Language as a Problem in the Bald Soprano
Merve Özçelik
Prof. Dr. Lucie Tunkrova
4 May 2013
Language as a Problem in The Bald Soprano
The play, The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco is based on the dialogues between and among two couples, the Smiths a traditional couple from London and the Martins who come for a visit. There is an unusual and troubled relation between both The Smiths and the Martins. In The Bald Soprano, both couples treat each other as a stranger. The Smiths are a traditional couple from London and the Martins who come for a visit. The play develops on meaningless banter, telling stories and absurd poems. The end is like the cycle. It can begin all over again and again with two characters. The Smiths and the Martins cannot speak anymore because they have no capability of thinking logically, they do not desire to live and they cannot activate their self being. So, they can metamorphose into anyone; when they lose their self or identity, they can undertake anyone’s identity and they can take each other’s place.
The Bald Soprano shows the uselessness of language as a communicative tool. The play re-shapes the language to communicate meaningful. Eugene Ionesco as an absurdist playwright believes in that there are not great purposes in life, thus everything people do is meaningless and absurd. Ionesco tells: “Absurd is that which is devoid of purpose. Cut off from his religious, metaphysical and transcendental roots, man is lost; all his actions become senseless absurd, useless” (Dans les arms de la ville, an essay on Kafka). It is each individual’s responsibility to create meaning for on his own and it can be observed throghout the play. Each character as an individual tries to create their own meaning in the life. Ionesco states that “Loss of meaning: the world appears frightening as it is illogical”. Thus, all the actions and the speeches in the play appear illogical. At the same time, the play implies that everyday life is full with the repetitive activities and these activities are
Prof. Dr. Lucie Tunkrova
4 May 2013
Language as a Problem in The Bald Soprano
The play, The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco is based on the dialogues between and among two couples, the Smiths a traditional couple from London and the Martins who come for a visit. There is an unusual and troubled relation between both The Smiths and the Martins. In The Bald Soprano, both couples treat each other as a stranger. The Smiths are a traditional couple from London and the Martins who come for a visit. The play develops on meaningless banter, telling stories and absurd poems. The end is like the cycle. It can begin all over again and again with two characters. The Smiths and the Martins cannot speak anymore because they have no capability of thinking logically, they do not desire to live and they cannot activate their self being. So, they can metamorphose into anyone; when they lose their self or identity, they can undertake anyone’s identity and they can take each other’s place.
The Bald Soprano shows the uselessness of language as a communicative tool. The play re-shapes the language to communicate meaningful. Eugene Ionesco as an absurdist playwright believes in that there are not great purposes in life, thus everything people do is meaningless and absurd. Ionesco tells: “Absurd is that which is devoid of purpose. Cut off from his religious, metaphysical and transcendental roots, man is lost; all his actions become senseless absurd, useless” (Dans les arms de la ville, an essay on Kafka). It is each individual’s responsibility to create meaning for on his own and it can be observed throghout the play. Each character as an individual tries to create their own meaning in the life. Ionesco states that “Loss of meaning: the world appears frightening as it is illogical”. Thus, all the actions and the speeches in the play appear illogical. At the same time, the play implies that everyday life is full with the repetitive activities and these activities are