DRAMA IIMODERN DRAMALecture 171

SYNOPSIS

Absurdist Drama Dialogue and Language/Humor

of Absurdist Drama Plot & Structure of Absurdist Drama THEMES in Waiting for Godot Aspects to Consider

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ABSURDIST DRAMA3

ABSURDIST DRAMA

Waiting for Godot is a two-act stage drama classified as a tragicomedy. In 1965, critic Martin Eslin coined the term theater of the absurd to describe Godot and other plays like it.

As a result, these plays also became known as absurdist dramas.

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ABSURDIST DRAMA A group of dramatists in 1940's Paris believed life

is without apparent meaning or purpose; it is, in short, absurd, as French playwright and novelist Albert Camus (1913-1960) wrote in a 1942 essay, "The Myth of Sisyphus." Paradoxically, the only certainty in life is uncertainty, the absurdists believed.

An absurdist drama is a play that depicts life as meaningless, senseless, uncertain.

For example, an absurdist's story generally ends up where it started; nothing has been accomplished and nothing gained.

The characters may be uncertain of time and place, and they are virtually the same at the end of the play as they were at the beginning.

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DIALOGUE AND LANGUAGE/HUMOROF ABSURDIST DRAMA

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DIALOGUE AND LANGUAGE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA

The language in an absurdist drama often goes nowhere.

Characters misunderstand or misinterpret one another, frequently responding to a statement or a question with a non sequitur or a ludicrous comment.

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DIALOGUE AND LANGUAGE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA Estragon, who has a sore foot, is attempting to remove

his boot. Though he tugs hard, it won't come off. In frustration, he says, "Nothing to be done."

Vladimir replies, "I'm beginning to come round to that opinion. All my life I've tried to put it from me, saying, Vladimir, be reasonable, you haven't yet tried everything. And I resumed the struggle.“

In Act II, the two men agree that they are happy in spite of their problems. Then Estragon asks:

"What do we do, now that we are happy?" "Wait for Godot," Vladimir says. "Things have changed here since yesterday." "And if he doesn't come?" "We'll see when the time comes. I was saying that things have changed here since yesterday." "Everything oozes." "Look at the tree." "It's never the same pus from one moment to the next." 8

DIALOGUE AND LANGUAGE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA

The absurdity of the dialogue is the author’s way of calling attention to the seeming absurdity of life.

For Samuel Beckett, the world wobbles on its axis, and the people who inhabit it do not always think logically or talk sensibly.

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HUMOR

Waiting for Godot contains the deadpan humor of the down and out, the destitute, who cope by making sport of their circumstances—and themselves.

They are like Sisyphus and Tantalus, each doomed forever to seeking a goal that he cannot reach.

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But while trying to reach their goal, Vladimir and Estragon remain cheerful and jocular.

Their hapless drollery calls to mind the buffoonery of film comedians Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton.

A full appreciation of the humor requires a close reading of the play and/or attendance at a performance of it.

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PLOT & STRUCTURE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA

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PLOT STRUCTURE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA

The structure of a typical absurdist drama is like a spaceship orbiting earth or a Ferris Wheel revolving on an axle: The spaceship and the Ferris wheel endlessly repeat their paths. If only the passengers on the spaceship and the Ferris wheel could break free and fly off on their own . . . but they cannot.

They are tethered to forces beyond their control. The same is true of Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot. They wait for Godot at the beginning of the play, wait for Godot in the middle of the play, and wait for Godot at the end of the play. Godot never comes.

So Vladimir and Estragon continue to revolve—but never evolve. They are caught in the absurdity of continuously moving but never progressing.

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THEMES IN WAITING FOR GODOT

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THEME OF CHOICES

Waiting for Godot consists of two men unable to act, move, or think in any significant way while they kill time waiting for a mysterious man, Godot.

The characters fail to realize that this very act of waiting is a choice; instead, they view it as a mandatory part of their daily routine.

Even when these men manage to make a conscious decision, they can’t translate that mental choice into a physical act. They often "decide" to leave the stage, only to find that they are unable to move.

Such inaction leads to stagnancy and repetition in the seemingly endless cycle of their lives.

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THEME OF CHOICES: QUESTIONS

What is the barrier between the decision to act and action itself in Waiting for Godot? Why are the men unable to move after they’ve decided to do so?

Are Vladimir and Estragon condemned to wait for Godot, or is the act of waiting a choice itself?

Does Lucky’s position as a servant seem to be a choice on his part?

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THEME OF CHOICES: THINKING CALL

If Vladimir and Estragon realized they had the freedom of choice, they could break their daily cycle of habit and inaction. The problem is one of consciousness.

Vladimir and Estragon are fully aware of their situation and of their ability to choose, but the uncertainty surrounding the result of any potential action prevents them from breaking the stagnant cycle of their waiting.

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DRAMATIC REFERENCES: CHOICES Quote #1VLADIMIR

Two thieves, crucified at the same time as our Saviour. One—ESTRAGON Our what?VLADIMIR Our Saviour. Two thieves. One is supposed to have been saved and the other . . . (he searches for the contrary of saved) . . . damned. (1.62-64)

Vladimir’s story of the two thieves reminds us of the frequent absence of choice in an uncertain world; neither thief chose to be damned or be saved, but were subject to arbitrary chance.

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Quote #2ESTRAGON I'm going. He does not move. (1.67)

The ability to choose is rendered useless when a decision cannot be joined with action. This seems constantly to be the case in Waiting for Godot.

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Quote #3ESTRAGON Who believes him?VLADIMIR Everybody. It's the only version they know.ESTRAGON People are bloody ignorant apes. (1.87-89)

Waiting for Godot argues that people are driven to beliefs by habit, popularity, and ignorance, rather than by conscious choice.

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Quote #4ESTRAGON Let's go.VLADIMIR We can't.ESTRAGON Why not?VLADIMIR We're waiting for Godot. (1.91-94)

For Vladimir, the act of waiting for Godot prevents him from choosing any other course of action. Yet his decision to wait for Godot at all is a choice in itself; if he realized the radical personal freedom afforded to him by choice, he could decide to leave the stage.

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Quote #5ESTRAGON An Englishman having drunk a little more than usual proceeds to a brothel. The bawd asks him if he wants a fair one, a dark one or a red-haired one. Go on. (1.162)

OK, we have to explain this joke in order for us to make our argument. Our reference is a very reputable scholar. The rest of the joke (which is cut off by Vladimir’s refusal to tell it) is that the Englishman has to decide whether he wants a blonde, brunette, or red-head. He chooses and is led through one of three doors.

He is then faced with two doors and asked another choice, this time in regard to the upper half of the female body and size. He chooses and is led through another door.

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Quote #5ESTRAGON (Discussion conti…) He is then faced with two doors and asked to

choose again, this time based on size and the lower half of the female anatomy.

At the end, the Englishman walks through a door only to find himself alone and back on the street. The relevance in this theme is that the Englishman makes a series of choices which are essentially arbitrary and cannot ultimately determine the course of his action. Like much of Waiting for Godot.

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Quote #6ESTRAGON What exactly did we ask him [Godot] for?[…]VLADIMIR Oh . . . Nothing very definite.ESTRAGON A kind of prayer.[…]ESTRAGON And what did he reply?VLADIMIR That he'd see.ESTRAGON That he couldn't promise anything.VLADIMIR That he'd have to think it over.[…]VLADIMIR Consult his family.ESTRAGON His friends.VLADIMIR His agents. (1.202-217)

Even Godot, or at least Vladimir’s conception of Godot, is incapable of making independent choices. 24

WAITING FOR GODOT THEME OF PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWPOINTS: THE ABSURD

Waiting for Godot is hailed as a classic example of "Theatre of the Absurd," dramatic works that promote the philosophy of its name.

This particular play presents a world in which daily actions are without meaning, language fails to effectively communicate, and the characters at time reflect a sense of artifice, even wondering aloud whether perhaps they are on a stage.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWPOINTS: THE ABSURD Vladimir and Estragon’s situation is so absurd

that it doesn’t resemble any reality we’re familiar with. How is it possible, then, that the play can comment on our own lives? Does Beckett suggest a level of absurdity in the real world?

Do Estragon and Vladimir recognize that their actions are absurd? Or does everything seem "normal" to them?

How do the absurd characters of Pozzo and Lucky comment on Gogo and Didi? Who seems more rational?

At one moment is the play meta-fictional? In other words, where do the characters seem to reveal an understanding (or at least a suspicion) that they are part of a contrived reality? How does this affect the way we see the play? 26

WAITING FOR GODOT THEME OF TRUTH

Waiting for Godot is a play driven by a lack of truth – in other words, uncertainty. Characters are unable to act in any meaningful way and claim this is so because they are uncertain of the consequences.

Without the presence of objective truth, every statement is brought to question, and even common labels (color, time, names) become arbitrary and subjective.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT TRUTH

After the debate over whether or not to attempt suicide, Estragon concludes in Act I, "Don’t let’s do anything. It’s safer." Is doing nothing safer?

Vladimir and Estragon are constantly faced with uncertainty of consequence, and as such choose not to choose. But what is the consequence of not choosing in this play? Can we even be certain of this?

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WAITING FOR GODOT THEME OF LIFE, CONSCIOUSNESS, AND EXISTENCE

The portrait of daily life painted by Waiting for Godot is a dismal one. It is repetitive and stagnant. It lacks meaning and purpose and entails perpetual suffering.

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 actions.

As one character says, "habit is a great deadener" – our actions should stem from conscious choice rather than apathy. 29

QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFE, CONSCIOUSNESS, AND EXISTENCE What is the value of life in Waiting for Godot? Pozzo claims that life has no meaning

because it is fleeting; Vladimir counters that life has no meaning because we deadened it with habit. Which statement, if either, does the play support?

Vladimir wonders towards the end of Act II whether or not he is even awake. Why does it take him until now to ask this question? What has happened over the course of the play that might have led him to this doubt? Does asking this question symbolize any sort of transition for him? 30

WAITING FOR GODOT THEME OF TIME Time presents a slew of problems in Waiting for

Godot. The very title of the play reveals its central action: waiting.

The two main characters are forced to whittle away their days while anticipating the arrival of a man who never comes.

Because they have nothing to do in the meantime, time is a dreaded barrier, a test of their ability to endure. Because they repeat the same actions every day, time is cyclical.

That every character seems to have a faulty memory further complicates matters; time loses meaning when the actions of one day have no relevance or certainty on the next. 31

QUESTIONS ABOUT TIME

Characters in Waiting for Godot repeatedly forget the events of yesterday. If memory is faulty and one cannot remember past actions, do these actions have any meaning?

Can we trust Vladimir and Estragon’s memories of events that have supposedly occurred before the start of the play?

Does time pass any differently in Act II than it does in Act I?

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WAITING FOR GODOT THEME OF RELIGION

Religion is incompatible with reason in Waiting for Godot. Characters who attempt to understand religion logically are left in the dark, and the system is compared to such absurd banalities as switching bowler hats or taking a boot on and off.

Religion is also tied to uncertainty, since there is no way of knowing what is objectively true in the realm of faith.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT RELIGION

Who has a better understanding of religion, Vladimir or Estragon?

We’ve said that in Waiting for Godot, religion is incompatible with logic. If this is true, what’s the next step? Does the play argue that we should accept religion despite its lack of rationality, or that we should reject it for the same reasons?

If Godot is a representation of God, what do Vladimir and Estragon expect will happen if he does finally show up?

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WAITING FOR GODOT THEME OF FRIENDSHIP

Friendship is tricky in Waiting for Godot, as each character is fundamentally isolated from every other.

Relationships teeter between a fear of loneliness 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.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

What is the best term to describe Vladimir and Estragon’s relationship? Are they friends? Companions? Master and slave? Mere acquaintances?

Vladimir and Estragon constantly ask whether they would be better off without each other. So…would they?

Of Vladimir and Estragon, which man is more eager to draw closer, and which man is more hesitant?

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WAITING FOR GODOT THEME OF FREEDOM AND CONFINEMENT

Every character in Waiting for Godot seems to live in a prison of his own making.

Each is confined to a state of passivity and stagnancy by his own inability to act.

The one character who is literally the slave of another is no more restricted than those who are technically free; in fact, he may be more free because he is at least aware of his imprisonment.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT FREEDOM AND CONFINEMENT

Does Lucky choose to be a slave? Why does Vladimir want to play the part of

Lucky when he’s pretending with Estragon? Between Estragon and Vladimir, who has

more freedom?

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WAITING FOR GODOT THEME OF SUFFERING

Suffering is a constant and fundamental part of human existence in Waiting for Godot. Every character suffers and suffers always, with no seeming respite in sight.

The hardship ranges from the physical to the mental, the minor to the extreme. It drives some men to find companionship (so as to weather the storm together), causes others to abuse their companions (to lessen the suffering of the self), and for still others leads to self-isolation (since watching people suffer is a kind of anguish on its own). 39

QUESTIONS ABOUT SUFFERING

What is the worst kind of suffering we see in Waiting for Godot?

Have Estragon and Vladimir ever been happy? How do they define "happy?"

Is there any purpose served by Gogo and Didi’s suffering? Do they learn from it?

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WAITING FOR GODOT THEME OF MORTALITY None of the characters in Waiting for Godot shy

away from the fact that death is inevitable. In fact, death becomes at times a solution for the inanity of daily life.

The main characters contemplate suicide as though it were as harmless as a walk to the grocery store, probably because there’s nothing in their life worth sticking around for anyway.

They ultimately do not commit suicide because they claim not to have the means, but also because they are uncertain of the result of their attempt (it may work, it may fail).

Because they can’t be sure of what their action will bring, they decide on no action at all. 41

QUESTIONS ABOUT MORTALITY

Why do Estragon and Vladimir want to kill themselves?

Why don’t they? If death is inevitable and ever-impending, as

Pozzo points out, how do we live our lives with any sense of purpose? Does Waiting for Godot propose a solution to this problem?

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THEME OF HOPE

Vladimir and Estragon are lowly bums. Their only material possessions—besides their tattered clothes—are a turnip and a carrot.

Nevertheless, they have not given up on life; they do not descend into depression, pessimism, and cynicism. Even though they frequently exchange insults, they enjoy each other’s company and help each other.

Above all, though, they wait. They wait for Godot. They do not know who

he is or where he comes from. But they wait just the same, apparently because he represents hope.

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THEME OF SEARCH FOR MEANING

Vladimir and Estragon are homeless rovers attempting to find an answer to a question all human beings face: What is the meaning of life? Godot may have the answer for them.

So they wait. After Godot fails to appear on the first day, they return to the tree the next day to continue waiting. He does not come.

Vladimir and Estragon decide to leave the area. However, the stage direction at the end of the play says, "They do not move." Apparently, they plan to continue their search for meaning by continuing to wait for Godot.

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THEME OF DEPENDENCY

Vladimir and Estragon depend on each other to survive.

Although they exchange insults from time to time, it is clear that they value each other's company. One could imagine Pozzo without Lucky—until the second act, when the audience learns he has gone blind.

Unable to find his way, Pozzo is totally dependent on Lucky. Lucky, of course, is tied to Pozzo—by a rope and by fear of being abandoned. 45

THEME OF MONOTONY

Life is tedious and repetitive for Vladimir and Estragon. In the first act of the play, they meet at a tree to wait for Godot.

In the second act, they meet at the same tree to wait for Godot. Irish critic Vivian Mercer once wrote in a review of the play, "Nothing happens, twice."

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ASPECTS TO CONSIDER47

SYMBOLISM: QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER Author Beckett reportedly denied that he

intended any person, thing, or idea in the play as a specific symbol. However, the reader is free to interpret the play—and the mind of Beckett. At the very least, the reader or playgoer may wish to consider the following questions:

Do Vladimir and Estragon represent humankind as fallen children of Adam and Eve and their original sin? The motif of redemption occurs several times in the play—notably, when Vladimir speaks of Christ as the "Saviour." On the last page of the play (in most texts), Estragon asks what will happen if Godot comes. Vladimir answers, "We'll be saved."

Is the tree intended to be a symbol of the cross on which Christ was crucified? Keep in mind that Vladimir and Estragon discuss the thieves crucified with Christ.

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The tree is bare when Vladimir and Estragon meet near it on the first day. However, on the second day, author Becket says in his stage directions, it has "four or five leaves." Do the leaves symbolize hope? New life?

Does Godot represent God, as some essayists maintain? Bear in mind that at least a dozen French words (not counting suffixes, prefixes, and inflectional forms) begin with the first three letters of this name, including godasse, godelureau, goder, godailler, godet, godiche, godichon, godichonne, godille, godiller, godillot, godron, godronnage, and godronner.

When Pozzo asks who Godot is, Estragon answers, "Personally I wouldn't even know him if I saw him." Estragon appears to be answering truthfully. Nevertheless

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REVIEW LECTURE 17

Absurdist Drama Dialogue and Language/Humor

of Absurdist Drama Plot & Structure of Absurdist Drama THEMES in Waiting for Godot Aspects to Consider

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AGENDA LECTURE 18

1. Waiting for Godot Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory

2. Setting3. Waiting for Godot Genre, TONE, STYLE & Title4. Waiting for Godot as Booker’s Seven Basic Plots

Analysis: Tragedy Plot5. Social Acceptance of Waiting for Godot

Critical Analysis

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