huis clos Flashcards
(40 cards)
when was the first performance of huis clos?
27 may 1944 (during the Occupation
what is the meaning of in camera (legal term)
behind closed doors- a legal procedure which takes place in the private chambers of a judge, where press etc are excluded
Sartre’s opinion on theatre as opposed to fiction
- the theatrical space (which physically seperates the audience from
- promotes direct experience, the audience sees for themselves what the
what is existentialism?
existance preceeds essence: we are not born with a predestined purpose in life, we have the freedom to find it ourselves. This freedom is often frightening and oppressive, as well as exciting as it allows countless possibilities
why was Theatre important for existentialism?
actors illustrate existentialism by embodying different and varied actors. The characters are no the essence of the actor, but just roles they chose to be
why is existentialsm an important theme in Huis Clos?
- the characters have missed their opportunity for self creation while alive, their agony comes from the realisation of their fixed essence now that they are dead
- they rely too much on others to define their essence
what is a key (existential) cause of the characters unhappiness?
- they live in-authentically: each of them fulfils a sterotype- ‘the macho male, the superficial socialite, the bitchy lesbian’
- ‘this trio … are played out theatrical types wishing vainly to be authentic humans. They conemn themselves to enact a pardoy of love’s roundabout and undergo the macabre ordeal of death and life
(walter redfern)
what does theatre provide the opportunity of showing?
it shows a character in the midst of making a choice (choosing their essence)
what was the orginial titile of Huis Clos
les autres
what was the occupation commonly known as?
la period en vas clos (in iscolation)
how could huis clos be a mathematical pun?
huit clos- infinity (endlessness)
how is the title metatheatrical
- the theatre itself is huis clos (behind closed doors), a space in which the audience are closed in for a space in time
- Sartre wants us to feel a guilty kinship with the characters: we are have to live in compulsory cohabitation (e.g. work, hospitals, tubes etc)
- sartre wants to frighten us with a cautionary tale
movement in this drama
total lies, part lies, truth
what phrase does Sartre coin to describe the fate of the charcaters?
inexistentialisme: their refusal of freedom
what is the process that goes on in Huis clos
- a reversal of solipsism (the act of talking to/ seeing only yourself)
- in order for this process to take place, others are essential, however, they are also dangerous to us
- we need others to define us, YET we need to define ourselves: other other forces the I, yet it also forces the other I, the eye, to open to the truth
what does Sartre say in his recorded foreword ton Huis Clos?+ what can this be linked to?
- whatever cycle of hell we live in, it is possible to break free and liberate ourselves. If people dont escape, they are freely staying, hence they choose to stay in hell
- this can be linked to Garcin not leaving despite the door being open
love triangles of each character whilst on earth
Garcin/ his wife/ his mistress, Ines/ florence/ florence’s husband, Estelle/ her husand/ her lover/ olga?
Stage direction illustrating how Garcin lives in-authentically?
despite saying you need to look a situation in the eyes, he buries his head in the sand, and physically spending lots of the play with his hands in his eyes
what is Garcins fatal flaw?
- his obbession with male approval, he has no qualms about admitting he beat his wife/ made her bring breakfast to him and his mistress, because it contributes to his image as a ‘dur’
- he regrets the absence of mirrors because he depends too much on the vision if others to determine himself. He wants a magic mirror to tell him he is the ‘fairest’ of them all
- he thinks Ines is the judge he needs for freedom, yet this is also just a lie- he needs the living, NOT the dead to
garcin’s toxic masculinity
- insecure of his masculinity, this is because he thinks he is a coward (doesn’t conform to traditional standards of heroism)
- treats women badly to gain a sense of masculine domination
- grows disgusted/ intimidated by female sexuality as to draws attention to his lack of ‘manhood’
Redfern quote about mirrors
a mirror provides at least the semblance of making you both the object and the subject. Without a mirror we exist nakedly under the stare of others
summary of estelle
- tries her best to keep all matters superficial
- snobbish about the ‘lower classes’/ vain
- appearance matters most to her
- she needs mirrors to feel alive at all, as she depends on being registered/ confirmed by anothers gaze
Estelles need for mirrors vs Garcins need for mirrors
he needs on e for introspection/ to see his character/ actions clearly whilst she needs it for narcisistic reasons
estelle and Euphemisms
estelles obsession with pretence transcends into her speech: she askes Garcin to stop using the words Morts and use instead Absents
when she finally confesses her crime, she doesnt actually describe it, just takes about the waves that thr splashing baby makes
