Rhinos (or “Rhino” in another translation; French: Rhinocéros) is a play in three acts by playwright Eugene Ionesco. Written in 1959, it was immediately published by a Parisian publishing house Gallimard and was immediately accepted for production in Paris, at the Odeon Theatre (premiered on January 22, 1960) and in London at the Royal Court Theatre (April 1960).
The play “Rhinos” belongs to the so-called theater of the absurd, when an external pile of surreal scenes sometimes hides a complex philosophical attitude towards the world and life, where everything is just as mixed up and sometimes absurd.
Summary The play comes down to people becoming rhinos. The action takes place in a small provincial town in Europe, where people live their ordinary lives: going to work, shopping, meeting in restaurants and cafes, getting to know each other, falling in love, talking, talking about the lives of themselves and their neighbors... But suddenly, the usual course is disrupted by a running rhino. A formidable heavy animal runs through the city streets, where serene pedestrians have just passed by. He does not see or hear anyone or anything, indifferently destroying and destroying everything that comes his way. People are panicking. And there are more and more rhinos. And now someone recognizes their relatives and acquaintances, and now their superiors among the formidable animals... And human horror is gradually giving way to arguments: “... in fact, they are not evil at all, and they have some natural innocence. A lot of decent people have completely selflessly agreed to become rhinos.” And here's another one who became a rhino — according to him, “he wanted to keep up with the times.” People are gradually turning into rhinos. But there is only one left — the hero of Beranger's play. And is he a hero? No, Beranger is nothing heroic; he is full of human flaws: he drinks too much, gets lazy, falls in love, then inadvertently knocks a glass of wine on his comrade—that's how awkward he is! And besides, his life is a complete mess. But these simple vices become the personification of everything human. The main thing for Beranger is not to run in a herd of thick-skinned animals — he is afraid of turning into the same one. And it will hold out.
The play was written shortly after World War II, when Europe was understanding and analyzing fascism and its origins, accusing not only Germany but also its own connivance. And society saw Ionesco's play primarily as anti-fascist, and it certainly is: the fleeing herd of rhinos is comparable to the stormtroopers who raged on German pre-war streets. But the play's absurdist solution raises it to the level of symbolism, expanding the time frame. It grows from a farce to a psychological and philosophical drama.
This play opposes all “isms” that stand above the concepts of human feelings: kindness, pity, love, falling in love, mistakes, nonsense, awkwardness — and all human weaknesses that are so small compared to the lofty ideas of “isms” (fascism, communism, socialism, Leninism, anti-Semitism, racism, collectivism, patriotism...).
This play about saying “no” and being alone is hard, but there will always be others who don't want to dissolve in general words and thoughts. It can be said even shorter: Eugene Ionesco's “Rhinos” is a celebration of human dignity.
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