Waiting for Godot: An Analysis of Existentialism and the Absurd in Samuel Beckett's Play

Waiting For Godot
Waiting for Godot: Time Waits For No Man Waiting for Godot is an original French play written in 1948 by author Samuel Beckett. The play was
first performed in 1953, and then later translated into English. The aftermath of World War II left the entire country of France unstable and in
desperate need of government and economic reform. Beckett uses the crisis of this time period in France to emphasize the time passing for two
characters, Estragon and Vladimir who hopelessly wait for Godot, whom is believed to be a God that will "save" them from their turmoil. Time is a
psychological measurement, in which we can observe and measure. While waiting for Godot, Estragon and Vladimir display the inability to observe and
measure time, which...show more content...
It is evident that Pozzo and Lucky's unexpected appearance represents a diversion to pass time as Estragon and Vladimir wait for Godot. At first,
Estragon mistakes Pozzo for Godot, but Vladimir insists that he is not Godot. When Pozzo questions them about Godot, Vladimir says they don't
know him very well. Estragon then states, "Personally, I wouldn 't even know him if I saw him." Despite the fact of their uncertainty about Godot,
they still rely on him for deliverance from turmoil. Unlike the rest of the characters, Lucky is initially portrayed as an empty and helpless slave
who is restrained and literally weighed down by the baggage Pozzo forces upon him. Estragon and Vladimir are dumfounded and displeased about
the state in which Pozzo has Lucky in. They repeatedly ask, "Why doesn 't he put down his bags?" The bags that Lucky constantly carries can be
symbolized a "baggage of burdens" which belong to Pozzo. As his slave, Lucky adheres to every command of Pozzo and seldom puts down the bags
unless he is ordered to, so that he can complete another order. Lucky's hat represents his ability to think. When Vladimir places Lucky's hat back on his
head, Pozzo orders him to think and he immediately begins to give a long incoherent speech without pausing until his hat is removed, which instantly
ends his thinking. In his speech, Lucky frequently mentions the phrase,
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Examples Of Modernism In Waiting For Godot
Modernism to Postmodernism : The Study of Waing For Godot
I.Introduction
The work of Samuell Beckket which I deal with is nodoubtedly the most familiar work, Waiting for Godot. This work is not only about absurdity but it
also contains nihilism and non–extistence. There are two main characters Vladimir and Estragon waited in a place where is deserted. They waited for
Godot to see but Godot could not come. The Waiting for Godot is one of works which leads to transit from to modernism to postmodernism. Thus I am
going to mention about the concept of the modernism and postmodernism.
The origin of the modernism came from latin as '' modo'' means that recent or right now. Modernism, as a concept, expresses a specific sense. This
sense contains...show more content...
Conclusion
All in all, I focused on the work of Beckett, Waiting for Godot, which pioneered the transition from the modernism to postmodernism. The drama itself
has the concept of the absurdity, uncertanity, nihilisim etc.. The two protagonist, Vladimir and Estragon has conservations about nihilism. This drama
is the most essential because it is a sort of a bridge between modernism and postmodernism. In addition nihilistic idea is one of the signs of the
postmodernism. Thus Samuel Beckett applied this idea very well in his work.
Works Cited
Becket, Samuel. (1956). Waiting for Godot. London: Faber.
Dan Cruickshank – www.quoteland.com/author/Dan–Cruickshank–Quotes/3950/
'' Nihilism '' www.merriam–webster.com/dictionary/nihilism
Lyotard, Jean Francois. (1984). The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Wells, Samuel No Place for Truth: or Whatever Happened to
Evangelical Theology?
Hooti, Noorbakhsh. – Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot: A Postmodernist Study– Vol. 1, No. 1; June 2011.
Niettzsche, Fredrich (1968) The Will Power. New York: Vintage.
Corcoran, Paul E. "Godot is Waiting Too: Endings in Thought and History." Theory and Society. Vol 18, No.

Critical Analysis Of Waiting For Godot
Waiting for Godot is an original French play written in 1948 by author Samuel Beckett. The play was first performed in 1953, and then later translated
into English. The aftermath of World War II left the entire country of France unstable and in desperate need of government and economic reform.
Beckett uses the crisis of this time period in France to emphasize the time passing for two characters, Estragon and Vladimir who hopelessly wait for
Godot, whom is believed to be a God that will "save" them from their turmoil. Time is a psychological measurement, in which we can observe and
measure. While waiting for Godot, Estragon and Vladimir display the inability to observe and measure time, which leaves them both in a deep state of
...show more content...
It is evident that Pozzo and Lucky's unexpected appearance represents a diversion to pass time as Estragon and Vladimir wait for Godot. At first,
Estragon mistakes Pozzo for Godot, but Vladimir insists that he is not Godot. When Pozzo questions them about Godot, Vladimir says they don't
know him very well. Estragon then states, "Personally, I wouldn 't even know him if I saw him." Despite the fact of their uncertainty about Godot,
they still rely on him for deliverance from turmoil. Unlike the rest of the characters, Lucky is initially portrayed as an empty and helplessness slave
who is restrained and literally weighed down by the baggage Pozzo forces upon him. Estragon and Vladimir are dumfounded and displeased about
the state in which Pozzo has Lucky in. They repeatedly ask, "Why doesn 't he put down his bags?" The bags that Lucky constantly carries can be
symbolized a "baggage of burdens" which belong to Pozzo. As his slave, Lucky adheres to every command of Pozzo and seldomly puts down the bags
unless he is ordered to, so that he can complete another order. Lucky's hat represents his ability to think. When Vladimir places Lucky's hat back on his
head, Pozzo orders him to think and he immediately begins to give a long incoherent speech without pausing until his hat is removed, which instantly
ends his thinking. In his speech, Lucky frequently mentions the phrase, "for reasons unknown but time

Waiting for Godot Essay
Who is Godot and what does he represent? These are two of the questions that Samuel Beckett allows both his characters and the audience to ponder.
Many experiences in this stage production expand and narrow how these questions are viewed. The process of waiting reassures the characters in
Beckett's play that they do indeed exist. One of the roles that Beckett has assigned to Godot is to be a savior of sorts. Godot helps to give the two
tramps in Waiting for Godot a sense of purpose. Godot is an omnipresent character that helps to give meaning and function to the lives of two homeless
men. The main characters in Waiting for Godot are dependent upon each other for reassurance of their existence. Existentialism is defined as...show
more content...
The whole play, including all the actions and the theme itself, is affected by the mention of Godot. Vladimir and Estragon spend the entire play
waiting for this unknown being. Vladimir and Estragon are not even sure if they are at the right place or time for their meeting. They do not even
know why they are waiting for Godot. The two homeless men never express any understanding about the reason for the meeting with the unknown
man. Both the characters and the audience see Godot as a savior of some sort. He is the one who will bring salvation. He could be a Christ figure
or another religious figure. Godot may also be a representation of salvation; this may or may not be a religious rescue. Godot may also be symbolic
of the meaning of life that Vladimir and Estragon are searching for. . He is a reason they are still alive. Every day, Estragon wants to kill himself,
but not only is there not enough rope, but there is also a hope that maybe, just maybe, Godot will appear the next day and everything will be
different. Interestingly enough, Godot is also the one who keeps two friends coming back to the same spot, instead of wandering off and looking for
a better place to live. Because of the endless promise that this one person will actually come, they do not leave the place. The character of Godot may
be an interpretation of death since that would bring an answer to the questions that the two men are searching and

Waiting For Godot Essay
Alexandria Abbrat
October 24, 2017
Professor Joines
What it is to Be and Beckett's Absurd Existentialist Frame of the World
Desert. Dazzling light (37). A bright barren wasteland of nothing in which there is a man, completely alone trying to decide what to do next, reflecting
upon his situation is the beginning of Act Without Words I, the man is in a hopeless setting and all help or comfort he might have is stripped away
from him. We see much the same in the tragicomedy Waiting for Godot but with two men who are waiting and trying to decide what to do while they
look for the arrival of the mysterious Godot. "Nothing to be done," says Estragon, to which Vladimir responds, "I'm beginning to come round to that
opinion myself" (1). They wait...show more content...
He really has no choice; the water is unattainable and will always be denied to him. The tree offers some comfort but then that is taken from him,
all things in which he might find ease to his suffering are taken or pulled just out of reach. Even when he seems to come up with the idea to hang
himself and then end all his misery that too is removed as an option and even death is taken from him. In stark contrast to Waiting for Godot, Act
Without Words I much like the name suggests, has no dialogue, which proposes that verbal communication is either impossible, pointless, or both.
The shrill whistle is the only form of communication in the play, and even then, it seems to be unclear to the man and not present a clear message to
him aside from one that is startling and unhelpful to him. It only furthers Beckett's idea of communication is worthless if there is nothing worthwhile
to say, that the translation of meaning between people can be difficult when we all live in our own realities and our circumstantial existence can warp
that meaning when we try to communicate with others. In the end he is left there alone in his own misery in the purgatory like place he is marooned
in, this could be seen as an allusion to life and how there is no real end to the suffering of being, that we must simply drift through life no matter how
asinine it appears to be and derive meaning however we can. We must reflect and

Vladimir And Estragon 's Waiting For Godot
How Estragon can be shown as the body and Vladimir can be shown as the mind in Waiting for Godot.
In the play Waiting for Godot, written by Samuel Beckett, Vladimir and Estragon (the two protagonists) are shown to be two odd, clown–like
characters. They take part in nonsensical conversations with themselves and people who pass by them. These conversations appear rather pointless
from the outside but they discuss highly complicated philosophical theories. They also unconsciously spoil the events of the play before they happen.
During these debates, Vladimir can clearly be seen as one of the pairs who has the brains and Estragon is the one who receives lots of comparison to
bodily functions. I believe that in the play, Waiting for Godot,...show more content...
Legs wide apart," he says "All my life I've tried to put it from me, saying Vladimir, be reasonable, you haven't yet tried everything. And I resumed
struggling. (He broods, musing on the struggle.Turning to Estragon.) So there you are again." (1) Vladimir does not announce his pain and suffering to
the audience very often showing that he likes to keep to himself. The way that he is walking in this scene is already evidenced enough that he
completely trapped within his mind trying to solve a problem that has been bothering him for all his life. Subsequently, in the same scene, Vladimir
express his happiness to Estragon by announcing how they are "Together at last!" (1) saying how "We'll have to celebrate this somehow." (1) then
orders Estragon to "Get up till I embrace you." (1) In this scene, it is noticeable that Vladimir's idea of comfort and euphoria is the feeling of
celebration within him but he does not understand Estragon physical struggle. Afterward, the pair engages in a heated argument where Vladimir claims:
"Vladimir:[angrily] No one ever suffers but you. I don't count. I'd like to hear what you'd have to say if you had what I have."
Estragon: It hurts?
Vladimir:[angrily] Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts!" (2)
Once again, we are reminded of Vladimir's internal struggle and at this point, we are introduced to the fact that Vladimir and Estragon will not come to
many agreements for the duration of the play. Thanks to

Theme Of Language In Waiting For Godot
The disintegration of language is employed in Waiting for Godot through many ways. The words are meaningless. There are no grammatical structures
or logical links. The playwrights of the absurd plays do not depend on language as a means of influence. Furthermore, they do not believe that language
can be an instrument of communication in the theatrical effects. Beckett uses language as an element of entrapment. He replaces the similar plot and
language with contradictory, fragmentary, and nonsensical dialogue to show the chaos of the world. Beckett's language represents the meaninglessness
and the boredom of life (Esslin 114). It is difficult to define a theme in the absurdist plays. The literature of the Absurd usually focuses on 'man's
inability to make...show more content...
The problems that make the characters apart differ from physical loathness to a 'fear of others' suffering '. Despite of the unhappiness and melancholic
of the two main characters in the play, Beckett presents friendship and love through them. He highlights to the audience the importance of charity and
assistance to human beings in troubled time. This point is highlighted through the statement of Vladimir that Estragon without him will be "nothing
more a little heap of bones" (II 55). Throughout the play Vladimir and Estragon help each other and their grief is mixed with their love. The friendship
between them is balanced with the relationship between Lucky and Pozzo which reflects man's Inhumanity to man (Bennett 62). Freedom is one of the
significant themes in Waiting for Godot. The characters of the play seem like they live in a prison of their own making. They represent a state of
passivity due to their own inability to act. Lucky who is literally the slave of those who are technically free, may be more freely than them because he
is fully aware of his state (Bennett

Examples Of Absurdity In Waiting For Godot
Oxford dictionary defines absurdity as "the state or quality of being ridiculous or widely unreasonable" and this can be strongly felt in Samuel
Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot". Actually, this play is well known as the Theater of Absurd due to its totally different genre of drama. The
difference in genre is mainly due to the plot, the characters, the incoherence and repetitiveness in the conversations and actions which bring the
audience to view this play as a complete change from the traditional type of drama.
The choice of characters in Waiting for Godot appear to come from a mad house. The main ones, Vladimir and Estragon seem to be struggling in their
life where they have little if no memory of how their days passed by, "What did we...show more content...
In my opinion, being spiritually dead is like being a living zombie. Talking about spirituality does not only refers to God but to one's belief. One
cannot call it life if he is not free of his actions and thinking. The modern man is running against time, trying to make money to buy happiness. He
does not have time to question his existence as the definition of one's existence is somehow formed by the society and its surrounding. A typical
example will be where people uses religion as excuses for their actions trying to make as if their religion defines themselves. Samuel Beckett play's
Waiting for Godot can be referred as pure absurdity but even nowadays people as still waiting for Godot. They are either waiting for God to come
on earth as in the Judaism religion where they are still waiting for the messiah to come and take them to the promise land (Isaiah 2: 4) or waiting for
Death to come an deliver them from their struggles. Who is Godot? We have no idea of the existence of this thing or person. Same apply to people's
faith. As what is faith? Ii is to have trust in something or someone that one's has never seen. But this is what keep people alive, to have faith in the
unknown. Man wants freedom and happiness but one cannot find it by doing nothing. As Andy hunt (2008) perfectly said "Only the dead fish go with
the

Personal Expressionism In Waiting For Godot
Waiting for Godot is a play that was written by Samuel Beckett between 1948 and 1949 (Bradby 13). An English translation of this play was premiered
in 1955 in Royal National Theater in London. The play was once voted the most important English play of the century. It features two main characters
that individually set out to meet someone named Godot. The two main characters were named Vladimir and Estragon and after they met, they both
realized they were waiting for the same person (Bradby 24). Vladimir and Estragon continued talking, and were later joined by other three characters
each of who were going about their businesses of the day. Two of these three characters were Pozzo andLucky. Pozzo was on his way to the market to
sell slave Lucky....show more content...
In both, there is a significant shift from traditional forms of literature; they are made to be different and as a means of artists' personal expression.
The play Waiting for Godot has characteristics of both modern and postmodern art. It differs from earlier forms of plays due to absence of romance
and politics, which makes it fall in the modernism category. Additionally, it has very few characters who met in one place for its two parts. On the
other hand, some important characteristics of postmodern literature are the use of paradox, fragmentation and unreliable narrator as styles that have
been used in other postmodern

The Absurdity in Waiting for Godot Essay
In Waiting for Godot, Beckett often focused on the idea of "the suffering of being." Most of the play deals with the fact that Estragon and Vladimir
are waiting for something to relieve them from their boredom. Godot can be understood as one of the many things in life that people wait for. Waiting
for Godot is part of the 'Theater of the Absurd'. This implies that it is meant to be irrational and meaningless. Absurd theater does not have the concepts
of drama, chronological plot, logical language, themes, and recognizable settings. There is also a split between the intellect and the body within the
work. Vladimir represents the intellect and Estragon the body, both cannot exist without the other. In the beginning we are thrown into the...show more
content...
ESTRAGON:Unforgettable.
VLADIMIR:And it's not over.
ESTRAGON:Apparently not.
VLADIMIR:It's only beginning.
ESTRAGON:It's awful.
VLADIMIR:Worse than the pantomime.
ESTRAGON:The circus.
VLADIMIR:The music–hall.
ESTRAGON:The circus
It makes an interesting point since neither of them aren't saying anything new, it's like having a conversation with a parrot who only knows a few
words, so he continuously repets the same words over and over even though the dialogue changes slightly, they are still saying the same thing. When
Estragon and Vladamir continuously repeat their actions day after day and unable to go about life as they please, Estragon finally asks:
ESTRAGON:(chews, swallows). I'm asking you if we're tied.
VLADIMIR:Tied?
ESTRAGON:Ti–ed.
VLADIMIR:How do you mean tied?
ESTRAGON:Down.
VLADIMIR:But to whom? By whom?
ESTRAGON:To your man.

VLADIMIR:To Godot? Tied to Godot! What an idea! No question of it. (Pause.) For the moment.
ESTRAGON:His name is Godot?
VLADIMIR:I think so.
Since they are tied to Godot they cannot leave the scene like Estragon wants to do throughout the whole play. Even if they could go it is doubtful that
they will since both scenes end the same way:
VLADIMIR:We can still part, if you think it would be better.
ESTRAGON:It's not worthwhile now.
Silence.
VLADIMIR:No, it's not worthwhile now.
Silence.
ESTRAGON:Well, shall we go?
VLADIMIR:Yes, let's go.
They do not move.
Seeing as they never actually

Analysis Of ' Waiting For Godot '
Throughout Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot, a deceptively simplistic tale of two men waiting for the arrival of a seemingly divide entity uncovers
the truth of mankind's existence. Estragon and Vladimir, the two protagonists, are stuck in a vicious cycle of hopeful waiting, only to find that Godot,
the mysteriously omnipresent and omniscient being in the play, never arrives. While they patiently anticipate his arrival, they encounter a type of
bondage that illustrates the very significance of insignificance as illustrated through Pozzo and his human slave, Lucky. All four characters are destined
to acknowledge the nonexistence of life itself, each being on his own path to a sacred state of endless acceptance that is ultimately reflective of
mankind in its entirety. The ritualistic waiting illustrated by Vladimir andEstragon is a portrayal of how mankind's attempts to accept meaninglessness
are futile due to a nebulous force that constantly drives the characters. Unlike Pozzo and Lucky, Vladimir and Estragon essentially cannot leave the
stage of life because they continually embrace the notion of hope associated with the eventual arrival of the God–like Godot: VLADIMIR: Well? What
do we do? ESTRAGON: Don't let's do anything. It's safer. VLADIMIR: Let's wait and see what he says. ESTRAGON: Who? VLADIMIR: Godot.
ESTRAGON: Good idea. (13)
The two characters faithfully and religiously cling onto their expectations of Godot through "a kind of prayer" in hopes that

Waiting for Godot
1. How does the relationship between Vladimir and Estragon compare with the relationship between Pozzo and Lucky? What is the effect created by
the contrast between these two pairs of characters? Is it significant that the characters appear in pairs, rather than alone?
Waiting for Godot, written by Samuel Beckett, is a tragicomedy about two men waiting for a person or thing named Godot. The play entitles two
contrasting pairs of characters, Vladimir and Estragon, Pozzo and Lucky. These sets of characters differ greatly and they create effect of humanity. The
main difference between the pair's relationships would be their dependency on each other, their level of compatibility, and their development
throughout the play. Furthermore, both...show more content...
Lastly, both pairs of characters can be compared by their development through the play. Vladimir and Estragon do not develop at all throughout the
discourse of the play, whereas Pozzo and Lucky change dramatically from the first act to the second. Vladimir and Estragon remain static characters
throughout the play, and it is obvious that their life is very repetitive. From the first act to the second, Vladimir and Estragon are alwayswaiting for
Godot, their days are almost identical from one the other. In both acts they contemplate suicide, saying that the next day they would bring good rope to
hang themselves. In both acts they meet Pozzo and Lucky, as well as the boy. Whom all three say they have not seen them the previous day, this
indicates that they might have been doing this for many days that they have lost count. Estragon also repetitively asks to leave but is reminded that they
cannot, this repetition of dialogue appears many time, which reinforces the idea that these actions occur many more times than stated in the play.
Another allusion that proves that their lives are repetitive is when Vladimir talks to the boy. He asks "It wasn't you that came yesterday...This is your
first time?" pg.105, and the boy says that it is his first time. This repetitiveness proves that Vladimir and Estragon are static characters. On the contrary,
Pozzo and Lucky are dynamic characters, as they change drastically from the first act to the

The setting of Waiting for Godot is 'A country road. A tree. Evening.' This introduction is in itself just a glimpse of the massive absurdity to which the
reader will be subjected throughout the whole play. This absurdity is inflicted in each and every aspect of the play. The reader can easily be baffled by
the equally weird antics of the characters. This eccentricity is reflected in the themes, characterization, the plot structure and style of writing of the play.
The reader cannot escape this eccentricity and might even be repulsed by the repetition and monotony that this play offers, but on deeper
understanding, one can be poignantly touched by the actual meaning of this play. The play is very open–ended and has been interpreted in...show more
content...
He explores the existentialist ideology and the struggle of mankind to establish some meaning in a futile life, through the play. He believes that unless
one gets up and does something, nothing is really going to happen. We see the stagnancy and monotony in the behavior ofEstragon and Vladimir, and
also, we see Estragon repeatedly forgetting instances and falling asleep, which is just a translation of that stagnancy. Beckett tries to give out this
message that unless we keep ourselves active, we too will start forgetting everything and keep waiting endlessly for something to occur, and life would
just be completely meaningless. In contrast, the themes of All My Sons, are multiple and more straightforward. There are elements of one's inescapable
past, self–deception, denial and social responsibility. All the lead characters go through many of these elements. Miller shows how their lives are
haunted by the past, which they seem to overlook by simply denying the reality. Joe Keller denies his disastrous actions and instead blames the
catastrophic deaths of the twenty–two pilots on his business partner, who has to go to jail. Miller successfully shows how tactfully Joe avoids
confrontations, and justifies his mistake as an act for survival, but towards the end of the play, he realizes his wrongdoing and commits suicide. In this
way, Miller shows his opinion that no matter how much a man tries, he

Analysis Of Waiting For Godot
Originally performed in 1953, in French, Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot took the stage at the Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto. The play tells the
story of Vladimir and Estragon, two men who wait for Godot, someone or something they had not met to saw. The Soulpepper production illustrates the
journey that played with Vladimir and Estragon's mind and emotions, in regard to the interactions with their surroundings and themselves. The main
focus of the production directs the audience's attention towards an enclosed setting that limit the actions originally sought in the play. The production,
however, focused more on Vladimir and Estragon's relationship that the play does not capture the same effect; thus, the production is an interpretation
of the play. From the play to the stage, Waiting for Godot illustrates how an enclosed setting represents Vladimir and Estragon's mind and knowledge.
The production revolved how the set illustrated character's interaction with one another. The structure of the stage appeared to look like an alley way
with concrete styled wall and a tree placed in the center; the setting which occurred in a rectangular box. Therefore, Vladimir and Estragon performed
in an enclosed space; thus, represented their mind. Originally, the play takes place in a country road and Estragon sits on a mound, but the production
Estragon sat on a concrete brick. The difference in the setting showed how the performance portrayed the setting as an enclosed mind with

Analysis Of Waiting For Godot
Originally performed in 1953 in French, Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot took the stage at the Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto. The play tells the
story of Vladimir and Estragon, two men who wait for Godot, someone or something they have not met to seen. The Soulpepper Production illustrates
the journey that plays with Vladimir and Estragon's mind and emotion, in regard to the interactions with their surroundings and themselves. The main
focus of the production directs the audience's attention towards an enclosed setting that limit the actions originally sought in the play. The production
however, focused more on Vladimir and Estragon's relationship, the play does not capture the same effect. Thus, the production is a mere interpretation
from what the play offers in portraying the stage. From the play to the stage, Waiting for Godot illustrates how an enclosed setting represents Vladimir
and Estragon's mind. The production revolved around how the set and setting illustrated how the characters interacted with one another and their
surroundings. The structure of the stage appeared to look like an alley way with concrete styled wall and a tree placed in the center; the setting which
occurred in a rectangular box. Therefore, Vladimir and Estragon performed in an enclosed space; thus, represented their mind. Originally, the play
takes place in a country road and Estragon sits on a mound, but the production has the actor playing Estragon sitting on a concrete brick. The

Waiting For Godot Essay
Friendship is best served when it is shared by individuals who have defined themselves. Throughout "Waiting for Godot," this notion is explored by
demonstrating the problems friends experience when they define one another, look to each other for self–definition, have unfair expectations of one
another, become self–centered, and maintain friendship out of need, a need to be needed, or habit. Through this exploration, the reader finds that the
possibility of ending up in a stagnant relationship as a result of these problems can be simply reconciled. Friendship is best enjoyed between friends
who have defined themselves and enter into the given relationship as an outlet for mutual understanding and support, thus stifling the human tendency
...show more content...
Unfortunately, sometimes when others have made the effort to define themselves to us, we do not care to listen because we have already defined them
in our minds.
This error is made by Pozzo in Act 1: "What is your name?" he asks Estragon, to which Estragon replies, "Adam" (25). Pozzo does not listen, and
instead spouts off a monologue about the sky. Such a mistake prevents their understanding of one another. When one person defines another and
ignores the other's own feelings, a gap in understanding results, which prevents much more than a surface connection between people to be made.
Other times, people seek self–definition from others, only to hear what one wants. Such a scenario is played out in Act 1: Pozzo: "How do you find
me? Good? Fair? Middling? Poor? Positively bad?" Vladmir: "Oh very good, very very good." Pozzo (to Estragon): "And you, sir?" Estragon: "Oh tray
bong, tray tray tray bong." Pozzo: "Bless you, gentlemen, bless you! I have such need of encouragement..."(26).
While Pozzo acquires the encouragement he needs from Vladmir's statement, he asks directly for Estragon's opinion––and perceives his incoherent
reply to be a compliment. This miscommunication demonstrates both self–centeredness and a disregard for the true opinions of others; as long as
Pozzo can convince himself that though others think well of

Relationships In Waiting For Godot
In the novel Waiting For Godot, by Samuel Beckett, the use of pairs is a very prominent aspect throughout the play. Both Vladimir and Estragon, and
Pozzo and Lucky, showcase Becket's strong use of pairs in this story and exemplify two different types of relationships, one what is inferred by
readers to be a friendship, and the other a relationship between a slave and his owner. Vladimir depends on Estragon to give him a sense of being
needed, as Vladimir is often looking after Estragon, and Estragon depends on Vladimir to protect and comfort him. They also depend on each other for
a constant companion. On the other hand, Pozzo depends on Lucky to do his physical labor and to reassure him that he his powerful, while Lucky
depends on Pozzo for all the basic needs in life like food, water, and shelter. Although it is clear that the connection between the pairs is different,
there is a common thread of dependency that appears several times in the play in both relationships, where one person is more dominant. From the
very start of the book, it is quickly made clear that Vladimir and Estragon have the type of relationship in which they have know each other for a
long time, like old friends. They bicker like an old married couple, signifying they most likely haven't just recently met. Their bickering is a large part
of their relationship and as the story progresses, it is portrayed as if both Estragon and Vladimir enjoy bickering with one and another. In many
different scenes,

Alienation in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
The alienation of humanity from truth, purpose, God, and each other is the theme of Samuel Beckett's play, "Waiting for Godot." The play's cyclical
and sparse presentation conveys a feeling of the hopelessness that is an effect of a godless, and therefore, purposeless world. Lack of communication,
the cause of man's alienation, is displayed well through absurdist diction, imagery, structure, and point of view. The intent of the play is to evoke a
feeling of incompleteness and depression.
The conversation between Vladimir and Estragon, the protagonists of "Waiting for Godot," seems to be void of meaning. The play begins with
"nothing to be done" and ends with an unfulfilled "Yes,...show more content...
Vladimir once tried to quote the Bible saying, "Hope deferred maketh the something sick..." He was showing the purposelessness of life without a god
that might not even exist, expanding on the thought with forgetfulness that preserved the motif of non–communication. Drawing a blank when he
came to the word "heart" was especially symbolic of Vladimir's loss. The only reason he and Estragon remained was to await Godot– the bearer of
meaning, perhaps Meaning Incarnate (God). These smaller examples give authority to the profound meaning hidden beneath the insignificant words of
Beckett's play.
The imagery of the play's two acts changes little. Presented at the beginning and throughout are two apparently dirty men with crude physical
ailments that they take no care to cover nor cure. The scenery is simply a tree that could be called a bush, an isolated road, and a ditch that is
repeatedly assaulted by the battered Estragon. The tree becomes leafy in the second act. The reader is as unsure as Estragon and Vladimir were about
how and why that alteration came about. A tree that flowered overnight could represent new hope. But can one really be certain that it occurred
overnight? Vladimir and Estragon were constantly confused about time. Besides that factor, it is more likely that the tree's blooming simply
represented the seasonal nature of time's passage. Had any other part of the second act justified refreshed hope, it may have been a valid assumption to
assign

Waiting For Godot : A Postmodern Literature
Paper 1 Although Samuel Beckett is known in the literature world for his modernist works, I believe the play Waiting for Godot has much more
postmodern themes. Waiting for Godot displays many characteristics of postmodern literature such as irony, playfulness, and black humor,
intertextuality, and the theme of nothingness and lack of progress and plot throughout the play. The play is also a leading play in the "Theatre of
Absurd," which was an outcome in the theatre world from postmodern literature. Throughout this paper, I will show the common themes and ties from
Waiting for Godot to the postmodern era of literature.
In postmodern writings, it is prevalent for writers to use irony. The entire play is ironic in the fact that it is...show more content...
Black humor is often used to make a serious situation light and funny. "Estragon: Well, shall we go? Vladimir: Yes, let's go. (they don't move)"
(Beckett 159.) This conversation between Estragon and Vladimir occurs at the end of Act One, and the result of the discussion is that neither one of
the characters moves. At the end of Act two a similar conversation takes place, "Vladimir: Well? Shall we go? Estragon: Yes, let's go.(they don't
move)" (Beckett 197.) Superficially this conversation comes across as comical in the fact that the two men never get up and leave as they discuss.
However, this discussion also brings up crucial questions about the stagnancy of life throughout this play. This play leads you to believe that they play
this day over and over again never accomplishing anything.
Another common theme in postmodern literature is intertextuality, which is the relationship between different texts. Waiting for Godot references and
connects to the Bible many different times. Vladimir makes a connection to the bible when he says "Our Savior. Two thieves. One is supposed to
have been saved and the other... (he searches for the contrary of saved) ... dammed." "Vladimir: I tell you his name is Pozzo. Estragon: We'll soon see.
(He reflects.) Abel ! Abel ! Vladimir: I beging to weary of this motif. Estragon: Perhaps the other is called Cain. Cain! Cain!" (Beckett) This quote is a
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Waiting for Godot: An Analysis of Existentialism and the Absurd in Samuel Beckett's Play

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Waiting for Godot: An Analysis of Existentialism and the Absurd in Samuel Beckett's Play