Themes of Waiting for Godot

1. Name: Rupa Bambhaniya
Paper No: 9 The Modernist literature
Enrollment no: 2069108420200002
Class: M.A sem 3
Roll no : 23
Submitted by: Smt.S.B.Gardhi, Department
of English
Email I’d rupabambhniya166@gmail.com

2. Waiting for Godot.
By
Samual Becket

3. “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again.
Fail again. Fail better.”
- By Samual Becket

4. Waiting for Godot first published in French in
1952 . ( En attendant Godot)
English subtitle : A Tragicomedy in two Acts .
Settings of the Play An open country road a
leafless tree, A mound of Earth.
Waiting for Godot belongs to the Theater of
Absurd . Talks about irrational nature of life.

5. In Waiting for Godot, Beckett builds his themes
through 2 ways.
1. the small stage setting
2. the characters’ absurd conversations and
actions.
Characters represent humanity,
the setting of the play represents human
existence, and the words and actions of
Characters demonstrate larger truths about the
human existence.

6. The Absurdity of Existence .
The most noticeable feature of the Play is it’s untter absurdity.
They decide to end their waiting by hanging themselves or
Simply by leaving from there but they keep standing there doing
nothing.
Although they agree that there is “Nothing to be done “
They work absurdity hard to fill the time while they wait.
The Unavoid able Conclusion is that human existence is itself
absurd

7. Uncertainty of Time / Time
The subject of the Play is not , Godot , but Waiting
which is an important aspect of human Condition
it is only while waiting we can experience the passage
of time.
Time has a slippery quality in the play.
The characters are trapped by time.

8. Folly of Seekinng meaning :
It represents the futility and folly of such a search for
meaning in an inherently meaningless existence.
Human being are born without asking to be born and
they die without seeking to die.

9. Purposelessenesse of human life /
meaninglessness of life .
 None of the characters has a meannigfull purpose in life .
 They are now simply moving from one place to another and their
travelling appears Counterproductive.The messages from Godot
delivered by the boy are equally purposeless. Godot will never come,
and it is not at all clear if the messages are even meant for Vladimir and
Estragon because the boy calls Vladimir “Albert.”
 All the characters seem to be trapped in their purposeless roles in life.
 The idea that life has no purpose is a recurring theme in the Theatre of
the Absurd and so Waiting for Godot is an example of the Theatre ofthe
Absurd.

10. Conclusion :
Waiting for Godot is an existentialist play . Human
being are thrown into the world as a diseased
animal .
the fact that they are conscious is their disease.
Waiting for Godot is a Christian Play Godot
signifies an elusive God
Who promises salvation but never arrives.

11. We can see the situation is presented
comically by Vladimir’s Charlie Chaplin walk,
funny dialogue, monologues , games ....

12. Work citation
 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot
 Fredericksen, Erik. “Waiting for Godot Themes: Humanity, Companionship, Suffering, and
Dignity.” LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 15 Dec 2013. Web. 1 Dec 2020.
 https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/waiting-for-godot/themes/suffering