This play is considered as Ionesco’s first political play. In Germany it was staged in 1960 which won him global attention. This play is often interpreted as a kind of attack on totalitarian philosophy. In the preface Ionesco has tried to explain the importance of rhinos. Why not some other animal was chosen? He says that-
“in the course of my life I remember being very much struck by what one might call current opinion : it develops so rapidly and is so contagious that it soon grows into a regular epidemic. Suddenly people get caught up in some new religion or fanatical doctrine; in short, what professors of philosophy and the ragged philosophers of journalisms call ‘the inevitable historical moment’. Then what takes place is really a mental mutation. I don’t know whether you have noticed, but when people no longer share your opinion, when you can no longer reach an understanding with them, you have the impression you are trying to get through the monsters.”
The Rhinoceros has been used as a symbol for monsters in this play as they have the same mixture of ferocity and ingenuousness. It seems that the writer has visualized this symbol for rhinoceros. There are some parallel instincts between Nazism and this play. In one of his journals Present Past Past Present which came in around 1940 it can be seen. The following lines clearly reflects this form of ideology-
“The Police are rhinoceros. The Judges are rhinoceros. You are the only man among the rhinoceros. The rhinoceroses wonder how the world could have been led by men. You yourself wonder: is it true that the world was led by men? What can be done to win France back? One can still make oneself understood on this issue at least. You have the impression in the end that this very desire is a guilty one. It is something of a sin not to be a rhinoceros. But rhinoceroses fight each other. Hundreds of thousands of rhinoceroses pour in from the north, from the east, from the west…”
These above mentioned images have such an appeal that Ionesco titled his first political play Rhinoceros. It is also a fact that no animal appears on stage yet Ionesco makes mass transformation of men into rhinos. Two specific stagecraft techniques have been used. The first Rhino is introduced into the play with a sound effect which amplifies slowly. This off-stage presence of the first rhino is very interesting and it seems very new to the audience. By doing so Ionesco uses collective consciousness through dialogues. During the presence of the rhino all the characters exclaim in a similar way saying “oh, a rhinoceros” or “well, of all things”. It is interesting to note that conversation between different characters like Berenger and Jean or old gentleman and Logician convey similar ideas. As it has been already mentioned that there is no stage appearance of the rhinos in full form but they appear on stage virtually through rhino heads and back lit projections. It is a symbol of man’s intrinsic savagery. Eugene Ionesco highlights this by humanizing Mr. Beouf. His is the first complete transformation or metamorphosis. It is not anonymous. Botard labels such appearances as collective psychosis. This kind of psychosis is not rare and it can be seen in our society where people used to follow each other. Ionesco has tried to show in this play that morality goes side by side with any political movement and finally there is no space left both for morality as well as humanity. The majority is progressing so it must be good side whereas the minority is resisting so it must be bad side. In this play those who are resisting humanity are bad according to Botard, but he himself transforms into a rhino. Jean and Botard both are not sure of their action so their behavior is inconsistent. They try to rationalize their inconsistent behavior. They first deny the rhinos but later accept the transformation.
Act three shows the transformation as a disease of ‘rhinoceritis’ which is like fascism contagious, half absurd and half rational which certainly lacks morality. Ionesco has successfully tried to give us reasons behind the spread of rhinoceritis. The character sketch of Berenger is also very interesting. In fact he is the single character who posits that who have transformed are not balanced properly. They are “temporarily unbalanced”.
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