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A review by stefo
Caligula by David Greig, Albert Camus
dark
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read this play mainly for three reasons: In numerous interviews Yorgos Lanthimos names this little book as his main inspiration for "Kinds of Kindness"; I had seen this play before in lists of "Disturbing" lists and the likes; I enjoy Camus' writing.
It ended up being about what I had expected it to be, a concise story about a maniacal ruler who lives beyond moral, ethical and/or logical principles. Its also quite funny at times, but not too much, which might have been one of my issues. My main issue is that its surprisingly tame-ish, nothing really shocked me and it isn't as exaggerated as I wanted it to be, which isn't the play's fault of course, I just couldn't fully enjoy myself with the premise at hand after having read so many examples of the "Theatre of the Absurd". Still, a decent quick read so I'm inclined to give it a 7/10.
It ended up being about what I had expected it to be, a concise story about a maniacal ruler who lives beyond moral, ethical and/or logical principles. Its also quite funny at times, but not too much, which might have been one of my issues. My main issue is that its surprisingly tame-ish, nothing really shocked me and it isn't as exaggerated as I wanted it to be, which isn't the play's fault of course, I just couldn't fully enjoy myself with the premise at hand after having read so many examples of the "Theatre of the Absurd". Still, a decent quick read so I'm inclined to give it a 7/10.