Waiting for Godot.docx

Waiting for Godot.docx

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WaitingforGodot

WaitingforGodot

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WaitingforGodot（/ˈɡɒdoʊ/GOD-oh[1]）isanabsurdistplaybySamuelBeckett,inwhichtwocharacters,VladimirandEstragon,waitendlesslyandinvainforthearrivalofsomeonenamedGodot.[2]Godot'sabsence,aswellasnumerousotheraspectsoftheplay,haveledtomanydifferentinterpretationssincetheplay's1953premiere.Itwasvoted"themostsignificantEnglishlanguageplayofthe20thcentury".[3]WaitingforGodotisBeckett'stranslationofhisownoriginalFrenchversion,EnattendantGodot,andissubtitled（inEnglishonly）"atragicomedyintwoacts".[4]TheoriginalFrenchtextwascomposedbetween9October1948and29January1949.[5]Thepremièrewason5January1953intheThéâtredeBabylone,Paris.TheproductionwasdirectedbyRogerBlin,whoalsoplayedtheroleofPozzo.

Plot

ActI

Theplayopensonanoutdoorsceneoftwobedraggledcompanions:

thepensiveVladimirandthestrugglingEstragonwhocannotremovehisbootsfromhisailingfeet,finallymuttering"Nothingtobedone."Vladimirtakesupthethought,[nb1]whileEstragonvaguelyremembershavingbeenbeatenthenightbefore.Finally,hisbootscomeoffandthepairramblesandbickerspointlessly.WhenEstragonsuddenlydecidestoleave,VladimirremindshimthattheymuststayandwaitforGodot—asegmentofdialoguethatrepeatsoften.Unfortunately,thepaircannotagreeonwhereorwhentomeetwiththisGodot.[nb2]Theyonlyknowthattheyaresupposedtowaitatatree,andthereisindeedaleaflessonenearby.

EstragonsoondozesoffandVladimirrouseshimbutthenstopshimbeforehecansharehisdreams—anotherrecurringmotif.Estragonwantstohearanoldjoke,whichVladimircannotfinish,sinceakidneyailmentpainfullyurgeshimtourinatewheneverhestartslaughing.Estragonnextsuggeststhattheyhangthemselves,buttheyabandontheideawhenthelogisticsseemineffective.EstragonandVladimirponderthepotentialbenefitofGodot'sarrivalbutcometonodefiniteconclusions.[7]WhenEstragondeclareshishunger,Vladimirprovidesacarrot（amongacollectionofturnips）,atwhichEstragonidlygnaws,loudlyreiteratingtheirboredom.

"Aterriblecry"[8]heraldstheentranceofLucky,asilent,baggage-burdenedslavewitharopetiedaroundhisneck,andPozzo,hispompousandimperiousmaster,whoholdstheotherendandstopsnowtorest.Pozzobarksabusiveordersattheslave,whileactingcivilly,thoughtersely,towardstheothertwo,whoarealtogetherdumbfounded.Pozzoenjoyschickenandwinewithoutanysharing,beforecastingthebonestotheground.Estragongleefullyclaimsthebones,muchtoVladimir'sembarrassment,andVladimirabruptlyblowsupatPozzoforhismistreatmentofLucky.PozzoignoresthisandexplainshisintentiontosellLucky,whobeginstocry.PozzopresentsahandkerchiefforthepityingEstragontowipeawayLucky'stears,butLuckykicksEstragonintheshin.PozzothenbecomesmaudlinandoffersVladimirandEstragonsomecompensationfortheircompany.EstragonbeginstobegformoneywhenPozzoinsteadsuggeststhatLuckycan"dance"and"think"fortheirentertainment.Lucky'sdance,"theNet",isclumsyandshuffling;Lucky's"thinking"isalong-windedanddisjointedmonologue—itisthefirstandonlytimethatLuckyspeaks.[nb3]Thesoliloquybeginsasarelativelycoherentandacademiclectureontheologybutquicklydissolvesintomindlessverbosity,escalatinginbothvolumeandspeed,thatagonisestheothersuntilVladimirfinallypullsoffLucky'shat,stoppinghiminmid-sentence.PozzothenhasLuckypackuphisbags,andtheyleaveatlast.

VladimirandEstragon,aloneagain,reflectonwhethertheyhavemetPozzoandLuckybefore.Aboythenarrives,purportingtobeamessengersentfromGodottotellthepairthatGodotwillnotbecomingthat"eveningbutsurelytomorrow."[10]DuringVladimir'sinterrogationoftheboy,heasksifhecamethedaybefore,makingitapparentthatthetwomenhavebeenwaitingforanindefiniteperiodandwilllikelycontinue.Aftertheboydeparts,themoonappearsandthetwomendecidetoleavetofindshelterforthenight,buttheymerelystandwithoutmoving.

ActII[edit]

ItisdaytimeagainandVladimirbeginssingingarecursiveroundaboutthedeathofadog,buttwiceforgetsthelyricsashesings.[nb4][12]Again,Estragonclaimstohavebeenbeatenlastnight,despitenoapparentinjury.VladimircommentsthattheformerlybaretreenowhasleavesandtriestoconfirmhisrecollectionsofyesterdayagainstEstragon'sextremelyvague,unreliablememory.Vladimirthentriumphantlyproducesevidenceofthepreviousday'seventsbyshowingEstragonthewoundfromwhenLuckykickedhim.NoticingEstragon'sbarefootedness,theyalsodiscoverhisforsakenbootsnearby,whichEstragoninsistsarenothis,althoughtheyfithimperfectly.Withnocarrotsleft,VladimiroffersEstragonaturniporaradish.HethensingsEstragontosleepwithalullabybeforenoticingfurtherevidencetoconfirmhismemory:

Lucky'shatstillliesontheground.ThisleadstohisinvolvingEstragoninafrenetichat-swappingscene.ThetwowaitforGodot,astheydidyesterday,andinthemeantimedistractthemselvesbyplayfullyimitatingPozzoandLucky,firinginsultsateachotherandthenmakingup,andattemptingsomefitnessroutines—allofwhichfailmiserablyandendquickly.

PozzoandLuckyunexpectedlyreappear,buttheropeismuchshorterthanyesterday,andLuckynowguidesPozzo,ratherthanbeingcontrolledbyhim.Astheyarrive,PozzotripsoverLuckyandtheytogetherfallintoamotionlessheap.EstragonandVladimirseeanopportunitytoexactrevengeonLuckyforkickingEstragonearlier.TheissueisdebatedlengthilyuntilPozzoshocksthepairbyrevealingthatheisnowblindandLuckyisnowmute.Heclaimstohavelostallnotionoftime,andassurestheothersthathecannotremembermeetingthembefore,butalsodoesnotexpecttorecalltoday'seventstomorrow.Pozzo'scommandingarrogancefromyesterdayappearstohavebeenreplacedbyhumilityandinsight,thoughhisdemeanorisoneofutterdespair.Hispartingwords—whichVladimirexpandsuponlater—eloquentlyencapsulatethebrevityofhumanexistence:

"Theygivebirthastrideofagrave,thelightgleamsaninstant,thenit'snightoncemore."[13]EstragonhasagainfallenasleepbythetimeLuckyandPozzodepart.

WhileEstragonsleepson,Vladimirisencounteredby（apparently）thesameboyfromyesterday,thoughVladimirwonderswhetherhemightbetheotherboy'sbrother.Thistime,Vladimirbeginsconsciouslyrealisingthecircularnatureofhisexperiencesandexistence:

heevenpredictsexactlywhattheboywillsay,involvingthesamespeechaboutGodotnotarrivingtodaybutsurelytomorrow.Vladimirseemstoreachamomentofrevelationbeforefuriouslychasingtheboyaway,demandingthatheberecognisedthenexttimetheymeet.Estragonawakesandpullshisbootsoffagain.HeandVladimiragainconsiderhangingthemselves,buttheytestthestrengthofEstragon'sbelt（hopingtouseitasanoose）anditbreaks;Estragon'strousersconsequentlyfalldown.Theyresolvetomorrowtobringamoresuitablepieceofropeand,ifGodotfailstoarrive,tocommitsuicide.Again,theydecidetoclearoutforthenight,though,oncemore,neitherofthemmakesanyattempttomove.

Characters[edit]

Beckettrefrainedfromelaboratingonthecharactersbeyondwhathehadwrittenintheplay.HeoncerecalledthatwhenSirRalphRichardson"wantedthelow-downonPozzo,hishomeaddressandcurriculumvitae,andseemedtomaketheforthcomingofthisandsimilarinformationtheconditionofhiscondescendingtoillustratethepartofVladimir...ItoldhimthatallIknewaboutPozzowasinthetext,thatifIhadknownmoreIwouldhaveputitinthetext,andthatwastruealsooftheothercharacters."[14]

VladimirandEstragon

VladimirandEstragon（June2010productionoftheplayattheTheDoonSchool,India）

WhenBeckettstartedwritinghedidnothaveavisualimageofVladimirandEstragon.Theyareneverreferredtoastrampsinthetext,thoughareoftenperformedinsuchcostumesonstage.RogerBlinadvises:

"Beckettheardtheirvoices,buthecouldn'tdescribehischaracterstome.[Hesaid]:

'TheonlythingI'msureofisthatthey'rewearingbowlers.'"[15]"ThebowlerhatwasofcoursederigueurformalepersonsinmanysocialcontextswhenBeckettwasgrowingupinFoxrock,and[hisfather]commonlyworeone."[16]Thatsaid,theplaydoesindicatethattheclotheswornatleastbyEstragonareshabby.WhentoldbyVladimirthatheshouldhavebeenapoet,Estragonsayshewas,gesturestohisrags,andasksifitwerenotobvious.

Therearenophysicaldescriptionsofeitherofthetwocharacters;however,thetextindicatesthatVladimirispossiblytheheavierofthepair.ThebowlersandotherbroadlycomicaspectsoftheirpersonashaveremindedmodernaudiencesofLaurelandHardy,whooccasionallyplayedtrampsintheirfilms."Thehat-passinggameinWaitingForGodotandLucky'sinabilitytothinkwithouthishatonaretwoobviousBeckettderivationsfromLaurelandHardy–asubstitutionofformforessence,coveringforreality,"wroteGeraldMastinTheComicMind:

ComedyandtheMovies（Univ.ofChicagoPress,2nded.1979）.BeckettalsoalludestothecomedyteamspecificallyinhisnovelWatt（1953）,whenahealthyshrubisdescribedatonepointas"ahardylaurel."

VladimirstandsthroughmostoftheplaywhereasEstragonsitsdownnumeroustimesandevendozesoff."EstragonisinertandVladimirrestless."[17]Vladimirlooksattheskyandmusesonreligiousorphil