In a small French village, people are turning into rhinoceroses. This is the absurd crisis unfolding in Eugene Ionescoâs 1959 play,
Rhinoceros. It begins with a small bump on the forehead. Then the skin takes on shades of green and grows tougher. Hoarseness in the voice becomes inarticulate trumpeting; the bump becomes a horn; the transformation is complete. While everyone around him morphs into beasts and joins the herd, BĂ©renger remains apart, impervious to the epidemic. His own transformation from a man who finds his life meaningless to one who refuses thoughtless conformity brings into focus the themes of personal responsibility, individuality, and morality.
Act I of this three-act play takes place in the town square. Itâs midday, and as the sound of Sunday church bells ceases, two men meet in front of a cafĂ© and sit at an outdoor table. Jean, who is fastidiously dressed in a suit and tie, chides BĂ©renger for his slovenly appearance and all-around air of negligence. Shrugging off Jeanâs observations that he âyawns all the timeâ and âreeks of alcohol,â BĂ©renger blames his apathy on the unrelenting tedium of his days. His job bores him, and he complains, âIâm not made for the work Iâm doing . . . every day at the office, eight hours a day!â Jean retorts that he does the same work as BĂ©renger but his superior âwill-powerâ makes him resilient.
The sound of trumpeting rhinos off in the distance reaches the town square, stopping everyone in their tracks. BĂ©renger alone is unruffled by the uproar, and as the trumpeting fades, he orders another drink. Jean tries to engage his companion in conversation about the significance of the event, but BĂ©renger shows no interest. When Jean doggedly pressures BĂ©renger for his opinion, Berenger finally appeases him by concurring with Jeanâs statement that rhinos shouldnât be allowed to run loose.
Daisy, a typist in BĂ©rengerâs office, arrives in the town square, and BĂ©renger suddenly becomes anxious about his appearance. Jean notes that BĂ©renger is not indifferent to Daisy, at least, but BĂ©renger expresses pessimism again, maintaining he is beneath her notice. He admits he often questions his own existence, to which Jean replies, âYou donât exist [âŠ] because you donât think. Start thinking, then you will.â To build BĂ©rengerâs intellect, Jean prescribes a strong dose of culture. He advises BĂ©renger to spend his money on theater and the arts instead of alcohol.
Meanwhile, the Logician and an Old Gentleman sit at a nearby table, and their comments on the âmethodsâ of logical thinking punctuate BĂ©rengerâs conversation with Jean.
A rhinoceros suddenly races by the town square, trampling a womanâs cat as it passes. The townspeople react with outrage. Jean and BĂ©renger argue over whether distinguishing the species of the rhinoceros matters, and Jean storms off. While the townspeople voice agreement that they must put a stop to these rampaging rhinos, BĂ©renger turns away from them and back to his drink.
Act II begins in BĂ©rengerâs office. A debate is in progress when BĂ©renger arrives late to work. Contradicting his co-worker, Dudard and all those who witnessed the rhinoceroses run past the town, the skeptic Botard maintains that no such stampede could occur in France. He dismisses the incident as an illusion produced by âcollective psychosis.â
Mrs. Boeuf dashes into the office, alleging that a rhinoceros has been pursuing her and is now downstairs. After she explains that her husband wonât be at the office because he is ill, the office workers hear the rhinoceros smash the staircase. Looking out the window at the restless beast below, Mrs. Boeuf realizes it is her husband, transformed. The office workers urge her to respond sensibly to this development, but she impulsively jumps out the window. As she clings to its back, the rhino gallops away. Meanwhile, Daisy phones the fire department to rescue the workers, who cannot depart without a staircase.
BĂ©renger goes to Jeanâs home to make amends after their dispute the previous day. Jean, who is in bed with a cough, replies in a hoarse voice that he has already forgotten the argument. BĂ©renger notices a bump on Jeanâs forehead; Jean steps into the bathroom to look in the mirror. When he returns, his skin is visibly green. BĂ©renger then tells Jean about Boeufâs remarkable transformation. Applauding Boeufâs return to âNature,â Jean declares he prefers âthe law of the jungleâ to morality and adds, âWe must get back to primeval integrity.â
As BĂ©renger objects to Jeanâs statements, Jean grows hostile. Like a confined animal, Jean paces in and out of the bathroom, and with each reappearance, looks more like a rhinoceros. His hoarse voice modulates into trumpeting noises, and, as a fully formed rhino, he threatens BĂ©renger with an attack. BĂ©renger flees the apartment crying, âRhinoceros! Rhinoceros!â and discovers the streets are teaming with such beasts.
In the final act, BĂ©renger wakes in his room after a nightmare about turning into a Rhinoceros. Dudard arrives, and they discuss the rampant morphing of people into rhinoceroses. BĂ©renger admits he feels guilty that Jean became a victim of the epidemic, but Dudard theorizes a character flaw made Jean susceptible and his transformation was inevitable. Terrified of succumbing to the epidemic himself, BĂ©renger is heartened by Dudardâs suggestion that victims bring the transformation upon themselves. He also proposes that alcohol may provide immunity and is happy to fortify himself.
Dudardâs revelation that M. Papillon, the office manager, has become a rhino shocks BĂ©renger. Because he considers the manager highly respectable, BĂ©renger cannot believe Papillonâs transformation was natural or voluntary. Dudard disagrees, and they argue over the normality of âjoining the heard.â To resolve the debate, BĂ©renger decides to consult the Logician but then sees a rhino pass by wearing the Logicianâs hat.
When Daisy arrives with news that Botard has transformed, she and Dudard concede they should get used to the situation. BĂ©renger objects, declaring he will resist. As they sit for lunch, the firehouse wall crumbles and a regiment of firefighters-turned-rhinoceroses marches forth. Dudard cannot withstand the pull of the popular movement and leaves to become a rhino.
BĂ©renger and Daisy vow to resist transformation, declaring their mutual love even as the stampeding sounds outside assume a musical quality. Seduced by the call to conform, Daisy abandons BĂ©renger to join the beasts. Alone, BĂ©renger reiterates his refusal to capitulate.
Ionesco is considered an important figure in the âTheater of the Absurd,â although he preferred the expression âTheater of Derision.â A post-WWII movement, the Theater of the Absurd is preoccupied with the meaning of human existence.
Rhinoceros received a Tony Award in 1961.