Introduction
Today you will explore the Theater of the Absurd and our playwright, Harold Pinter. I hope that, through this WebQuest, you will be more informed and ready to read our play next week!
Task
You will complete a series of steps for this activity. In order to get credit for your work, write your answers on a sheet of paper and turn it in by the end of class. Make sure that you get each answer from the website provided or it will not be counted as correct.
Process
http://www.theatrehistory.com/misc/theatre_of_the_absurd.html
1. Who coined the term "Theater of the Absurd?"
2. What exactly is absurdist theater?
3. Who are the 4 foundational playwrites of this movement?
http://www.theatredatabase.com/20th_century/theatre_of_the_absurd.html
4. What is the most famous absurdist play?
5. Who wrote that play?
6. What does Freud say can be accomplished when we forget logic?
http://www.haroldpinter.org/home/index.shtml
7. What year did Pinter receive the Nobel Prize in Literature?\
8. Did he attend the ceremony?
9. Where are the Nobels awarded?
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/dec/25/pinter-theatre
10. How old was Pinter at his death?
11. From where did his grandparents flee?
12. What incident is considered the key manifestation of Pinter's distrust for authority?
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Origin-Of-The-Term-Dumbwaiter&id=9464255
13. What does "dumb" in dumbwaiter mean?
14. What are the alternate terms for a dumbwaiter?
http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/dumbwaiter/characters/
15. How many characters are in the play "Dumb Waiter?"
16. What are the names of the characters?
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/letters-from-samuel-beckett-to-harold-pinter
17. How did Beckett and Pinter become friends?
18. Which play is Beckett praising in the letter?