Edward Albee's drama under the influence of Samuel Beckett

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2008
Küçük, Hale
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Edward Albee is influenced by the Absurd Drama of Samuel Beckett whose works involve existential concerns. Albee follows Beckett’s traces in the dramatization of uncertainty, alienation and the question of freedom. Albee’s characters do not have fixed identities, and they suffer from their identity problems. The notion of Other enhances this uncertainty. The ambiguity of existence, whether they really are or not, presents another problem for these characters. Their lives are based on illusions, and the line between the reality and fantasy is absent. Alienation of the human being from the self and the others is another existential theme that Albee deals with. Alienation is partly caused by lack of communication, and as a result, the isolated self is entrapped in his own condition. Freedom becomes a confusing question in his works as it makes the characters anxious while choosing one option among various others on his own, and as it renders the characters responsible for their free choices. So, the characters tend to be passive agents in life, which is in fact another choice. Albee extends Beckett’s absurdist ideas and adopts the Absurd Drama to highlight his social concerns as he is also a social critic. The targets of his criticism are materialism, loss of values and broken human relationships. The playwright challenges the audience for a reform on these points.
English., Samuel, 1906-1989.
http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12610243/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/18294
Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats
H. Küçük, “Edward Albee’s drama under the influence of Samuel Beckett,” M.A. - Master of Arts, Middle East Technical University, 2008.
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