The Lesson
E496741
The Lesson is a one-act absurdist play by Eugène Ionesco that satirically explores the dangers of authoritarianism and the breakdown of communication between a domineering professor and his pupil.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
one-act play
ⓘ
play ⓘ |
| author | Eugène Ionesco NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| characterRole |
The Maid is authoritarian and controlling
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
The Professor is domineering ⓘ The Pupil is initially eager and submissive NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | France ⓘ |
| dramaticStyle |
absurdism
ⓘ
black comedy ⓘ |
| endsWith | murder of the pupil ⓘ |
| firstPerformanceCity | Paris NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstPerformanceDate | 1951 ⓘ |
| firstPerformancePlace | Théâtre de Poche Montparnasse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstPublisher | Éditions Gallimard NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genre | Theatre of the Absurd NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasAdaptation |
radio adaptations
ⓘ
television adaptations ⓘ |
| hasDialogueLanguage |
nonsensical language
ⓘ
repetitive speech ⓘ |
| hasDirector | Nicolas Bataille NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influencedBy | existentialist thought ⓘ |
| isStudiedIn |
French literature courses
ⓘ
theatre studies ⓘ |
| longRunningProduction | Théâtre de la Huchette, Paris NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainCharacter |
The Maid
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
The Professor NERFINISHED ⓘ The Pupil NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| numberOfActs | 1 ⓘ |
| oftenPerformedWith | The Bald Soprano NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| originalLanguage | French ⓘ |
| partOf | Eugène Ionesco's early absurdist works ⓘ |
| recurringMotive |
linguistic confusion
ⓘ
mathematical exercises ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
Rhinoceros
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
The Bald Soprano NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| satirizes |
academic authoritarianism
ⓘ
empty rhetoric ⓘ totalitarian tendencies ⓘ |
| setting | the Professor's study ⓘ |
| structureFeature |
cyclical ending
ⓘ
increasingly menacing tone ⓘ |
| theme |
abuse of power
ⓘ
authoritarianism ⓘ breakdown of communication ⓘ education and indoctrination ⓘ oppression ⓘ violence ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.