Theatrical lecture Module

“WAITING FOR GODOT”

by Samuel Beckett

“Waiting for Godot. A tragicomedy in two acts” was written by Samuel Becket in 1955 and was first presented in Great Britain at Arts Theatre, London on 3^rd August 1955. Firstly the play was written in French, “En Attendat Godot”. Samuel Beckett become famous thanks to this play. This play is very popular and it is an example of the theatre of the absurd.

There are two principal characters: Vladimir y Estragon. They have a good relation. I think they are friends. They are often agree with each other about they are talking. We do not know about their physical characteristics. About Estragon I have to say that he loses her memory oftentimes. Their friendship of both characters is shown for example when they argue about who first hang oneself. There are other characters in this play. Pozzo and Lucky. Lucky is ordered by Pozzo. He does all that Pozzo order. He is as his slave. Lucky talks only few moments. There is another characters who talks to Vladimir about Godot. This character appears two times. He is strange because when he returns he does not remember about what had he said when he appears before. This can be explained because in page 92 Vladimir asks for his brother, then the boy answers: “He’s sick, sir.” and Vladimir says: “Perhaps it was he came yesterday”. It seems that this boy works to Godot because he tells they that Godot is coming, but in really Godot did not come.

Two men meet near a tree and . Estragon is trying to take off his boot and Vladimir appears. The two men talk about things. They are waiting to Godot, but they do not know why. They only have to wait. Then Pozzo appears and they ask him if he is Godot. But he did not be Godot. Then a boy asks for Mister Albert (Estragon), and he says that has a message from Godot. Mr. Godot is not coming that evening but at the following day. At the following day, they stay at the same place. Near the tree. Firstly Estragon and Vladimir appear and after Pozzo comes in. Another time a boy comes in. He talks with Vladimir about he comes the day before, but the boy did not believe. It seems that the boy who talks to Estragon the day before is the brother of the boy that comes in the second day, i.e., in the second act. The boy tells Estragon and the others that Godot is not coming that day but he is coming the following day. The play ends when Estragon and Vladimir dedided to go.

The space in this play is very simple. On stage is a tree and a kind of stone. The space does not changes during the play. The play is divided into two acts, both of them share the time, that is to say, the characters are talking in the same moment of the day, the evening. We can check this at the beginning of the first act: “A country road. A tree. Evening”, and at the beginning of the second act: “Next day. Same Time. Same Place.”

The language that the characters use is characteristic of the Absurd Theatre plays. Sentences without clear meaning and the ambiguity of the whole on many times. The repetitions are present, for example when Estragon says “Nothing to be done” in some occasions.

To conclude I am going to say that this play reflects the wait of people for someone or something, but never arrives. We can interpret that they are waiting for God, but we can not ensure it. It is very ambiguous. It is one of the characteristics that shares the Theatre of the Absurd. I like and I do not like this play, i.e., there are things that I like, as sharing days with a friend waiting for something or someone that you do not know anything of it, it is amazing. But the ambiguity that the plays of this kind of theatre share, make me confused. It is difficult to understand plays like this, but they have something that attract me to read them.