The Bald Soprano Summary

This collection of short works by French playwright Eugene Ionesco portrays life as defined by the philosophy of absurdism, a belief system which suggests there is no order or sense in the ways of either the universe or humanity. This sense of chaos plays out in the characters, relationships and situations of all four plays in this collection, which also develop themes relating to the use of language and the dangers of passion.

The Bald Soprano is subtitled "An Anti-Play." Stage directions describe everything as "English" - the setting, the characters, their actions, clothes and furniture. As the clock chimes "English strokes," as it does irregularly and frequently throughout the play (see "Objects/Places - The Clock"), Mr. and Mrs. Smith, an English couple, sit by their English fire and discuss their English food, their English children, and their...