This blog is written in response to the thinking activity given by Dr. Dilip Barad on Samuel Beckett’s play 'Waiting for Godot' at the Department of English, MKBU.
Waiting for Godot
‘En attendant Godot: tragicomedy in two acts' is a play written originally in French by Samuel Beckett in 1952 and was also translated by Beckett with the name 'Waiting for Godot' in English.
The play is part of Theatre of Absurd and hardly follows the rules of conventional play structure. The play is structured in round shape and the both acts of play are completely the same structure and without much changes.
1.1. Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves?
In the first act of the play the tree is baron but in the second act there are few leaves grown into the tree.
The setting of the whole play is on the country road and everything seems to be baron, yet there is a tree, maybe of willow. In the first act it's completely empty with no leaf but in the second act it grows few leaves.
The leaves that are grown on the tree do not change anything about the story and do not give any meaning. It is just what it is. That seems like nature does not care for anything. The tree grows leaves because of its nature. The human suffering that is represented by Vladimir and Estragon does not affect the tree or considerably the nature to stop growing leaves or to bloom entirely.
1.2. Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'?
If we read waiting for Godot by the political viewpoint then we can consider Vladimir as Russia and Estragon as France. They seem to represent the Franco- Russian alliance and the after effects of WW1 as the Russian golden age ended and also the French ‘La Belle Époque’ means ‘The beautiful age’ also ended with the beginning of the first world war.
The character of Pozzo and Lucky also seems to represent countries Italy and England in some ways. Their relation to one another seems obscure. They both are very opposite. Pozzo seems to represent the Fascism in Italy. Both countries have a history of opposition to one another but they come to an agreement and alliance like both characters stay together.
Godot seems to represent the country Germany as it rises from world war 1 and causes to start world war 2. It seemed to become some marvel as it grew and was meant to be something good but as time came it became a nightmare and caused great harm to Europe and the rest of the world. Godot also seems to resemble Hitler as he drew a line between people like Nazis and Jews.
1.3. In Act I, in reply to Boy’s question:
"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?
VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?
How does this conversation go in Act II? What is the significance?
In the first act Vladimir replies to The Boy that “tell him you saw us” but in the end of the second act Vladimir says that “tell him you saw me”. Apart from that the conversation is the same but those changes are very important as we can understand the changed mind of Vladimir.
In the play we can see that Vladimir is the one who is more desperate for salvation or wants to get away from life. Estragon does not remember anything and also doesn't care for anything. Vladimir on the other hand remembers everything. He always makes calculations and tries to use his brain to make the situation better. He is more practical because of his awareness of the situation.
He knows that one of the thieves was saved. So he becomes conscious of himself and wants to be under the grace of Mr. Godot so it seems that he becomes self centered at the end of the play.
1.4. In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot?
‘The moon rises at back, mounts in the sky, stands still, shedding a pale light on the scene.’
In the first act when the moon rises and night falls completely, Vladimir says “at last” as he was waiting for the night to come and the day to end. His expressions seem to be relaxed. Now he can stop waiting for Godot till night ends and can rest without worry but on the other hand Estragon seems to be disappointed when the night comes.
He says, “Pale for weariness.”
“Of climbing heaven and gazing on the likes of us.”
It seems that he thinks that nature is mocking them and waiting for Godot. The ‘pale light’ of the moon seems to be their hope that is ruined with the gone time.
1.5. What is the meaning of the terms ‘Apathia, Aphasia and Athambia’ in Lucky’s speech? “. . . divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown …”
The terms Apathia means lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern, Athambia means incapable of being upset or not easily excited, Aphasia means trouble speaking or understanding other people speaking.
So, divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia provides the complete opposite of the version of god's characteristics that we believe is omnipotent, meaning all-powerful; omniscient, meaning all-knowing; and omnipresent, meaning present everywhere at all times.
1.6. ‘A better solution to the tramp’s predicament than to wait – is, suicide”. Is it really so? Why they fail to commit suicide? (Pg 36 in the article)
Indeed the batter solution for Vladimir and Estragon is seems to commit Suicide. If they commit suicide they can finely be free form waiting and can be resolved form their miserable life, but they fails to commit suicide because they think if Godot comes and save them tomorrow they don't have to commit suicide. So, they don't commit suicide and decided to stay in their miserable state and situation.
First they don't have equipment such like rope so they can hang themselves to the tree and second they lake the will of committing suicide as they decide to wait for Godot and achieve salvation through him rather die by committing suicide.
VLADIMIR:
Let's wait and see what he says.
ESTRAGON:
Who?
VLADIMIR:
Godot.
1.7. Explain: “Godot might become as image of what Sartre calls “Bad Faith””. (Pg 39 in the article, Martin Esslin's The Search for the Self)
According to Sartre, ‘Bad faith comes when a person denies his freedom to take actions according to his will for his life and completely relies on the fate of the divine or his position. Existentialists believed that individuals are always free to make choices in their lives according to their free wills.
“the first act of bad faith consist in evading what one cannot evade, in evading what one is”
In the play the constant want of salvation seems to be the act of evading reality, the condition in which the both characters Vladimir and Estragon are put into and Waiting for Godot is their escape from their reality.
1.8. Explain:
“One hardly feels the absurdity of some things, on the one hand, and the necessity of those other things, on the other, (for it is rare that feeling of absurdity is not followed by the feeling of necessity), when one feels the absurdity of those things of which one had just felt the necessity (for it is rare that the feeling of necessity is not followed by the feeling of absurdity)”
When we have the necessity of something we overlook its other otherside that can be absurd but when we have the thing that we want, we will think of its other side. When we accept things just the way they are, we overlook their absurdity.
To understand this statement we can exemplify it with the environment of a classroom. When students find some topic or subject they hardly feel bored but if a teacher comes up with a subject or topic that is out of their understanding or they can not relate with they will feel bored and want to just get through it and will wait just for class to end and will watch the clock.
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