Here my presentation on Waiting For Godot- As an Absurd Theatre '

1. Name : Kubavat Kishan
Roll No : 11
Semester : 3
Paper no : 9
Paper name : The Modernist Literature
Year: 2015-16
PG Enrollment No:14101021
Submitted to: Department of English
M. K. Bhavnagar University
Topic: “Waiting for Godot – As an Absurd Theatre”

2. What is the “ Theatre of the Absurd”?
Examples of ‘The Theatre of Absurd’
Main Features of “ The Theatre of the
Absurd”
These Features through justify a play
“Waiting for Godot” as Absurd Play
Index

3.  The “ Theatre of the Absurd” is also known as a
“ New Theatre”.
“Theater of Absurd” is a term or particular movement started
in late 1950s.
 The word “ Absurd” means foolishness , senseless , opposed
to reason , something silly and ridiculous.
 The Theatre of the Absurd commonly associated with
“Existentialism”.
 Critic Martin Esslin coined the term in his 1960 essay
“Theatre of the Absurd”.
What is the “ Theatre of the Absurd”?

4. Which presented on the stage the philosophy
articulated by French philosopher Albert
Camus in his essay The myth of Sisyphus.
In which he defines the human condition as
basically meaningless.
Sisyphus defied the god and put death in
chains so that no human needed to die. When
god decide on his punishment for all eternity.
He would have push a rock up a mountain
upon reaching the top the rock would roll
down again.
The myth of Sisyphus

5.  “ What is called a reason for living is also an
excellent reason for dying. ”
Albert Camus, Myth of Sisyphus
“The mod of “absurdist play” is tragicomedy.
Nothing is funnier than unhappiness…it’s the
most comical thing in the world”
“Endgame” by Samuel Beckett
Esslin cites William Shakespeare as an influence
on this aspect of “Absurd drama’’.

6. Examples of ‘The Theatre of Absurd’
Harold Pinter
Edward Albee

7. Jean Genet
Tom Stoppard

8. Meaninglessness of life
 No wonder
 No Organized movement
 Lack of plot
Elements of “ Existentialism “
 Very hard contain
 Puzzled dialogues
 Nonsense language
 Characters are stereotypical and archetypal
 Importance of Repetition.
 Absurd or unexplained ending
 Comic Scenes
 Different from Traditional drama
Characteristics of ‘The Theatre of the
Absurd’

9. “Waiting for Godot “ as “The Theatre of the Absurd”

10. Theatre of the Absurd presented the
life as meaningless and one that could
simply end in casual laughter. This was
reflected in the society of the time. It
was because of the following reasons:
(A) Mechanical nature of Man of the
Life
(B) Alien worlds
(C) Time
(D) Isolation
In the play waiting for godot we can
see the Senseless activity of Vladimir
and Estragon .
Meaninglessness of life

11. No beginning , climax
and ending.
 Same place and time
 Unexplained story
 Nothingness and
emptiness
Lack of Plot

12.  Song of “ death of a dog “
by Vladimir :
A dog came in the kitchen
And stole a crust of bread.
Then cook up with a ladle
And beat him till he was dead.
Then all the dogs came running
And dug the dog a tomb–
 Changing hats scene
Comic Scenes

13.  The absurd dramatist felt that
conventional language had failed
man and it was inadequate means
of communication. The uselessness
of language was used by the
characters constantly, they speak in
clichés ,overused, tired expressions.
Ex. Lucky’s speech in Act-1
(quaquaquaquaqua)
Dialogues of Vladimir and
Estragon make
misunderstanding.
Nonsense Language

14. Absurd play has a repetitive
cyclical structure.
 Similar setting- Debris
Timing- day to moon rise
Actions- hat Swapping scene
Similar Acts structure
Same acts ending
Same dialogues :-
ESTRAGON:What do we do
now?
VLADIMIR:Wait for Godot.
ESTRAGON:Ah!Silence.
Importance of repetition

15. Who is Godot ? God or
Man ?
 Act 1 : Pozzo - Master
Lucky – Slave
Act 2 : Pozzo – Slave
Lucky - Master
No female character
Complexity of Characters

16. a) Absurd theatre question the existence of
man.
Absurdist believe in the godless world.(World
war-2)
“The air is full of our cries’’
b) Human existence has no meaning and
purpose.
“The mystery of human existence lies not in
just staying alive, but in finding
something to live for’’
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Element of “ Existentialism ”

17. No use of interesting
plot.
 No sense of story
No use of dream ,
fantasy and poetic
language.
Different from Traditional drama

18. Absurd play has
unexplained,
Hope ,religion
nothingness,
forgetfulness,
purposelessness' of man
Ending is not
Conclusion……………
Absurd ending

19. Works Cited
Nikunj Bhatti’s Assignment :
http://nikunjbhatti2014-
2016.blogspot.in/2015/10/what-is-theatre-of-
absurd-waiting-for.html
The Myth of Sisyphus Wikipedia :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Si
syphus

20. Thank You