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Waiting For Godot

Waiting For Godot. Samuel Beckett. Samuel Beckett. 1906-1989 Born in Dublin, Ireland to a Protestant home Remarks of himself “I had little talent for happiness” Was stabbed while being mugged and while in the hospital met with the question of why

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Waiting For Godot

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  1. Waiting For Godot Samuel Beckett

  2. Samuel Beckett • 1906-1989 • Born in Dublin, Ireland to a Protestant home • Remarks of himself “I had little talent for happiness” • Was stabbed while being mugged and while in the hospital met with the question of why • Traveled the world and met with many diff. types of people • Admits that life is spent waiting, and if not today, maybe tom.

  3. Key Facts • Genre: Theatre of the Absurd; tragicomedy • Published: 1953 (written in French in 1948) • Setting: On a road with a tree • Themes: Waiting, The Relevance of Life • Motifs: the mirror-image/pairing of char. • Symbols: Estragon’s boot, the hat,

  4. Theatre of the Absurd • Term coined to describe plays written in 50’s and 60’s; described human existence as meaningless and absurd • Deals with man existing in a universe that he does not fit within, there is no meaning or purpose; he is troubled and threatened • Arose out of horrors of WWII-questioned religion • Distrusts language as a vehicle for communication • Subverts logic which creates a mental freedom to deal with the human condition • No dramatic occurrences, only visual poetic imagery (actions create symbolic meaning) • Nothing happens to change the char. existence • Relies on mime, ballet, acrobatics and clowning/much like silent film and comedy

  5. Focus on less dignified char. than in tragedy Usually has an optimistic ending Language is low, vernacular Satirical comedy: generally ridicules human folly Black comedy: induces laughter as a defense mech. Where reality is too harsh otherwise Tragic hero Hero suffers his hamartia (error/downfall) as a result of his hubris (pride) that is out of his control Audience is moved to pathos (to feel pity or fear for the character) Comedy Tragedy

  6. Tragicomedy • Combines elements of both tragedy and comedy • Char. are tramps—humorous • Tragically char.s are going nowhere, doing nothing, and just simply wait—bleak outlook, might as well laugh, i.e. black comedy • Serious subject matter- treatment of Lucky (tragic); concept of suicide; “Godless” world;

  7. Characters • Vladimir: “Didi”, more responsible and mature • Estragon: “Gogo”, weak and less responsible, dependant upon V.

  8. Cont. • Pozzo: appears during V. and E.’s travel, overbearing, harsh • Lucky: Pozzo’s slave, in Act I he amuses, in Act II he can no longer speak

  9. Key Issues/Thought Questions • Observable characteristics of the world • What are main character’s desires and how are they influenced by the world around them • Do the char. succeed or fail of a combo. Of the both

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