The document discusses 'Waiting for Godot' by Samuel Beckett as a prime example of absurd theatre, highlighting its themes of existentialism and the lack of meaning in human existence. It explains the characteristics of absurd plays, including no plot, characterization, and the portrayal of life's meaninglessness through repetitive dialogue and cyclical structure. The work cites several sources that explore the nature and definition of absurd theatre.

1. Name : Rita Dabhi
Sem :- 3
Roll no. :20
Paper :- Modern literature
Submitted :- Department of English
MKB University
Email :- dabhirita1198@gmail.com
Batch :- 2019-20221
“Waiting For Godot” as Absurd play

2. ❏ What is absurd theatre :
● The word absurd means foolishness,
senseless, opposed to reason, someting silly
and ridiculous.
● The plays focus largely on ideas of
existentialism and express what happens when
human existence lacks meaning or purpose and
communication breaks down.
● These plays of absurd have no story or plot.

3. Martin Esslin
❖ ‘The Theatre of Absurd’ (1961)
❖ There is no such thing as a regular
movement of Absurd dramatists. The
Theatre of the Absurd delineates the
insoluble problem called “identity crisis”
though humans put in vigorous effort in
searching for an answer to the question,
“who am I?”

4. ❖ Characteristics of the Absurd Theatre :
❏ No story or plot
❏ Neither a proper beginning nor ending
❏ No characterization and motivation
❏ Unexplained themes
❏ Useless dialogues
❏ Imitation of dreams or nightmares instead
of nature

5. ❏ Waiting For Godot as absurd play
● Playwright: Samuel Beckett
● Published in 1952 in French as
‘En attendant Godot’
● First performance: 5 January 1953
● Genres: Tragicomedy, Absurdist
fiction

6. ❏ No story or plot :
➢ No beginning and no end.
➢ The play starts with
waiting and ends with it.
➢ Characters do not go
anywhere.
➢ The play lacks action.

7. Theatre of absurd presented the life as meaningless and one that could simply
end in casual language. There was reflected in the society of the time. It was
because of the following reasons :
➢ Michanical nature of man of the life.
➢ Alien world
➢ Time
➢ Isolation
In the Waiting for Godot we can see the senseless activity of Vladimir and
Estragon.
❏ Meaninglessness of Life

8. ❏ Useless Dialogues Make “Waiting for Godot” as an
Absurd Play:
Vladimir: Well? Shall We Go?
Estragon: Yes, Let’s Go.
[ They don’t move. ]

9. ❏ Importance of repetition :
● Absurd play has a repetitive cyclical structure.
● Similar setting : Debris
● Timing : Day to moon rise
● Action : hat swapping scene similar Act
structure.
Estragon : What do we do now
Vladimir : wait for Godot
Estragon : Ah! (Silence)

10. “Nothing happens,
nobody comes … nobody
goes, it’s awful!”.

11. ❏ Work cited :
● Ahmed, Anwaar. "Waiting for Godot" as an Absurd Play | Absurd Theater Characteristics, 3
Sept. 2019,
www.askliterature.com/drama/samuel-beckett/waiting-for-godot/waiting-for-godot-as-an-absu
rd-play/.
● Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot: a Tragicomedy in Two Acts. Faber & Faber, 2015.
● Esslin, Martin. Theatre of Absurd. Penguin Books, 1968.
● Trivedi, Naveen. Waiting for Godot as an Absurd Play.
www.scribd.com/doc/137677751/Waiting-for-Godot-as-an-Absurd-Play.