This document contains information about a student named Praful Ghareniya who is submitting a paper on Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot" for their MA semester 3 course. It provides background on Beckett and defines the theater of the absurd as featuring meaningless plots, existential themes, and puzzling dialogue. It analyzes key elements of the theater of the absurd like lack of plot, repetition, meaningless language, and absurd endings. Symbols in "Waiting for Godot" and how the play reflects the mechanized and isolated nature of post-WWII society are also discussed.

1.  Name: Praful Ghareniya
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 Roll no.:20
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 topic : Explain of the theatre absurd and symbol in waiting for Godot
 M.A. Semester: 3
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 Enrolment No.:
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 Year: 2015-16
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 Paper no.: 9
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 Email ID.: prafulghareniya@gmail.com
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 Submitted to: Department of English
 Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

2. His is born on 1906
His died on 1989
His work on ..
Waiting for Godot (1953)
He won Nobel Prize in
Literature at 1969
Samuel Beckett

3.  The theatre of the absurd is also know as a new theatre .
 It means
the word Absurd foolishness, senseless,
opposed to reason,
something silly and ridiculous
What is theater absurd ?

4. Myth of Sisyphus
 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 chain so that no human
needed to die
When god decide on his
punishment for all eternity
He would have push rock up a
mountain upon reaching the top
the rock down again.

5.  Meaninglessness of life
 No wonder
 Lack of plot
 Element of existentialism
 Every hard contain
 Puzzled dialogues
 Nonsense language
 Importance of repetition
 Absurd and unexpected ending
 Comic scenes
 Different from traditional drama
Main feature of the theatre of Absurd

6.  Theatre of absurd presented the life as meaningless and one that
could simply end in casual slaughter this was reflected in the
society of the time.it was because of the
following reasons
 1) mechanical nature of man of the life
 2) Alien worlds
 3) Isolation
 4)time
MEANIGNLESS OF LIFE

7. Ex. It lacks the traditional standards of drama, no causal chain of
effects and events, no Aristotle’s structure of drama
Lack of the Plot
no
beginning
No endingNo middle

8.  Theatre of the absurd have not the conventional story which can
convince the readers or viewers.
 Ex. In this play Estragon & Vladimir always waiting for the man
namely Godot who never come.
Non Conventional Story:

9. Contradiction and repetition of the
dialogues
For example Vladimir yells to
Estragon: “Come on . . . return the
ball can’t you, once in a
way?” Vladimir’s complaint is
descriptive of much of the
dialogue in the remainder of the
play
 One more Ex.,
 We’re waiting for Godot (pg-51)
 Boy: I don’t know sir:
 Repetition of the objects
 Ex.

10. Devaluation of The Language
 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.
They use language to feel the
emptiness between them, to
conceal the fact that they have
'nothing' to talk about to each
other.
 Ex. Lucky’s speech in Act-1
(quaquaquaquaqua

11. Cyclical Structure
 In fact, everything is structured
by this revenge motive. But in
Waiting for Godot, where there
is no motivated action, the
sense of nothingness play the
pivotal role in determining the
every aspect of the play.
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

12. Difference from poetic theatre
 No use of dreams, fantasy and poetic
language
Element of Existentialism
 Absurd theatre questions the
existence of man. Absurdist
believes in the godless world.
the air is full our cries
 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”

13.  society of that time was cut off from religion, it was presented in
absurd play
 Example
Vladimir and Estragon talking about thieves that
were crucified with Christ just passing time
=> The tree was symbol of Christianity
Cut off from religion

14.  Absurd play has unexplained ending
 Hope, religion, nothingness, forgetfulness, purposelessness' of
man,
 ending is not Conclusion.
 Another example is at the end of both acts, they talks about going
but no one goes:

Absurd Ending:

15.  Tree
 Boot
 hat
symbol