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  • Waiting For Godot

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    Gabriela Barna
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    Waiting for Godot is a tragicomedy play written by Samuel Beckett in 1953. It follows two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, who pass time waiting beside a tree for someone named Godot to arrive, while also interacting with other characters Pozzo and his slave Lucky. The play explores themes of waiting, the meaning of life, and the human condition through its absurdist style, characterized by a lack of plot progress and meaningful language. It combines elements of tragedy through the bleak outlook of the characters, and comedy through the humor in their interactions and dialogue.

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    Waiting for Godot is a tragicomedy play written by Samuel Beckett in 1953. It follows two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, who pass time waiting beside a tree for someone named Godot to arrive, while also interacting with other characters Pozzo and his slave Lucky. The play explores themes of waiting, the meaning of life, and the human condition through its absurdist style, characterized by a lack of plot progress and meaningful language. It combines elements of tragedy through the bleak outlook of the characters, and comedy through the humor in their interactions and dialogue.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    77 views2 pages

    Waiting For Godot

    Uploaded by

    Gabriela Barna
    Waiting for Godot is a tragicomedy play written by Samuel Beckett in 1953. It follows two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, who pass time waiting beside a tree for someone named Godot to arrive, while also interacting with other characters Pozzo and his slave Lucky. The play explores themes of waiting, the meaning of life, and the human condition through its absurdist style, characterized by a lack of plot progress and meaningful language. It combines elements of tragedy through the bleak outlook of the characters, and comedy through the humor in their interactions and dialogue.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Waiting For Godot

    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.

    Waiting for Godot:


    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,

    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

    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
    Comedy

    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

    Tragedy

    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)

    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;

    Characters

    Vladimir: “Didi”, more responsible and mature

    Estragon: “Gogo”, weak and less responsible,

    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

    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

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