The border of existence in Waiting for Godot by Beckett and Rhinoceros by Ionesco I have the impression of having been at the border of existence, near the place where they lose their name, their definition, the place where time stops, almost outside of History” (E Ionesco). This essay will explore the boundary of existence in Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Ionesco's Rhinoceros. The title Rhinoceros is formed from the ancient Greek Rhino meaning nose and Keros meaning horn. . However, in this piece, I consider rhinoceros to mean a thick-skinned, ugly animal. People who become rhinos have skin as thick as the rhinos they become. When first viewing Rhinoceros, we travel with the characters on what appears to be a mysterious visit. We cannot be sure that a rhino really exists. It’s this feeling of unknowing that leads to a lack of definition in the characters themselves. There is Jean's first announcement of "Oh a rhinoceros" (Act I:I P.14) as he shows it off stage, it is tantalizing because we only hear noises. We try to define the situation and the characters by questioning their imagination and their reason. We are denied a lot of what we might expect to be told about the characters and their situation. We only obtain small scraps of information about their society, for example some revelations from Jean to Bérenger: "there is no zoo in our city since the animals were destroyed by the plague... there is a long time..." (I:I P.20)" and "You know perfectly well that the Council has banned all itinerant artists from entering the area... There haven't been any since we were children. (I:I P.20). The Council has a capital 'c' and there is no mention of God anywhere, which is the opposite of Expect f...... middle of paper ......ific tyranny or exile ; perhaps the Nazi occupation of France or separation from one's homeland. But there are choices because the definition does not necessarily have to relate to a single entity. The focus could be on defining what happens during Vladimir and Estragon's wait rather than on notions of termination. IonescoIonesco, Eugène, Rhinoceros, The chairs and the lessonLamont, Rosette C., Ionesco: Collection of critical essaysLamont, Rosette C. and Friedman, MJ, The two faces of IonescoLazar, Moshe., The dream and the room: the quest theater by IonescoLyon, C., Samuel BecketLewis, Allan, IonescoPronko, Leonard C., Eugène IonescoWorth, K., Beckett the shape changer

Essay / The border of existence in Waiting for Godot by Beckett and Rhinoceros by Ionesco I have the impression of having been at the border of existence, near the place where they lose their name, their definition, the place where time stops, almost outside of History” (E Ionesco). This essay will explore the boundary of existence in Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Ionesco's Rhinoceros. The title Rhinoceros is formed from the ancient Greek Rhino meaning nose and Keros meaning horn. . However, in this piece, I consider rhinoceros to mean a thick-skinned, ugly animal. People who become rhinos have skin as thick as the rhinos they become. When first viewing Rhinoceros, we travel with the characters on what appears to be a mysterious visit. We cannot be sure that a rhino really exists. It’s this feeling of unknowing that leads to a lack of definition in the characters themselves. There is Jean's first announcement of "Oh a rhinoceros" (Act I:I P.14) as he shows it off stage, it is tantalizing because we only hear noises. We try to define the situation and the characters by questioning their imagination and their reason. We are denied a lot of what we might expect to be told about the characters and their situation. We only obtain small scraps of information about their society, for example some revelations from Jean to Bérenger: "there is no zoo in our city since the animals were destroyed by the plague... there is a long time..." (I:I P.20)" and "You know perfectly well that the Council has banned all itinerant artists from entering the area... There haven't been any since we were children. (I:I P.20). The Council has a capital 'c' and there is no mention of God anywhere, which is the opposite of Expect f...... middle of paper ......ific tyranny or exile ; perhaps the Nazi occupation of France or separation from one's homeland. But there are choices because the definition does not necessarily have to relate to a single entity. The focus could be on defining what happens during Vladimir and Estragon's wait rather than on notions of termination. IonescoIonesco, Eugène, Rhinoceros, The chairs and the lessonLamont, Rosette C., Ionesco: Collection of critical essaysLamont, Rosette C. and Friedman, MJ, The two faces of IonescoLazar, Moshe., The dream and the room: the quest theater by IonescoLyon, C., Samuel BecketLewis, Allan, IonescoPronko, Leonard C., Eugène IonescoWorth, K., Beckett the shape changer

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