Hello Readers!
With reference of an online film screening conduced online on 8th June 2021, this blog contains the worksheet and follow up of the play "Waiting for Godot" discussed in the class. Samuel Beckett was a modern playwright and was associated with the "Theatre of the Absurd". This play is originally written in French with the title En Attendant Godot.
Source Worksheet blog of questions - Click Here
Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.
(Soren Kierkegaard)
Existentialism is a philosophical movement which embraces life with its full meaninglessness and absurdities. Above statement by Soren Kierkegaard who is considered as the first Existentialist prompts the same idea that Life is not a problem, but the problem is in our thinking that we see life as a problem. Life is a journey which can be experienced by living and experiencing every phase of life with full enthusiasm.
After the dreadful realities of the Second World War people started seeing life which is full of emptiness, where nothing to do, nothing to embrace, nothing to live and nothing to experience. As a response to that there is a rise of Existentialism which emphasizes more on Individual Freedom and Choice. It urges human beings to pursue their own choice and create one's individual, unique world in this irrational universe.
One of the unforgettable and noticeable names in Existentialism is Albert Camus who promoted the idea of 'Absurdity of Life within his work name 'The Myth of Sisyphus.
"Man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world."
You may ask why I am talking all this stuff, what is the point of doing this? Well, These itself are some existential questions about which we are going to elaborate in this blog. So, This is the brief introduction of Existentialism before we dive into one of the most weird, mysterious, and open-ended plays by Samuel Beckett named 'Waiting For Godot.'
Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett can be categorized under the "Absurd Play" which revolves around the theme of meaninglessness and Nothingness of life.
Nothing happens, Nobody comes, Nobody goes, it's awful!"
The play can be read through various perspectives ranging from Theological point of view to Political Reading, Existential angst to Divine Perspective, similarities with Hindu philosophy to criticism on Christianity.
1) What connection do you see in the setting (A country road, A tree, Evening) of the play and these paintings?
The setting of the play is inspired by two paintings by Caspar David Friedrich. The title of this painting is 'longing', here longing means deep desire for something. Waiting is connected with longing. In the painting two person see towards sunrise and sunset, it stand for bright hope and despair and in the play we find similar things.
One of the major difference between these two scenes is about the intention of the author. David Casper is fascinated towards Romanticism that's why his imagination ends in this painting by romanticizing nature with its sensitivity. While Beckett's purpose is totally contradictory. Who wants to show the meaninglessness of life through this barren tree.
2) The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of trees in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves - ?
As it is said, Beckett got inspiration from 'Longing' painting by Casper David Friedrich for the setting of Waiting for Godot. Setting of the both plays are nearly the same except minor changes in Act 2 where four or five leaves flourished on a tree.
ESTRAGON: What is it?
VLADIMIR: I don't know. A willow.
ESTRAGON: Where are the leaves?
VLADIMIR: It must be dead.
ESTRAGON: No more weeping.
VLADIMIR: Or perhaps it's not the season.
ESTRAGON: Looks to me more like a bush.
VLADIMIR: A shrub.
ESTRAGON: A bush.
If we see the Theological reference of the Tree then it can be said that it is a burning bush where our two major characters are waiting for God to come and give them salvation. Every day they wait for a character named Godot, but he never comes till the moon rises and only his message comes that he surely came tomorrow. So, Flourishment of leaves on the tree on the second day show a kind of hope that today he might come.
3) In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot?
We can interpret this moon as brightness in the night so, I think Beckett want to convey through this moon's brightness in the night means though the darkness of night there is somewhat hope like the brightness of the moon. So, we should not lost our hope, every day is new day.
4) The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?
"A country road. A Tree.
Evening." (Act 1)
"Next day. Same Time.
Same place."(Act 2)
'Waiting for Godot' is an Absurd play which highlights the absurdities of life. And use of Debris in a film which was released in 2001 directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg shows the meaning. Debris is rubbish kind of waste by using that film maker creatively using his artistic liberty to create Irrationality, Meaninglessness, Nothingness and pointlessness of life.
This play also can be read as a response to the destructive effect of the second world war. And this use of debris in a setting can also be analyzed as a battlefield after war, where now everythings seems useless.
If we see use of debris in setting through nihilistic point of view then it can be examined as Emptiness. It shows pessimism and negativity. And we analyse the same setting through the lenses of existentialism. Then we can say that Estragon and Vladimir are waiting for Godot on this destroyed land shows a kind of hope in a totally meaningless world.
5) The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?
"Waiting for Godot' does not tell a story; it explores a static situation. "Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful." On a country road by a tree two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon are waiting." (Esslin)
As Martin Esslin puts it, the play is surrounded by nothingness. And Beckett begins his play with a dialogue -
ESTRAGON:(giving up again). Nothing to be done
This statement - "Nothing to be done" is repeated almost four times in the play. This statement carries deep philosophical meanings. It defines the struggle to Find Meaning in Purposeless Life. The very form of the play Waiting for Godot indicates the unbearably repetitious nature of life altogether. Samuel Beckett provides us with two acts in the play – two acts which both follow the same basic plotline. A repetitious existence renders all efforts to struggle futile; in a life that repeats the same events over and over, individuals like Estragon and Vladimir can only wait out a seemingly unending, mind-numbing existence and, at best, find ways to pass the time.
6) Do you agree: “The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what— atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life." (E.G. Marshall who played Vladimir in the original Broadway production 1950s)?
Yes, I agree with the above statement that 'Waiting for Godot' is rather a positive play instead of Negative. Of Course it explores the very idea of Absurdity of Life but within those parameters it also focuses on accepting reality. Because Life itself is absurd and we can't run away from that truth. But with the use of 'Waiting' in the title as well as an act of awaited wait for Godot by Vladimir and Estragon emphasis to have a hope in life. As Martin Esslin rightly states...
"The subject of the play is not Godot but waiting, the act of waiting is an essential and characteristic aspect of the human condition."
(Martin Esslin)
Waiting is the prime activity of human beings and while waiting like Estragon and Vladimir we are also stringed with some achievements and goals and desire to come true. So, Waiting is at the center of the play which suggests a kind of positive attitude towards life.
7) How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolic significance of these props?
Hat signifies mind. Boots signify body. Estragon wears boots and he is not able to remove the boots at first, just like desires and body urges. Just like boots get vanished and get rusty, Estragon also forgets many things as if his memory is also like his boots. Vladimir wears hat and he thinks a lot. He remembers many things.
8) Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity for slavishness is unbelievable?
Yes, I agree with the above statement that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic. Because being free is everyone's urge and primitive human desire. But here we see that Lucky is tied with his master and a kind of blind follower who wasn't even able to see that his master is overpowering him.
Lucky is more knowledgeable and intelligent than his master. He is also seen as a spiritual side of life. But still he didn't even make a single step to set him free, which sometimes became irritating. So, Mentally Lucky is totally blind towards his master. He can be seen as like blind follower of his master without any rational thinking that what damage his master is doing in his independent life.
Even in Act 2 his Master became blind, but still he is fully obedient and honest with his master. This can be analyzed more appropriately if we see psychologically. Lucky's mind is trained in such a way that now he can't even think against his master. So, Rope became a very interesting symbol around which he is tied by his Master which didn't allow him to pursue his freedom.
9) Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? Or . . .
Godot is an object of desire. Desire is an endless vicious chain that ultimately leads us nowhere. If we observe a toddler playing with toys, we come to know that as soon as it looks at the better toy than it carries, it will leave that toy and will crave, run and cry for the better toy. This desire perhaps comes from the binary comparison that is hardwired in our mind. For grown ups, this desire is perhaps money, material wealth, luxuries, physical fulfilment, emotional acceptance, public recognition and fame, and what not. . . Goals and success are also sprouted from desire. Passion is also nothing but desire. Desire can be compared as fire also, which never gets extinguished.
10) “The subject of the play is not Godot but ‘Waiting’” (Esslin, A Search for the Self). Do you agree? How can you justify your answer?
Yes, I agree with the Esslin's point of view in 'A search for the self' that the subject and the main theme of the play is 'waiting' not the Godot. We can see that in the play nothing happen except the meaningless waiting. there is no one come and go, all the characters only waiting for someone but no one come. So, we can say the heart of the play is waiting not Godot.
11) Do you think that plays like this can better be ‘read’ than ‘viewed’ as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to ‘think’? Or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?
"Some plays are written to be read
and Some plays are
written to be watched."
If we take the play 'Waiting For Godot' in the center then I agree with the statement that if we read Waiting for Godot then it will increase our understanding more instead of watching. Few reasons behind why we should read Waiting for Godot…
It explores deep philosophies of life which we can understand through thoroughly reading books because it gives more space to think.
There are also many hidden references of Christianity which we will know while reading text.
Cultural, Religious and geographical distance between the place on which it is written and place from where we are reading also create difficulty to understand play deeply while we are watching.
While watching a film a dialogue comes one by one quickly which doesn't allow the audience to find depth of the play, which only can be possible while we are reading.
So, If we read this kind of play then it widens our horizon. But we can't completely deny the Film. Film version is also as important to see as Camera focus and all. So, we can say before watching play if read play then it would be great help to understand play deeply.
12) Which of the following sequence you liked the most:
Vladimir – Estragon killing time in questions and conversations while waiting
Vladimir and Estragon: The Hat and the Boot
Pozzo – Lucky episode in both acts
Conversion of Vladimir with the boy
The part which I like the most in the movie is the conversation between Vladimir and the boy at the end of both acts. Because it gives a complete exposure to the character of Vladimir who asked a number of questions to the boy regarding Godot and how Godot treats him and he also tries to know the behavioral and humanistic patterns of Invisible Godot. Which shows Vladimir's quest to search about Godot.
13) Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt, if ever it was?
. yes, we feel the effect of Existetial crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe when Vladimir asked to the boy about Godot and he asked that Godot will come today or not? That time boy replied that Godot will come tomorrow but Godot never come throughout the play so we can find the meaningless waiting for Godot. And other meaninglessness we find in the character of Lucky that when his master go blind though he doing slavery like sheeple. Hemce, we can say that life is meaningless for Lucky because they even don't think about freedom.
14) Vladimir and Estragon talks about ‘hanging’ themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide in Existentialism?
Vladimir and Estragon talks about hanging themselves and decide to commit suicide. But they do not. One possible reason can be given to that is that we are habituated to living life. First we learn to live life and then we are able to escape from that. Because we get somewhat used to it. Now we can't kill ourselves because we love to live our life whether there are problems or not, because suffering is a basic tendency to live life.
15) Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'?
Waiting for Godot is written after the second world war. So, War effects can be clearly noticed here. Some characters also represent some countries on the basis that we can do Political reading of play.
If we do political reading and connect character with European nations then Vladimir stands for Russia, Estragon for France, Pozzo represents Italy and Lucky symbolizes England.
16) So far as Pozzo and Lucky [master and slave] are concerned, we have to remember that Beckett was a disciple of Joyce and that Joyce hated England. Beckett meant Pozzo to be England, and Lucky to be Ireland." (Bert Lahr who played Estragon in a Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?
Pozzo represents England and Lucky represents Ireland. The relationship between both characters is like a Master-Slave Relationship. Lucky is enslaved by Pozzo in the same manner Ireland is also under control of England. After getting independence still Ireland is not able to completely come out from colonial effects. Ireland is still dependent on England for its economy.
The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have been no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy;s question, Vladimir says:
"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?
VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?
17) How does this conversation go in Act II? Is there any change in seeming similar situations and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?
The play followed the notion that the more the things change, the more it remains similar. Both acts are almost similar in their waiting, settings, in their conversation and in the thematic concern.
But, There is a slight difference between these conversations in both acts. The oly replaced phrase is 'me' instead of 'us' in act 2. (Tell him that you saw us). So here we can see that at the end of Act 2 Vladimir became somewhat selfish and self-centered.
References
Ajemian, Allison. Pertinence of Props in Waiting for Godot. 11 Dec. 2013, bu.digication.com/allison_ajemians_theatre_now_portfolio/Final_Paper_Pertinence_of_Props_in_Waiting_for_God.
Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot: Tragicomedy in 2 acts. Grove Press, 1954.
Editorial, Artsy, and Alina Cohen. Unraveling the Mysteries behind Caspar David Friedrich's "Wanderer". 6 Aug. 2018, www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-unraveling-mysteries-caspar-david-friedrichs-wanderer.
Martin Esslin's essay 'The Search for the self'
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