Let`s start with Character intro it will help you to memorize the plot easily
Vladimir– (a tramp who meets Estragon under leafless tree near a country road)
Estragon– (another tramp, already standing under the tree, and plan to hang with Vladimir)
Pozzo – (master of Lucky and passes by the spot where Vladimir and Estragon are waiting)
Lucky – (slave of Pozzo)
Boy – (a visitor in both acts)
The meaning of `Godot`
Here Godot means` GOD` as the play suggest, the two main characters are waiting for something unpredictable to happen but it never will.
According to Samuel Becket the word Godot can be describe in the following manner also,
like; Godot Hopes, Happiness, Perfectness and change
Everyone was suffering after the world war II, so they need an excuse to be happy and that excuse could be `Godot` as the people are hoping from Godot to bring hopes and happiness. They basically want a change in life.
Summary and analysis
Waiting for Godot has two acts; tragic and comedy, the two tramps Vladimir and Estragon meet on an open street under a leafless tree, later, joined by another two characters Lucky and Pozzo passing by, but leave them together after sometime.
The two tramps have visitor a Boy, who conveys an identical message.
Both the characters Vladimir and Estragon while talking reveals that they are waiting for some person name GODOT.
Vladimir and Estragon, they have not met that person name Godot yet, still they just keep waiting. And it is not certain that person (Godot) will ever arrive or never will.
Now the leafless tree has grown number of leaves on it and both the tramps are still waiting for Godot. After sometime, a Boy came as the messenger of Godot and ask them to leave because Godot will be not arriving today, but Vladimir and Estragon keeps on stage when play ends
This reflects that both the characters are still in hope to meet that person and that is why they are WAITING while standing on stage.
This play is written after II world war by the most celebratory and influential writer of modern literature Samuel Becket. Waiting for Godot is a tragic comedy play in two acts.
Waiting for Godot is written in 1953, Paris and published in 1954 by Samuel Becket.
Originally, `Waiting for Godot` is written in French as the title `En Attendant Godot` later it is translated in English by Samuel Becket.
The translated version premiered in 1955, London.
Waiting for Godot is voted as the most significant English language play of 20th century English literature, and highly appreciated by critics too because of the different genre.
The genre of the play is tragic comedy, that describes the human existence on earth.
Samuel Becket has used tramps as protagonist as the main character of the play, hence the characters are trying to shade their tears through laughter.
It is a meaningless play because it doesn’t have plot, story nor meaningful characters or dialogue.
Not only the absence of conventional plot and characters makes this play an absurd but asymmetrical structure is also missing.
Waiting for Godot is a play based on Existentialism, existence of human and the audience.
Waiting for Godot, the character seems to be like a puppet and mechanical, this shows that the living in world has no meaning, hence the world is useless.
While performing, there is no change in characters situation nor any movement, the entire play staged at one spot. Hence it lacks linear progression. The play has the Austere stage setting, like; an open street, mound of earth and leafless tree.
Samuel Becket wants his work to be absurd for the reader that they won’t be able to understand easily. It was the period of experimentation for Samuel Becket. Hence, this play became a turning point of his career.
This play is categorized as an absurd play because of devoid of the characterization and motivation, also the theme of the play is unexplained by the author.
Waiting for Godot is non- linguistic and a speechless play. It is a blend of the comedy and tragedy altogether.
On Waiting for Godot, critics have mixed opinion some of them highly appreciated because of the different dramaturgy form of the play while, some of them objected to Becket`s dramaturgical plot, scenery and characters situation in the play.
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