Shrugging off Jean’s observations that he “yawns all the time” and “reeks of alcohol,” Bérenger blames his apathy on the unrelenting tedium of his days. Jean, who is fastidiously dressed in a suit and tie, chides Bérenger for his slovenly appearance and all-around air of negligence. It’s midday, and as the sound of Sunday church bells ceases, two men meet in front of a café and sit at an outdoor table. Act I of this three-act play takes place in the town square. 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. While everyone around him morphs into beasts and joins the herd, Bérenger remains apart, impervious to the epidemic. Hoarseness in the voice becomes inarticulate trumpeting the bump becomes a horn the transformation is complete. Then the skin takes on shades of green and grows tougher. It begins with a small bump on the forehead. This is the absurd crisis unfolding in Eugene Ionesco’s 1959 play, Rhinoceros. In a small French village, people are turning into rhinoceroses.
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