Ubu Roi was originally written by the adolescent Alfred Jarry and his schoolmates to make fun of a teacher. In the 1896 stage play Jarry retained the scatological humor and made kings and rulers the butt of the jokes, representing them as horrifying and brutal oafs and portraying war as the ultimate stupidity. Ubu Roi draws on and spoofs several Shakespeare plays, most specifically Macbeth.

The first word of its 1896 premier caused a riot. "Merdre" is a composite word connoting both shit and death - and the play continues to revel in both. Jarry was eager to shock the bourgeoisie out of its complacent belief in rational cause and effects and moral certitude. Ubu is an anti-hero who is gross; grandiose; infantile; constantly demands instantaneous satisfaction; and is not punished for his misdeeds. The play has been immensely influential, and is seen as a precursor of the absurdist, Dada and surrealist movements. The character of Ubu has also been seen as a visionary foreseeing of the dictators - absurd, brutal and cruel - of the twentieth century.