Synopsis
Act 1
Sunday morning in a small provincial French town. People are going about their normal routine. Two friends, Jean and Bérenger, have arranged to meet for an apéritif at the local café. Jean criticises Bérenger for his scruffy appearance, guessing rightly that he was out late drinking the previous evening. Jean is rather bossy and patronising, convinced that his sense of duty, will power and orderly life make him a superior man. He is, however, somewhat peeved at not having been invited to the same party as Bérenger. The conversation is interrupted by the sighting of a rhinoceros nearby, triggering a general panic. A housewife carrying her shopping (as well as her cat in her arms) drops her basket and is promptly helped by an elderly gentleman. A “logicien” agrees to hold the cat while the scattered shopping is picked up. Jean and Bérenger’s discussion now turns to the rhinoceros, whose presence here, according to Jean, is totally unacceptable while Bérenger attempts to find reasons for it. A young woman called Daisy, who works at the same office as Bérenger, appears and he tries to hide from her, aware of his unkempt appearance and slightly drunken state. Bérenger admits that he drinks to forget his unease with people and life in general. At this point two conversations take place simultaneously. While Jean continues to boast about his strength and Bérenger confesses an unwillingness to live, the logician tries to teach logic to the old man, reasoning that since cats have four legs, all four-legged creatures are cats (the first sign that an absurd form of reason can still convince the listener). Jean remarks that Bérenger fancies Daisy. Bérenger does not think he stands a chance with her compared to another colleague called Dudard, better educated than him and with brighter prospects. Both conversations develop the themes of logic and strength as key assets, but are ultimately interrupted by another rhinoceros, who runs over the cat who had escaped. The rest of the act is dominated by grief over the dead cat and an argument between Jean and Bérenger over how many horns the rhinoceros had… or was it two rhinos? If so, which one has two horns, the African or the Asian? Jean storms off, refusing to say goodbye to Bérenger. By the end of the act, nobody understands what is happening, but everyone disapproves the presence of a rhinoceros in town, let alone one capable of killing an innocent creature.
Act 2 scene 1
An office dealing with government regulations. Mme Papillon (manager), Dudard, Botard (office clerks) and Daisy (secretary) are busy discussing the morning news about the rhinoceros and the incident with the cat. Botard’s hostility to Dudard is immediately noticeable. Lower down in the hierarchy, Botard claims to defend exploited workers, adding that a primary education is worth more than academic learning (a dig at Dudard who is a Law graduate). He dismisses the rhinos as pure fantasy and a plot hatched by the press. Mme Papillon reminds the others that there is work to be done. Bérenger arrives, late and not completely sobered up. He has also seen the rhinoceros, but Botard again dismisses this as a drunken hallucination. He will only believe in what is clear and precise, and the uncertainty over the number of animals and how many horns they had adds fuel to his contempt. He accuses the others of succumbing to a form of collective psychosis. Mme Papillon gets increasingly annoyed as everyone is more interested in discussing the rhinoceros than in their office tasks. A brief spell of actual work is once again interrupted as Botard and Dudard seem ready to come to blows. Mme Papillon notices that someone is missing. Boeuf, another employee, has not turned up. His wife arrives at that very moment, upset and out of breath. She has been chased by a rhinoceros all the way from home to the office block. While Daisy and Bérenger attend to her, the others run to the landing. A rhinoceros has tried to climb the stairs, which have collapsed under its weight. It seems to be looking for someone. Dudard forces Botard to admit that the rhinoceros exists. Daisy feels sorry for the animal. Mme Papillon worries about the loss of the staircase (which should have been repaired ages ago). Bérenger tries to work out whether this is an Asian or an African rhinoceros. Mme Boeuf, who has joined the others and now sees the animal properly, recognises her husband. She faints, then wakes up in a sort of trance and despite all attempts to stop her, runs to the landing, jumps onto the rhino’s back and gallops home with him. The fire brigade is called. They arrive late, as more and more rhinos are appearing all over the town. Mme Papillon still worries about work, Botard still believes in a conspiracy and Dudard keeps his cool, apart from some sarcastic comments directed at Botard. As Daisy (whom Dudard clearly fancies), Mme Papillon and Botard leave one by one, helped by the fireman, Dudard invites Bérenger to have a drink with him in the afternoon. Bérenger declines. He is upset over the argument with Jean and wants to get reconciled with him.
INTERVAL 15 minutes
Act 2 scene 2
Bérenger arrives at Jean’s flat. He finds Jean still in bed and feeling unwell. Jean reacts with indifference to Bérenger’s regrets about the argument of the previous day. Jean’s voice has changed and his complexion has turn greenish. A bump is appearing above his nose. His breathing is laboured. These transformations continue, and Jean vehemently refuses to be seen by a doctor. His symptoms are clearly more upsetting for Bérenger than they are for him. He sees his noisy breath as a sign of strength. Similarly, he now rejects friendship and pronounces himself indifferent to fellow humans. He justifies Boeuf’s metamorphosis by a need for a new, freer life. Bérenger’s humanist opinions, his belief in civilisation and morality, are brushed aside as inferior to ‘nature’. Jean sheds human values just as he longs to get rid of the clothes that restrict his movements. When his transformation has been completed, Bérenger is horrified, but powerless, and asks neighbours to call the police on his way out.
Act 3
Dudard comes to visit Bérenger, who has been unwell. He complains of headaches and is terrified of turning into a rhinoceros. Dudard does his best to reassure him that his voice is normal, that he has no bump on his forehead, and that the headaches are caused by the shock of witnessing Jean’s metamorphosis. Dudard opposes cool rationality to Bérenger’s panic. His attemps to make light of the situation, claiming that “rhinoceritis” is nothing but a temporary illness and that you can get over it if you really want to, are at once reassuring and worrying. Dudard finds the animals harmless and even rather touchingly innocent. He dismisses Bérenger’s view of the epidemic as evil and sees people’s transformation into rhinos as acts of free will. He therefore does not believe Bérenger will turn into a rhinoceros. Bérenger hesitates between feeling reassured and rebelling against Dudard’s cynicism. The news that Mme Papillon has herself become a rhinoceros angers him. He sees her change as a betrayal of her best interests and principles. Again, Dudard preaches tolerance and relativism, and questions the notions of normality and abnormality. Bérenger tries to beat Dudard on his own ground, accusing him of blindness. He promises to introduce the logician to him. Outside, herds of rhinos are getting increasingly noisy. Looking out of the window, Bérenger spots a rhino wearing the logician’s hat. Dudard is intrigued: a man famous for his logic has willingly joined the ranks of the rhinos. It gets him thinking. There is a knock on the door. Daisy has come to visit Bérenger. Dudard is surprised and jealous of the friendship (or is there something more to it?) between her and Bérenger. She has brought some lunch, and some news: Botard has also turned into a rhinoceros. Dudard is intrigued: Botard has overcome his anarchist views in order to join the rhino community. He begins to feel tempted to try this new experience. Across the road, the fire brigade have all become rhinos. As the scene progresses, Dudard gets increasingly detached from the other two, and comes to view the metamorphosis as an act of solidarity, of loyalty to one’s colleagues and superiors. Daisy and Bèrenger try to persuade him in vain to stay and share their lunch. He leaves, swearing not to abandon his fellow creatures.
Daisy and Bérenger are now alone and free to declare their love, promising to support and protect each other. But as the rhinos outside are now in the majority, Daisy succumbs increasingly to their appeal. She used to find them ugly but now sees them as beautiful, their cries sound harmonious to her. Bérenger’s protestations of love are losing their power. She still claims to want to stay loyal, but as he angrily rejects the change in her, she leaves, complaining that he is “unkind”.
Bérenger is now alone. He wavers between pride in being human, and despair as he now finds himself ugly and inadequate. Even the language he speaks is no longer a language if no one else can speak it. He feels ashamed of his own individuality but decides to embrace his failure. He will defiantly (or desperately) remain ‘le dernier des hommes’ and refuse to capitulate...
