A történelem és a hatalom abszurd gépezete – Shakespeare és Ionesco egy témára
The Absurd Machinery of History and Power – Shakespeare and Ionesco on a Common Theme

Summary/Abstract: In the play Macbett, written in 1972, Ionesco mischievously turns Shakespeare’s classic work, the canonised story of Macbeth inside out and creates an absurd parody. According to Shakespeare the mechanisms of history and power are simple and transparent, and even terribly ridiculous if viewed from the right distance. Ionesco achieves this “right distance” using the instruments of the theatre of the absurd. The paper aims to analyse the two plays in comparison to determine if the elements of absurdity and comedy already emerge in the original play and seeks answers to the following question: is Ionesco’s intention solely to amuse or does he wrap the tragedy of humankind in an absurd appearance to more precisely highlight the story’s message? Where did Ionesco get the idea, and which themes and aspects does he emphasize from the Shakespearean play? Furthermore, what additional colours does Ionesco introduce to the same storyline in order to transform the tragedy of human frailty into an absurd comedy?

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