Comedy of absurd

History

• In 1960, the Martin Esslin coined the term "Theatre of the Absurd"
• It is a predecessor of the term comedy of absurd
• Very popular in French culture

Characteristics

• dialogue full of cliches, wordplay, and nonsense 
• plots that absurdly expansive 
• a parody or dismissal of realism 

examples

• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum 
• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Gilbert and Sullivan
• Monty Python's Flying Circus 

classic absurd

• A Midsummer Night's Dream 

modern absurd

• The Hangover 
• Napoleon Dynamite