This presentation is one of my Academic activities in Department of English at M. K. Bhavnagar university submitted to Dr. Dilip Barad

2. Waiting for Godot
Summary-themes
Arti vadher
Roll no : 5
artivadher10@gmail.com
Paper no : 9
The Modernist Literature
Semester : 3 M.A.

3. Summary - Act 1
 Setting : A county road with one tree
 Vladimir and Estragon meet
 Estragon pulls of his boot, Vladimir takes of his hat
 They look in them to see if there's anything inside
 Later, they talk about Jesus Christ and Gospels to pass
time
 Estragon wants to leave, Vladimir says they can't
 Because they're waiting for Godot
 They dont know if Godot will come, or it's the riht place to
wait

4. Summary - Act 1
 Bored, Estragon suggests hanging themselves from the
tree
 They cant decide who should go first ,so they decide to
wait
 Pozzo and Lucky arrive
 Lucky-> looks like a horse, rope around his neck, carryin
everything
 Pozzo-> looks rich and aristocratic, carries a whip to hit
Lucky
 Estragon talks about Godot, Pozzo gets confused

5. Summary Act 1
 Pozzo orders Lucky around, Lucky obeys silently
 Then he eats some chicken, throwing the bones away
 Estragon gets the bones since Lucky doesn't say he
wants them
 Pozzo then says he's been with Lucky for almost 60
years
 Vladimir is surprised but Pozzo says Lucky is a burden

6. Summary - Act 1
 Pozzo talks about the night sky, other appreciate that.
 Pozzo likes being appreciated, offers to have Lucky dance and
think for them.
 Lucky dances, but when he starts to think, he starts talking about
politics and religion.The thoughts are never connected or
completed.
 The men force Lucky to stop talking.
 Pozzo and Lucky leave, Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot.
 A young boy arrives, sent by Godot. He says Godot won't come
today.

7. Summary - Act 2
 Setting: same place, same time.
 Vladimir and Estragon admit they are happy alone.
 Then convince each other that they're happy together.
 Still waiting for Godot....
 They say they hear voices, so they decide to ask each
other questions.
 Estragon doesn't remember yesterday.
 They keep on talking, then see someone coming.
 They try to hide behind the tree, but they're too big to
hide.

8. Summary - Act 2
 Then they decide to abuse each other, start insulting.
 They embrace and continue waiting.
 Pozzo and Lucky arrive again.
 Pozzo is blind and Lucky is mute.
 Pozzo falls, Vladimir doesn't want to help stand up not to
be left alone.
 Then they help Pozzo get up.

9. Summary - Act 2
 Estragon goes to wake up Lucky.
 He kicks him and starts hurling abuses until he again
hurts his foot.
 Estragon sits back down and tries to take off his boot.
 Pozzo and Lucky leave.
 Vladimir says there is no truth and by tomorrow they will
know nothing of what happened.
 The boy arrives again but does not remember meeting
Estragon or vladimir.

10. Summary - Act 2
 The conversation is the same - Godot will not come
today.
 Vladimir wants the boy to remember him tomorrow.
 Then they decide to leave but thy cant't because they
need to wait.
 They decide to hang themselves if Godot doesn't come.
 Then they decide to leave, but they don't.

11. Themes
 The absurd
 Truth
 Life, consciouness, Existence
 Time

12. The Absurd
 Daily actions are meaningless
 Language fails to communicate.
 Artificial lives
 Dark comedy - characters talk about tragic
events(death,suicide)
 The audience cannot know how to react, Laugh or cry?

13. Truth
 Truth is uncertain.
 Characters cannot decide what to do - uncertainty of
consequences.
 Non-existence of objective truth- they question
everything.
 Even time is subjective.

14. Life and Existence
 Life is repetitive, meaningless
 Without a purpose
 Nihilism- a denial of any significance or meaning
The play is basically about nothing
 Involves suffering
 Solution?
Awareness
Conscious choice

15. Time
 In the title WAITING
 Time is a barrier and a test of endurance
 Same actions everyday, time is cyclical
 Memories are faulty, Time is irrelevant , uncertain
 It is not clear when the play starts and when it ends.