Waiting for Godot

Short Questions

1. When and where does the play 'Waiting for Godot' take place?
Ans. All the action takes place next to a tree on a country road, beginning on the
evening of one day and ending on the evening of the next. The presence of the tree
and a rock of some sort is apparently important, at least according to Beckett -- the
setting, he says, is complete with animal, vegetable, and mineral.

2. Why is the play 'Waiting for Godot' in two acts?

Ans. "Waiting for Godot" appears to have been structured on sets of binaries. There
are two messenger boys, two sets of characters and hence two acts. The two acts
show two sides of the same character. Moreover, the two acts describe circular events
which means the play could go on forever.

3.  What is the basic difference between Act I and Act II of 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" has a circular structure. From Act I to Act II, there is no
difference in either the setting or in the time. The basic difference between Act I and
Act II is the reversal of fortune of Pozzo and Lucky. Whereas Pozzo was clearly the
master and Lucky was his slave in Act I, in Act II Pozzo is blind and Lucky mute. They
have become dependent on each other for survival.

4.  What are the major themes of 'Waiting for Godot'?

Ans. Humor and the absurd, freedom and confinement, modernism and
postmodernism, condition of the universe, devaluation of language, uncertainty of all
knowledge, search for meaning, choices, truth, time, religion, friendship, hope and
dependency are the major themes of "Waiting for Godot".

5. What is the significance of Godot in the play 'Waiting for Godot'?

Ans. Beckett denies that Godot is "God". On the surface, Godot is a person for whom
the characters are waiting, but who never arrives. In this play, Godot represents a
personal god to which we attach our hopes to make our lives better. Vladimir and
Estragon wait Godot to get their lives improved.
6.  What is an absurd play?
Ans. An absurd play is a form of drama that emphasizes the absurdity of human
existence by employing disjointed, repetitious, and meaningless dialogue, purposeless
and confusing situations, and plots that lack realistic or logical development. "Waiting
for Godot" by Samuel Beckett is an example of absurd play.

7. How does 'Waiting for Godot' demonstrate the qualities of theatre of the
Absurd?
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" has a loose plot, there is no significant change in setting, its
characters are mechanical puppets, its theme is unexplained, there is no witty
repartee and pointed dialogue, and above all Estrogen and Vladimir's endless waiting
for Godot is completely absurd.

8. Mention the modern qualities which are present in 'Waiting for Godot'.
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" is a modern play in the sense that it defies classic standards.
Modern writers had a new liking for fragmented forms and discontinuous narratives,
and "Waiting for Godot" is a superb example of fragmented form.

9. How is 'Waiting for Godot' a tragicomedy?

Ans. "Waiting for Godot is a mixture of comic and tragic elements. Musical devices,
circus acts, cross-talks and the atmosphere of the play are stuff of pure comedy.
However, Lucky's pathetic situation, the night-mares, the attempted suicide and above
all Estrogen and Vladimir's waiting for something who never comes turn this comedy
into a tragicomedy.

10. What is the moral of the play 'Waiting for Godot'?

Ans. Life is condensed down into absolutely nothing and only the friendship between
Vladimir and Estragon is able to stave off temporarily the loneliness of such a barren
existence. We enter the world with no sense of identity and gradually as we grow up
assume our identity from things around us -- our families, our achievements etc.
However, our assumed identity may be based on illusory concepts.

11.  In what language was 'Waiting for Godot' originally written?
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" was originally written in French in 1948, with the title "En
 attendant Godot". Beckett personally translated the play into English.  The world
premiere was held on January 5, 1953, in the Left Bank Theater of Babylon in Paris.

12. What is 'mandrake'? What is its symbolic reference?

Ans. Mandrake is a plant of the nightshade family, with a forked fleshy root which
supposedly resembles the human form and which was formerly used in herbal
medicine and magic; it was alleged to shriek when pulled from the ground. In "Waiting
for Godot", Vladimir says, "Where it falls mandrakes grow". It refers that mandrakes
grow where the semen of the hanged man has dripped onto the ground.

13. What does the song about the dog signify in 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. In the beginning of Act II, Vladimir moves about feverishly on the stage and
suddenly begins to sing a dog song -- an old German Balled. It is a circular song. It is
emblematic of the circularity and repetitiveness of the play as a whole. It also
reinforces Beckett's idea of the loss of individuality, and creates more conflict between
Vladimir and Estragon.

14.  What does Lucky's 'Dance in a Net' symbolize?

Ans. When Lucky is commanded to dance in Act I, Pozzo reveals that he calls his dance
"The Net", adding, "He thinks he's entangled in a net". Thus Lucky's dance symbolizes
the agony, strain and entanglement in life to magnify the ultimate suffering of human
existence.

15. What is the function of the audience in 'Waiting for Godot'?

Ans. In the Theatre of the Absurd, there is an attempt to draw the audience into the
play and make them feel involved. In "Waiting for Godot" it is never revealed
conclusively who or what Godot is, this unknown force can be seen metaphorically
represent that for which the audience is waiting in their own lives. The audience
relates to the protagonists because waiting is common for all.

16. Repetition is central in the play. What is the most effective way in
which it appears?
Ans. ‘Shall we leave’ Estragon is asking every time the same question to Vladimir. Formal
symmetry. Waiting for Godot is like a routine. They still have hope until the monotony of
their lives. Time changes and no one except Vladimir percept it.
17. Interpret “short, stiff strides, with legs apart”.
Ans.It refers to Vladimir who suffers from the enlargement of the prostate gland- a
complaint common in old age.

18. “Certainly the beat me” – Who is beaten by and by whom?

Ans. Estragon informs that he had been beaten by some people who he identifies only
as ‘they’. What ‘they’ refers to remain a mystery, much like the malevolent cosmic
forces, the tormentors of humanity. ‘They’ are as mysterious as ‘Godot’ is to be better.

19. Who planned to commit suicide by jumping off the Eiffel Tower?
Ans. Estragon and Vladimir had, during their younger days, together planned to
commit suicide by jumping off the Eiffel Tower. But, Vladimir thinks, in their present
condition, they would not be allowed to go up the Eiffel Tower and will thus be denied
even the most despairing choice (of committing suicide)

20. What are the nicknames of Estragon and Vladimir?

Ans. It is interesting to note that only in the list of characters are the tramps named
Estragon and Vladimir. Right through the plays the two address each other by their
Gogo and Didi

21. What is ‘mandrakes’? What is its symbolic reference?

 Ans. The two tramps by mentioning ‘mandrakes’ give an evidence of their love for
knowledge. An ancient fertility symbols, mandrake, is believed to grow below the
gallows. Notably there, death and birth being two facts of the same coin, Gallows, a
symbol of death, is put side by side with mandrakes, fertility symbol.

22. “Why doesn’t he put down his bags?” – Who is having the bag? Why
don’t he put down it?
Ans. There is complementarity in the master- slave relationship in P0zzo- Lucky
relationship. While they enter on the stage lucky has a bag on the back. Pozzo’s
treatment of Lucky as a beast of burden underscores human tragedy. ‘Lucky’ in order
to impress Pozzo, doesn’t put down his bags.

23. Estragon: I’m asking you it we’re tied- How are the two tramps tied and
to whom?
 Ans. Here Estragon asks Vladimir whether they are tied. They are tide to waiting for
Godot. They cannot get away from it was doing so would mean giving up hope, how so
ever illusory that hope may be?

24. Why is lucky given such a name?

Ans. There might be two suggestions about the source of his name – (i) lucky is ‘Lucky’
because he gets the bones or (ii) he is ‘Lucky’ because he has no expectations, hence
he will not be disappointed further in his existence . “Blessed are those who do not
hope, for they shall not be disappointed.”

25. What does it symbolize by Pozzo’s baldness?

Ans. The intellectual barrenness of Pozzo is symbolized by his baldness, in contrast to
Lucky’s abundant white hair. Pozzo’s baldness fits well in the scheme of things – as
then there is all round barrenness.

26. What is thinking hat? Who wears it and why?

Ans. it is Lucky who can’t think without his hat on. And in order to terminate Lucky’s
thinking someone has to remove his hat, as if an energizer has been removed from a
machine. Thinking, thus, becomes mechanical.

27. Why which name the boy address Vladimir?

Ans. The boy address Vladimir as Mr. Albert and Vladimir responds to it.

28. What the tree stands for in the play?

Ans. The tree is associated with the central theme of barrenness, nothingness and
death. As the two tramps wish to hang themselves on the bough, it reminds us for
Christ’s    crucifixion. Further in act ii when few leaves are seen, it stands for spring,
hope and renewals also.

29. How did the two tramps pass their line of waiting in act- ii?
 Ans. The two tramps as a means of passing time propose different things: to sing, to
think or to contradict each other, or ask each other questions.

30. What was Lucky carrying in his bag? What is the symbolic in it?
 Ans. Lucky in his bag carries sand, a symbol of burden and of time (in hour glass), in
his bag.
31. What is the profit of Pozzo’s blindness?
Ans. Owning to Pozzo’s blindness, he has acquired a new might into the meaning of
life. Life is a mere serious of meaningless repetitions activities. Journey from womb to
tomb is full of miseries. 

32. Repetition is central in

the play. What is the most
effective way in which it
33. appears?
34. ‘Shall we leave?’
Estragon is asking every
time the same questions to
35. Vladimir.
36. Formal symmetry.
Waiting for Godot is like a
routine. They still have hope
37. until the monotony of
their lives. Time changes and
no one except Vladimir
38. percept it