Literary Devices in The Bald Soprano
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
All the characters in the play can be seen as symbolic. Their endless, meaningless conversations and repetitive lives represent in many ways the Absurdist view of human existence. The Smiths, the M...
Setting
Ionesco begins the script by describing the setting as "A middle-class English interior, with English armchairs" (1). We also learn that it is "An English evening" (1). He doesn't say much else abo...
Genre
Well, the play is definitely a drama, because, you know…it's a play, a piece of literature meant to be spoken by actors in front of a live audience. It is also often said to be a satire. It d...
Tone
The play's characters start out talking about pretty much nothing. The things they say rarely make "logical" sense. As the play progresses, its language cracks apart, becoming a storm of non-sequit...
Writing Style
Ionesco was one of the big dogs of the Theatre of the Absurd. The Bald Soprano is great example of this genre. The characters often speak in non-sequiturs, meaning that they say things that seem ki...
What's Up With the Title?
Since the play was inspired by an English language primer, Ionesco first thought of calling it English Made Easy. We're glad he didn't. That sounds kind of boring. Next he thought of calling it The...
What's Up With the Ending?
The play ends with the following stage direction:[Mr. and Mrs. Martin are seated like the Smiths at the beginning of the play. The play begins again with the Martins, who say exactly the same lines...
Tough-o-Meter
The Bald Soprano is crazy, which is just why we love it so much. If you're not into weirdness, it may be a little tough to get into at first. Stick with it, though. Trust us, it's not just weird fo...
Plot Analysis
Sorry, folks. We'd love to write a little analysis here for you, but The Bald Soprano just doesn't comply. Ionesco decided to kick off his playwriting career by writing what he called an "anti-play...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
Sorry, Mr. Booker, Ionesco has you stumped on this one. The play purposely doesn't have a plot, so it doesn't fit into any of the typical story lines. Ionesco did think of the play as a "tragedy of...
Three Act Plot Analysis
The first act begins with Mrs. Smith recounting all the things she and her husband have eaten that night and other seemingly insignificant things. Mary, the maid, shows up and announces that some g...
Trivia
Some of Ionesco's early essays were considered scandalous in Romania. (Source)Much like his fictional soprano, Ionesco was bald. (Source)The Bald Soprano is one of the most performed plays in Frenc...
Steaminess Rating
The Bald Soprano is pretty tame on the whole steaminess front. The closest we get to a come-on is when Mr. Smith says to his wife, "Oh, my little ducky daddles, what a little spitfire you are! [...
Allusions
Sherlock Holmes (139) Benjamin Franklin (491) Ulysses (523) Scaramouche (534) Robert Browning (540-541) Rudyard Kipling (542-543)Krishnamurti (548) Honoré de Balzac (550)