Beyond the Absurd

Coined by critic Martin Esslin in 1961, this Western phenomenon (1940s-1960s) includes playwrights like Beckett, Ionesco, and Pinter. It rebelled against traditions, using existentialist characters to reveal a pessimistic outlook on life. This style emerged from socio-political changes, including the rise of scientific temperament, disbelief in religion, and the trauma of two World Wars, which shattered the concept of a safe world and hindered human communication.Plays such as Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Endgame, or Badal Sarcar's Evam Indrajit, symbolize existential crises, hollowness, and the futility of a meaningless existence. Despite lacking coherent plots or traditional rules, these works effectively capture the irrationality, agony, and purposelessness of modern life.