Waiting
for Godot is generally considered a masterpiece example of what has come to be
known as the theater of the absurd. The play was written by an Irish
novelist, Samuel Beckett, a prominent literary figure well known for this work
and remembered as the founder of the theatre of absurd. The play was performed
in 1949, having the theme of existentialist philosophy. The play Waiting
for Godot is famous for purposeless characters, meaningless actions,
and lacking a basic plot.
The in-depth analysis gives a lot of
themes, and sometimes it seems that the play revolves around Christian religion
and Beckett making fun of it. Some of the agreeable themes are below.
1. ABSURDITY
The word absurd means "the quality
or state of being ridiculous or wildly unreasonable." The definition
exactly fits the theme of unreasonable and foolishness. The play has the
repetition of many words and phrases, nonsensical lines, purposeless
characters, meaningless dialogues, and wordplay. Characters both Vladimir and
Estragon have dementia and forget everything, even their own identities.
The text is full of humor but mixed up
with tragedy, which makes it different from other kinds of play. Beckett thus
presents an eerie space that sits uneasily on the border between tragedy and
comedy, in territory one can only call the absurd. Vladimir and Estragon's
nonsensical actions, suicide attempts, and rude behavior with Lucky on Pozo's
side create a discomforting effect on the audience. The play confuses readers and
the audience whether to laugh or cry at the events presented on the stage. The
useless conversations and extreme utterances of characters showed the emptiness
and aimless world after World War II.
Purposelessness in the play seems from
the very first act by the meaningless actions of Vladimir and Estragon. All the
major characters are purposeless. Vladimir and Estragon appear to have some
purpose, but Godot's not arriving makes their waiting vain. The visiting of
Pozo and Lucky in the first act likely seems Pozo wants to sell him but fails
to do so as the play progresses and is ultimately shown to be equally
purposeless. They are simply wandering from place to place, while on the other
hand, Estragon and Lucky do different acts, even an empty suicide attempt.
2. PURPOSELESSNESS OF LIFE
Their traveling may even be
counterproductive because they cannot seem to go any distance without falling.
The theater of absurdity has a special message that life is purposeless,
vividly shown in the play Waiting for Godot. The boy's statement is also
equally vain that Godot is never coming. Estragon and Vladimir are waiting for
a long time without any purpose, completely conforming to the characteristics
of the theater of the absurd.
3.
UNCERTAINTY OF TIME
Time is uncertain in this play, but in
the opening scene, it passes normally. Morning, daytime, and evening give
systematically, but the characters sometimes show confusion about it
repeatedly. Many locations offer that they wait a long time. In the second act,
the growth of leaves also suggests the same, and on the other hand, Estragon
and Vladimir have no firm idea of how long they have been together or how long
ago they did other things, such as climb the Eiffel Tower or picked grapes in
Macon country.
Characters are pessimistic, which lead
them to suicide, and it seems the scenes and event repeat the same way every
day, but Estragon and Vladimir never remember to bring the rope they would need
to hang themselves.
It shows the meaningless life and cheap
use of time in extreme despair, the aftermath of the effect of World War II.
4. THEME OF RELATIONSHIP
Relationships and Friendship are the
major themes of the play Waiting for Godot. The writer explores and portrays
different types of relationships ranging from Friendship to slave and
ownership. Of course, they are distinct entities with various physical and
mental problems, but collectively they play a big role in the play.
Three associations portray the
relationship theme in "Waiting for Godot."
1. Relationship between Estragon and
Vladimir
2. Association of Pozzo and Lucky
3. Relationship of Estragon and Vladimir
with Godot.
Vladimir and Estragon's relationship
seemingly depends on each other having a good friendship.
Vladimir added, "Don't touch me!
Please don't question me! Could you not speak to me? Stay with me!"
The relationship between Pozo and Lucky
is like a slave and master. Lucky is an enslaved person in the first act. His
character presents a miserable condition of humanity.
Friendship is very delicate in Waiting
for Godot, as each character is separated from the other. Relationships teeter
between a terror of friendlessness and an essential inability to connect. This
tension is central to the play. The problems that keep characters apart vary
from physical disgust to ego to a fear of others' suffering.
5. THEME OF EXISTENTIALISM
Both the characters Vladimir and
Estragon put themselves into an absurd situation just like humans have been set
in the world without any motivation. The question of existence revolves around
the play. Throughout the space, they are restricted from changing their
miserable and excruciating condition of life. Samuel Beckett's play 'Waiting
for Godot' exposes that it is up to the individual to change the meaning of
life through personal experience in the earthly world and make it better.
In very simple words, the philosophy of
existentialism means that every person is responsible for his actions, and no
second person is pulling his strings or controlling his fate. Every character
in the play is independent with few restrictions, but they never want to
improve their lives. The solution (which none of the characters take) would
seem to be action and choice despite the ever-presence of uncertainty and an
awareness of one's surroundings and past activities.
Themes are extracted by MSM YAQOOB, CEO and Founder at this platform. Join our Team here.
Well defined
ReplyDeleteTHANKS
DeleteVery helpful.
ReplyDeleteHumor and the Absurd. Waiting for Godot is a prime example of what has come to be known as the theater of the absurd. ...
Waiting, Boredom, and Nihilism. ...
Modernism and Postmodernism. ...
Time. ...
Humanity, Companionship, Suffering, and Dignity.
Touch these points as well.