is one of the most widely spread and influential philosophical schools in the capitalist society. Existential philosophy is a study of the predicament of human existence. It is concerned with the lived experiences of man and man's existence. The'existence', it refers to the existence of "self', that is the existence of being of an individual who is the subject of will and action. In terms of form, the existentialism not only propagates and expresses itself by means of philosophy, but also by literature. Existentialism is the philosophical basis of the Theatre of the Absurd. Therefore, the concern for man's existential situation, the evaluation of life and the position of man in the world constitute the philosophical basis of the Theatre of the Absurd. So existentialism's propositions deeply influence the Theatre of the Absurd and its second-generation dramatist, Harold Pinter and his absurdist plays.On the basis of a general study of existentialism and Pinter's absurdist plays, this paper tries to do some research on the features of existentialism in Harold Pinter's absurdist plays. The present paper analyzes the influence of existentialism on the Theatre of the Absurd and Pinter. It also studies Pinter's early plays and analyzes the existentialistic features embodied in the technical details of Pinter's plays. It is argued that Harold Pinter, as an outstanding representative of the Theatre of the Absurd, not only inherits but also innovates the dual great tradition of drama and philosophy. Pinter is engaged in the existential description of detail. His plays help us further understand existentialism's theme:existence precedes essence and existence in absurdity. And the author hopes that it can be helpful for the later study on Pinter's plays.