Paper : 107 Assignment :
Existential Elements in ‘Waiting for Godot
Name - Hina Parmar
Batch - M.A. Sem 2 (2022-2024)
Enrollment no - 40692064202221
Roll no - 10
Subject code - 22400
Paper no - 107
Paper - The twentieth century literature from World War 2 to the end of the century
Email address - hinaparmar612@gmail.com
Submitted to - Smt.S.B. Gardi Department of English M.K.B.U.
Date of submission - 31 march, 2023
This blog is written as an assignment on paper no - 107 The Twentieth Century Literature from world war 2 to the end of the century. This assignment is assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir H.O.D of English Department M.K.B.U. In this particular blog I am going to discuss about the Existential Elements in ‘Waiting for Godot'.
About the Author
Samuel Beckett whose full name is Samuel Barclay Beckett born on April 13, 1906, Foxrock, County Dublin, Ireland and died on December 22, 1989, Paris, France. He was a famous author, critic, and playwright, and also winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. He wrote in both French and English and is perhaps best known for his plays, especially an attendant Godot.
Samuel Beckett was born in a suburb of Dublin. Like his fellow Irish writers George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, and William Butler Yeats, he came from a Protestant, Anglo-Irish background. When he turned at 14 he went to the Portora Royal School, in what became Northern Ireland, a school that catered to the Anglo-Irish middle classes. From 1923 to 1927, he studied Romance languages at Trinity College, Dublin, where he received his bachelor’s degree. In 1945, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his resistance work.
Introduction of the play
'Waiting for Godot' is a complex play, and it has evoked a variety of critical responses. Here are some critics responses about this play.
Charles s. McCoy has noted that much of the comment in this country has seen in the play a message of meaninglessness, despair, and ugliness,
McCoy himself, however, does not agree that the outlook of the play is one of nihilistic existentialism. It may rather be that the play's point of view is essentially biblical.
Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' is a play about two tramps who are Vladimir and Estragon. They stand beside the road near a tree, which is dead in act one, and they wait there for Godot. They didn't know anything about Godot and they are not absolutely sure that they are at the right place ? or that this is the right day ? nor are they sure whether Godot is coming ? or what they asked him for or whether they have his name right? But one thing they continuously do is wait.
This play is a controversial play whose reception in its early days fluctuated between ambition and rejection due to its unusual form. This is a play that is plotless and characters of this play are dull and simple, that nobody would think to identify with. Later on this play became popular as it was performed in different cities and raised heated debate among critics after interpretations started to relate it to Christianity.
The idea of the waiting became clearer when the play was performed in San Quentin’s prison in 1957, as the prisoners made direct reactions to the play because they identified with it, unlike the viewers who only watched it in theaters. The prisoners “understood what waiting was at a deeper level than any of us could comprehend”
There is just one set, if we may use the name 'set' for that rock and that emaciated looking tree which are the only points of reference in the empty extent of sands. In this play there are only five characters, of which three are purely episodic.
When the curtain raises there are two men present, Vladimir and Estragon. Once again they meet each other in this desolate place where, time is immemorial, they seemed to have taken residence. They are two poor tramps, rigged out in battered and dirty, ragged overciats, collected from some refuse can.
They are continuously repited things, they turn round and round like animals in a cage. They carry on a disconnected and meaningless discussiin. They take off their shooes for a while, they gnaw on a raw carrot to deceive their hunger. There were also two another characters who are Pozzo and Lucky. Pozzo is a kind of character who is cruel and he carry his cape, hangs from his sholders. He holds the unfortunate Lucky, who is as barridan, and is dreesed in the faded red livery of a servant.
What is Existentialism?
Basically Existentialism is a philosophical discourse that points out the theme of human existence and prioritizes personal experience. This also refers to the existence of sorrow and suffering. This philosophy is about freedom, believes in individualism and human rights with no external barriers.
In the 20th century, prominent existential thinkers were -
- Jean- Paul Sartre
- Albert Camus
- Martin Heidegger
- Karl Jaspers
- Gabriel Marcel
Jean Paul Sartre, who is a famous philosopher, maintained that a central proposition of existentialism is that existence precedes essence. On the other hand Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard opposed western materialism, industrial revolution, scientific research and machine culture.
Frederich Nietzsche, the German philosopher said that the social and moral values are of little human existence, he also said that "God is dead" and man is in a Godless universe, alone and helpless.
Many Existentialists said that man is because man exists. They all believe that Man is more important than all rules, regulations, laws or values. Man’s existence in reality is miserable, lonely and alienated, the desire for happiness is a myth and there is no escape of man from suffering. Nothing can relieve and alleviate man’s suffering. Man should be free to do what he wills and desires. Death is an inevitable and essential part of life. So, themes related to alienation and suffering abound in existential literature.
Existential Elements in ‘Waiting for Godot
Basically Existential literature deals with man’s melancholy, the meaning of existence and the problem of death.
In the play, ‘Waiting for Godot’, there were two central characters, Estragon and Vladimir. They choose to wait for a Mr. Godot whose identity is unclear to them. Estragon talks about his incapability and ignorance to recognize Mr. Godot. Estragon does not absolutely know who Godot is but he waits because Vladimir said to wait. He says-
“personally I wouldn’t know him if I ever saw him”.
Estragon and Vladimir have chosen waiting. Vladimir was not sure Godot would come but they were both waiting for him. Vladimir says -
“He didn’t say for sure he’d come.”
Estragon was not much interested in waiting, he wanted to leave but Vladimir held him to wait. In a way waiting is meaningless but it became their ultimate goal.
Estragon : “let’s go !”
Vladimir : “ We Can’t”
Estragon : “Why not?”
Vladimir : “We’re waiting for Godot.”
The play ‘Waiting for Godot’ deals not only with existence and also with momentary and internal time. In this play the tramps have a major problem and that problem was time passing. They are repeatedly thinking and complaining of boredom due to the slowness of time passing. They were trying to pass time , but all their efforts remained in vain. This condition makes them helpless and hopeless. They are very much frustrated because of their condition. Here in this line Estrogen express his awful condition.
Estragon says: “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.”
In continuous waiting, the tramps have almost attained a God-like timelessness. They began doubting their existence and identity after they doubted even time.
In a way in this play ‘Godot’ is nothing but a symbol of life which goes on pointlessly and aimlessly without having any meaning. This play is about the meaninglessness of life. Those two characters symbolize endless suffering and frustration. Frustration of that two characters appeared when Estragon suddenly offers the suggestion-
“Let’s hang ourselves immediately!”
They are continuously making meaningless conversation and meaningless actions. Nothing happens when Estragon takes off his boots and gropes inside in the expectation of something to fall out. Vladimir imitates this action with his hat and gets frustrated with no result. In this play The Pozzo and Lucky represent a tragic quality and helplessness and hopelessness.
Conclusion
To conclude the play ‘Waiting for Godot’ presents the deal of waiting, ignorance and boredom and also It deals with the problem of man’s essential misery, suffering, frustration, loneliness, alienation and failure. In this play Godot symbolizes rest, peace, happiness, death, heaven and even God. The endless waiting symbolizes the futility and meaninglessness of human existence. All that things and discussion proves the presence of existentialism in Samuel Backett’s play ‘Waiting for Godot’.
Work Cited
Esslin, Martin J.. "Samuel Beckett". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Dec. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Beckett. Accessed 27 March 2023.
Gordon, Lois. The World of Samuel Beckett, 1906-1946. Yale University Press, 1996. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32brdh. Accessed 12 Mar. 2023.
JOSBIN, RAOUL, and Joseph E. Cunneen. “‘WAITING FOR GODOT.’” CrossCurrents, vol. 6, no. 3, 1956, pp. 204–07. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24456672. Accessed 11 Mar. 2023.
Meena, Mukesh Kumar. “International Journal of Education, Modern Management, Applied Science & Social Science (IJEMMASSS).” EXISTENTIALISM IN SAMUEL BECKETT’S WAITING FOR GODOT: AN ANALYSIS, vol. 04, July 2022, pp. 88–91.
Via, Dan O. “‘Waiting for Godot’ and Man’s Search for Community.” Journal of Bible and Religion, vol. 30, no. 1, 1962, pp. 32–37. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1460533. Accessed 11 Mar. 2023.
Words - 1,634
Pictures - 2
No comments:
Post a Comment