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“Waiting for Godot” – Samuel Beckett

“Waiting for Godot” – Samuel Beckett

“Waiting for Godot” is a play by Samuel Beckett published in 1949. This play is regarded as “Theatre of Absurd”, a term coined by Martin Esslin (a drama critic).
It is one of the famous plays of the Modernist Literature.

Before going further, let’s first understand what is Existentialism?

What does it mean to exist?

We say to exist means to walk down predetermined paths.

Existentialists believed the other way. According to them there is no meaning in life and it is futile attempt to search meaning of life.
It is believed that existentialism started with Sorien KierKegaard. Later many thinkers like Jean Sartre, Albert Camus and many others developed this philosophical movement. The existentialists are not pessimistic. They ask to enjoy life in spite of being aware of the meaninglessness.

“Existentialism counters the nothingness of existence
By embracing existence itself”

This play presents the existential philosophy by two main characters Vladimir and Estragon.
As such there is no story, no beginning or end in this play. One evening on a countryside road two tramps are waiting for someone named Godot. They are not sure who Godot is? Whether he will come or not? Are they really at the same place where they were waiting yesterday? The play is full of such unanswerable questions.
Whether you read Act 1 first or Act 2 first, doesn’t matter. Both the acts are similar. But there is something in this nothingness also.

The play begins with a line,

“Nothing can be done”

Nothingness is prevalent throughout the play. Vladimir and Estragon are eagerly waiting for Godot, and they feel like doing nothing. Still they do many different things to kill the time. Similarly we also do many things in our life.

Vladimir and Estragon also does many things like…
  1. Swapping the hats
  2. Doing exercise
  3. Passing time by talking with Lucky and Pozzo (fellow passengers)

Vladimir and Estragon also gets tired of waiting for Godot, but still they go on doing different things.
Estragon:- Let’s go
Vladimir:- But we are waiting for Godot

Albert Camus in his book “The Myth of Sisyphus” talks about hope and suicide. Suicide is not easy as we are habituated of living. Hope gives us a reason to live for meaningless life.
In the play we see that the characters decided to commit suicide, but are unable to do so as living is a habit. They are in a hope that Godot will come soon.
Vladimir:- Where is Godot?
Boy:- Godot will not come today, but he will surely come tomorrow

GODOT
What can Godot be ?
1.    God
2.    Desire
3.    Death
Godot can be anything,

But if we say that waiting is the main theme of the play. Then we can say that in Act 1 and Act 2 what major characters do is to wait for Godot (God,Death,Desire).
Thus, their act of waiting represent of all the human beings waiting for some or the other thing.

Characteristics of modernist literature in the play:-
v) Protagonists – Two tramps
v) Language- simple yet has many layers of meaning
v )Unusual setting:- “A countryroad, A tree, An evening”
v) Absurdity
v)Nothingness

Thus , it is an outstanding play of 20th century.


Comments

  1. English Literature17 March 2021 at 23:41


    Really useful one, compact yet packed with important points.Thank You very much for the effort to make the hard one looks so simple. Further, you can access this site to read "Waiting for Godot" as a Play Belonging to the Theater of the Absurd

    ReplyDelete

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