Ficha de lectura – Samuel Beckett; Waiting for Godot

Ficha de lectura

Samuel Beckett

Waiting for Godot – a tragicomedy in two acts

First published in 1956 by Faber and Faber Limited, London. First performed on 3^rd August 1955 at Arts Theatre, London.

Characters

The two main characters are Vladimir and Estragon. Estragon calls Vladimir Didi and Vladimir calls Estragon Gogo. Both wear hats and are seem to be wanderers. Estragon has shoes that don’t fit, the are hungry and have no home. Vladimir has the strongest characters of the two he feels partly responsible for Estragon and tries to help him with advises. Estragon is weaker and less intelligent. He has a bad memory. In de second act must Vladimir tell Estragon what they did the day before, because Estragon has already forgotten this. Both Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for Godot. The have an appointment with Godot. It stays unclear what this man Godot will do for them but it seems worth waiting for him. ´VLADIMIR: Ah Gogo, don’t go on like that. Tomorrow everything will be better. (…) VLADIMIR: He said that Godot was sure to come tomorrow. (Pause.) What do you say to that?´ (p. 52-53) Two other important characters are Pozzo and Lucky. These characters are passing by as Vladimir and Estragon are waiting. Pozzo is master of his slave lucky who carries everything for Pozzo and follows his orders like a dog. Lucky is bound to Pozzo with a rope and besides this has Pozzo a whip. In the second act is Pozzo blind. And Lucky dumb.

Summary

Vladimir and Estragon meeting each other near a tree. They express their happiness to see each other and to pass time they start talking about various things like the bible. They are passing the time while waiting for Godot. They have an appointment to meet him there. It stays unclear who exactly Godot is. They did ask him for something ´ESTRAGON: A kind of prayer. VLADIMIR: Precisely.´ (p. 18) But he had to think about this first. While waiting Pozzo and Lucky appear. Lucky is tied to Pozzo as a slave. Pozzo isn’t happy with him and wants to sell him on the market. Vladimir feels sorry for Lucky. At the beginning Estragon too till the moment he gives Lucky a handkerchief and Lucky kicks him. Later Lucky entertains them by dancing and talking. This talking starts on the order of Pozzo to ´think´. The talks incoherently, what he says makes no sense. When Pozzo ´must go a boy enters. The boys has a message from Godot, that he can’t come that evening but will be there the next. At the end of the first act the decide to leave. (but do not move)

The second act is the next night. Estragon was beaten up in the meantime. Vladimir has to explain what they are doing there. This is difficult but he can show the wound on the leg from Estragon, caused by Lucky. To pass time they are playing ´Pozzo and Lucky´. When Pozzo and Lucky arrive and fall on the ground, Estragon doesn’t recognise them. They ignore Pozzo´s cries for help and start discussing if they about Godot and later about helping him. At last they help Pozzo to his feet and it they find out that he is blind. Lucky, still unconscious, is dumb. As soon as lucky is conscious they leave. Estragon wakes up, he fell asleep before and after a while starts sleeping again. Vladimir reflects on the day and the boy enters. He questions him about Godot and finds out that he won’t come today but will be there tomorrow. When Estragon wakes up the decide to hang themselves, but they there is no rope. They decide to come back tomorrow and bring then a good bit of rope in case Godot doesn’t show up. Like in the first act, the second act ends with the decision to go, but they stay where they are.

Space

There is a low mound and a dead tree, probable a willow. In the first act are there no leaves on the willow but in the second are there a few. The mound is used to sit on and they are discussing about hanging themselves in the tree. Besides this is there a bog, but I don’t think it visualised on stage. When Vladimir mentions this he is pointing to the auditorium. So, besides the three and the mound is the stage empty.

Time

The story is told chronological and there and contains two evenings. It stays unclear if the second evening really the evening after the first is. The tree has some leaves so Vladimir says that it must be spring. The night before there were no leaves at all. And in one day did Pozzo became blind and Lucky dumb. This would make sense because in the first act are references to the night(s) before that one, that they were waiting there for Godot. It seems a everyday ritual. But on the other hand has Estragon still the same wound that Lucky gave him and is he still barefooted. It seems likely that they will be on the same spot the evenings that will come.

Language

Beckett uses like Harold Pinter silences in his play. Before Beckett this was uncommon in the theatre. This play belongs to the movement ´Theatre of the Absurd´. It has its characteristics like the lack of real communication and the questions they pose about their existence. What has this life for a reason. For them is it to wait for Godot. Another striking thing is the way Pozzo and Lucky talk. Pozzo talks normal but when the talks to Lucky it’s like he is talking to a dog. `POZZO: Stop! (Lucky stops.) Back! (Lucky moves back.) Stop! (Lucky stops) Turn! (Lucky turns towards the auditórium) Think!´ (p. 42) Lucky can’t keep a normal conversation but he has the ability to talk. When he get´s the order `think´ he starts giving an incoherent speech without punctuationmarks. `LUCKY: Giving the existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattman of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers(…)´ (p. 42-43)
Another striking thing are the links with the bible. Vladimir likes to tell stories about or from the bible. He also calls Pozzo at a certain time Cain. In the meantime they are waiting for `Godot´. A person who will make everything better. They way they talk about him there are great similarities with God. It is also in de name; Godot.