Waiting for Godot is based on human Existentialism like; how man can shape his own destiny by the exercise of his ‘will’ in the face of given set of potentialities which is his life. The main premise is the concrete fact that man exists; here, predetermination is denied. Same as, Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Becket based on human existence in which Becket describes the human`s freedom of choice and action, he also justifies that it’s in their own hand to inspired and influence the other people, so every individual is responsible to humanity as whole.
Waiting for Godot, the play has two tramps Vladimir and Estragon who choose to wait for an unknow person name GODOT, and they decided to keep waiting until he comes, the fact that they don`t know who the Godot is? How does he look? and most importantly whether he will arrive or never will? Waiting for Godot is a tragicomedy, of two play as it combines tragic and comic elements altogether. Waiting for Godot also dramatizes the statement of the human situation itself, the self that caught up in the endless process of decay and destruction. The play is about the emptiness of modern world that does not know it is empty.
The play as reflection of EXISTENTIAL theme
Existentialist thought describes the view that the man is no longer essential? So, Existentialism portrays as man thrown into this world as a diseased animal. It constantly underlines the fact of human being finitude and the misery and despair that dog human life from cradle to grave, like same, the characters of the play Vladimir, Estragon, Lucky and Pozzo keep waiting and struggling with the irrationality of experience throughout the play. It shows that they are in despair, they are living in misery. In the play the characters keep waiting but Godot never comes to meet them, the play therefore shows how man is thrown back into solitude and non- action.
This play could be representing human beings whose waiting may be humanity`s vain and hope of salvation or hopeless things. But with the Becket`s point of view, it seems that of Anouilah or Sartre as the play speak, a play that one pf them has written is that it is the quintessence of existentialism.
Additionally, Charles McCog urges that we distinguish between ‘nihilistic existentialism’ of Kierkegaard, and insists that the latter offers one of the world essential keys of Becket`s play. Although, Becket is not aware of such influence, so his writing may be described as a literary exposition Of Sartre`s nihilistic existentialism. It is not just existence but an assumption of the characters that they seem to have no job except for waiting, their characters lack firm that shows they are determined to go on their pointlessness waiting.
Thus, Waiting for Godot is the non- action of futile waiting by the two tramps Vladimir and Estragon by Samuel Becket. This play is written by Samuel Becket in 1953, Paris and published in 1954. Originally the play is written in French as the title ‘En Attendant Godot’ later translated in English by Samuel Becket.
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