The document discusses various symbolisms in Samuel Beckett's play 'Waiting for Godot', highlighting key elements such as the characters Vladimir and Estragon representing humanity, the tree symbolizing hope and the cross, and the role of absurdity in their conversations. It examines themes of existential confusion, poverty, and the nature of time and reality, illustrated through symbols like the carrot, boot, and rope. Additionally, it addresses the contrast between characters and their relationships, emphasizing the barriers to connection and the cyclical nature of their existence.

1. imagery
symbolisms

2. ABDUL GHAFFAR JAT
2K16-BLENG-4
USINDH LAAR CAMPUS BADIN

3. WHO IS Godot?
• Beckett is believed to have said that
the name Godot comes from the
French "godillot" meaning a military
boot. Beckett fought in the war and
so spending long periods of time
waiting for messages to arrive would
have been commonplace for him. The
more common interpretation that it
might mean "God" is almost certainly
wrong. Beckett apparently stated
that if he had meant "God," he would
have written "God". Godot: it is
relatively common name in French

4. Vladimir and Estrogan
• Vladimir and Estrogan represent
entire human race
• Through them we are able to
discover, how human behave
and act
• Human existence is seen
through absurd conversations
which these two man have.
Meaningless conversation and
action are used to simply ‘’pass
time’’

5. Tree
• The tree may represent the cross on
which JESUS crucified , it stand as the
symbol of hope, because in the end of
play, it has leave.
 (Also, if you check out the painting that inspired
Beckett, you’ll see that a big tree features
prominently.) Right off the bat you’ve got the
biblical stuff; Jesus was crucified on a cross, but
that cross is sometimes referred to as a "tree," as
in, "Jesus was nailed to the tree."

6. Hanging
• Both character , Vladimir
and Estrogan, consider
hanging themselves as
way out of their situation.
They decide against it
eventually as they wait in
hopes that Godot will
resolve their problem.

7. A country road, over the span of two nights.
Unknown time and place
 Wrong palace/wrong time. The tramps are confused about the time and
palace where to meet GODOT. This represent their confusion of life
itself
 . We are never really sure whether act one and act two take place
in the same location, other than the fact that Beckett describes it
as such in the stage directions.
 We also don’t know what lies offstage, since Vladimir and
Estragon are always forced back onto the stage in some form or
another.
 Depending on the design of a production, the set is more or less
ornate. Sometimes there is literally nothing else onstage than the
actors and the tree.
 The effect of Beckett’s minimally described set is that we have
absolutely no idea where Vladimir and Estragon are either in time
or in place. The past?
 The future? Earth? An imaginary place in one of their heads? We
just don’t know. It’s almost like uncertainty is a main theme in
the play and we as the audience experience it the same way
Vladimir and Estragon do.

8. Ditch
• This may refer to the biblical
parable of good Samaritan in
which a kind traveler helps a
man who has been beaten and
robbed. No one ever helps
Estrogan . His lying in the ditch
shows how the friends who have
seen better days , are now poor
and reduced to violent
circumstances

9. The Carrot
• This carrot is a good comic relief
in which both Vladimire and
Estrogan can’t agree on the
vegetable. No matter what we
called it, we will referring to the
same thing; Vladimir
• Nothing you can do about it.
• Estrogan no use wriggling
• Vladimir the essential does not
change.
• At first they were bickering over
the way carrot tasted. It doesn’t
really matter who is right and who
is wrong about the carrot.

10. • This symbolizes our questions
of reality. We put label on
things, but that is not really the
way things really are.
• We want to see the absolute
truth but we can’t.

11. The road
• Its like road of life. Just like
human life has not clear
beginning, the road has no
clear ending .
• It is things have to be
because we are put on this
earth as humans, we have
no clear sense of purpose

12. Vladimir’s song
• Vladimir song: its reflection of
how all the action in the play
repeat themselves and circular in
nature so is this song.
• Song in act two, death is a theme

13. Pozzo
• He sees himself a superior
being. He recognized the
tramps as inferior species as
myself. ( he burst in enormous
laugh) of the same species as
pozzo. He is self-absorbed
and sees himself ‘’Godlike
image’’ pozzo has desire to
command and dominate lucky.

14. Smell
 Estragon is repeatedly repelled by smells in Waiting
for Godot. Vladimir stinks of garlic, Lucky smells like
who knows what, and Pozzo reeks of a fart in Act II.
 It seems every time Estragon tries to get close to a
person, he is repelled by their odor.
 It looks to us like smells represent one of the barriers
to interpersonal relationships. Estragon isn’t just
repelled by odors – he’s repelled by the visceral
humanity of those around him.
 There’s something gritty and base about the odor of
a human body, and for Estragon it’s too much to
handle.

15. Lucky
• He represent a pathetic specimen of
human race.
• He is called ‘’pig’’ and ‘’hog’’ and even
‘’certain’’ by others and yet feel ‘’lucky
’’ to belong to their group and live as a
slave while eating scraps which are
thrown to him. He wants his master
respect like humans, we do what we
can do to impress our GOD, to see
that we are worth something.
• His name is ironic as his fortunate
even when his master is blind.
•

16. Nightfall and the Rising Moon
 While Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot, they
also wait for nightfall. For some reason (again,
arbitrary and uncertain), they don’t have to wait
for him once the night has fallen.
 The classic interpretation is that night = dark =
death. The falling of night is as much a reprieve
from daily suffering as death is from the suffering
of a lifetime.
There’s also the issue of the moon, as its
appearance in the sky is the real signal that night
has come and the men can stop waiting for Godot.
 Estragon, in one of his "wicked smart" moments,
comments the moon is "pale for weariness […] of
climbing heaven and gazing on the likes of us."
Though the man remembers nothing of yesterday,
he does in this moment seem to comprehend the
endless repetition of his life.
 And if the moon is weary just from watching,
imagine what that says about the predicament of
the men themselves.

17. Gogo’s nightmare
• These represent
discomfort and lack of
tranquility of tramps with
regards to their
situation. They have an
inability to laugh

18. The HAT
• Unexplained and illogical things happen
with the hat
• Lucky begins speaking nonsense
when puts on hat
• Vladimir, and estrogan exchange their
hats with lucky many times until
Vladimir question, if he looks good in
the hat, he has present on
• This is no logical reason to this action
but it shows humor in the things human
do.

19. Boot
• This is always put on and take off.
When boot is of estrogan look
inside and sees nothing, when he
puts its boot sees reality, the world
and how nothing make any sense.
• Estrogan: continuously look inside
as a way of passing time.
• This shows absurdity in human,
because no matter how many
times we take to try to figure things
out, we miss picture by wasting
time on pointless mater.

20. The Bone
• This symbolizes poverty, they
do not have enough for
themselves to eat. They beg
to survive, estrogan and lucky
are through order to survive.
Estrogan and lucky are
deprived of food for while so
they are willing to eat
anything

21. The Bag
• Lucky carries bag he never
stop to trying to carry. Pozzo
doesn’t force lucky this bag
but lucky prove himself to his
master. He feels as if he
carries it around to show his
determination and devotion to
making pozzo happy.

22. The Rope
• Lucky is a slave tied to his master .
• Pozzo is healthy and o lucky could think the rope
try the two together was long, when pozzo was
blind and needed lucky who was dumb to guide
him rope was short.
• This symbolizes how the distance between the god
and his slave is great, when god is powerful and
healthy.
• However, when rope is short the distance between
to is smaller, because their greatness is not in
contrast as much.
•

23. • When estrogan and
Vladimir try to hang them
with a cord it breaks,
they remind themselves
to bring rope tomorrow.
• Rope bonds them
together with same
purpose