Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco
"Rhinoceros," a play by Eugène Ionesco, is a notable work in the genre of absurdist theater, first performed in 1959. Set in a small provincial town, the narrative begins with a casual conversation between two friends, Berenger and Jean, which is abruptly disrupted by the appearance of rhinoceroses. This startling event escalates as it becomes clear that the rhinoceroses are, in fact, the townspeople transforming into these creatures, symbolizing a broader theme of conformity and the loss of individuality. Berenger, the protagonist, grapples with feelings of loneliness and the challenge of maintaining his humanity amidst the social upheaval. As those around him succumb to the transformation, he resolves to resist, ultimately positioning himself as the last human standing in a world overtaken by the rhinoceroses. The play explores existential themes, the nature of communication, and the struggle against societal pressures. Ionesco’s work serves as a poignant commentary on conformity, alienation, and the absurdity of human existence, inviting audiences to reflect on the implications of transforming into something unrecognizable.
On this Page
Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco
First produced: 1959; first published, 1959 (English translation, 1959)
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Absurdist
Time of plot: Indeterminate
Locale: A small provincial town in France
Principal characters
Berenger , the unheroic hero, unkempt and apatheticJean , his friend, fastidious and self-confidentDaisy , Berenger’s girlfriend, a secretary at the office where he worksThe Waitress ,The Grocer ,The Grocer’s Wife ,The Old Gentleman ,The Logician ,The Housewife ,The Café Proprietor ,Mr. Papillon , Berenger’s bossDudard andBotard , fellow employees of BerengerMrs. Boeuf , the wife of another employeeA Fireman ,The Little Old Man ,The Little Old Man’s Wife ,
The Story:
In a square in a small provincial town, a large number of comic types pass by, chatting. Jean and Berenger converse across a table at a sidewalk café. Jean berates his unshaven friend for drinking too much. Berenger complains that his life is still unsettled. Jean, who proceeds to lecture Berenger about duty, tells him that he must get used to life as it is. Everything is interrupted by a rhinoceros, which thunders by immediately offstage. The townspeople are astounded and alarmed. Before long another rhinoceros gallops by, or perhaps it is the same one returning. The civic alarm is noticeably less acute the second time.
To the townspeople comes a startling revelation: The rhinoceroses are townspeople who underwent a strange metamorphosis. By the next day, the number of rhinoceroses is increasing. Berenger visits Jean, who turns into a rhinoceros. His voice becomes progressively hoarser and eventually unintelligible. His manner becomes aggressive and hostile toward humans. He makes periodic checks with the bathroom mirror, each time noting that his skin becomes greener and a bump on his head grows larger. During his last visit to the bathroom Jean’s transformation is complete, and Berenger barely escapes being trampled. As Berenger flees the building, rhinoceros heads pop into view in doorways and windows; the lethargic Berenger goes into a state of panic.
Everyone in the town, except Berenger, changes into a rhinoceros. Berenger seeks refuge in his room. For a time, before he is deserted by his last friend, Dudard, and by his fiancé, Daisy, Berenger tries to think of some way to combat a trend that he can see as only ominous. He decides to write to the newspapers, write a manifesto, or go to see the mayor, or his assistant if the mayor should be occupied at the time. Berenger’s plans, ineffectual to begin with, are forgotten when, at the end, he is alone.
Berenger expresses his firm intention to remain a human being, to hold out no matter what. He begins to feel the terrible stress of utter isolation. He sees that he is in an intolerable, absurd position. He is not sure what language he is speaking. He becomes ashamed of his appearance and of his normal voice. He tries to become a rhinoceros, but he does not know how to effect the change. Then, either because he fails or perhaps because his courage reasserts itself, he declares that he will make a stand against the creatures. He is the last man left and he plans to remain a man; he will not give in.
Bibliography
Bloom, Harold, ed. Eugene Ionesco. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2003. Collection of essays providing critical interpretations of Ionesco’s plays, including Rhinoceros.
Danner, G. Richard. “Bérenger’s Defense of Humanity in Rhinocéros.” French Review: Journal of the American Association of the Teachers of French 53, no. 2 (December, 1979): 207-214. An illuminating article that explores the beliefs of the main character of Rhinoceros. Danner finds a number of complexities in Berenger’s struggle to maintain his own humanity and to justify that of others.
Esslin, Martin. The Theatre of the Absurd. 3d rev. ed. New York: Methuen, 2001. A good place to begin any research on Ionesco’s plays. Examines how Rhinoceros connects with Ionesco’s earlier works and suggests that this work, which on one level seems quite comprehensive, is in fact highly ambiguous.
Gaensbauer, Deborah B. Eugène Ionesco Revisited. New York: Twayne, 1996. Reevaluation of Ionesco’s life and work published two years after his death. Gaensbauer analyzes all of the plays and Ionesco’s other writings, and she concludes that each work was a piece in a long autobiography in which Ionesco sought to understand himself and humankind.
Haney, William S. “Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros: Defiance Versus Conformity.” In Integral Drama: Culture, Consciousness, and Identity. New York: Rodopi, 2008. Analyzes the play from the perspective of Indian aesthetic theory and “consciousness studies.” Describes how Berenger is able to attain a level of “ethical discernment” that transcends the “self-interested cravings” of the play’s other characters.
Jacquart, Emmanuel. “Ionesco’s Political Itinerary.” In The Dream and the Play: Ionesco’s Theatrical Quest, edited by Moshe Lazar. Malibu, Calif.: Undena, 1982. Ionesco’s Everyman, Berenger, appears in several plays that characterize government and society as oppressive. This essay offers an interesting look at the political implications of Rhinoceros. Helpful to an understanding of the playwright’s political views.
Lane, Nancy. Understanding Eugène Ionesco. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1994. Although many have come to regard Ionesco’s work as dated and limited, Lane sees his work as continuing to be both significant and relevant to the modern stage. Her discussion of Rhinoceros is guided by her belief that it is one of Ionesco’s major plays.
Rigg, Patricia. “Ionesco’s Berenger: Existential Philosopher or Philosophical Ironist?” Modern Drama 35, no. 4 (December, 1992): 538-551. A lucid examination of Rhinoceros and its main character. In trying to determine whether Berenger is an existential hero or an embodiment of paradox, Rigg manages to illuminate much of the philosophical background of the play.