Rhinoceros

Justify the title of the play 'Rhinoceros' ?

Justify the title of the play 'Rhinoceros' ?

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The title, Rhinoceros, supports the play as an example of the Theatre of the Absurd. The author uses the chaos of the wild animal to present fascism as a disease that turns humans into unintelligent, violent creatures--rhinoceroses. More than any of his other plays, in Rhinoceros Ionesco uses a specific symbol in a central, clear, and compelling way. Beyond this symbol of the effects of fascism, critics have understood the play as part of the post-World War II body of literature that questions the motivations not only of war but of life itself.

In other ways, Rhinoceros typifies Ionesco's work and, more generally, the Theatre of the Absurd. Its imaginative scope is both broad and wild: people grow horns, sprout fur, and become rhinoceroses. Its plot is not traditional but theoretical, featuring philosophical conversations and questions throughout. It further combines whimsical humor with unsettling tragedy to question human nature at the most fundamental level.

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