NAME-MAHEK NIRMAL AGRAWAL
ROLL -2022/598
COURSE-BAP
PAPER- 20TH CENTURY POETRY AND DRAMA
“Waiting for Godot” A play by Samuel Beckett was published in the year 1952,
a few years after world war 2, this era is also known as the post-modernist era.
According to ‘ Britannika’ postmodernism, “in Western philosophy, is a late
20th-century movement characterized by broad skepticism, subjectivism, or
relativism; a general suspicion of reason; and an acute sensitivity to the role
of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power.”
According to this theory in postmodernism, there is an objective natural reality,
a reality whose existence and properties are independent of human beings, of
their minds, their societies, their social practices.
Post modernists literature used humour as a major element to convey a serious
social message.
Some got so far as saying that the use of science and technology and reason
and logic will ultimately lead to the destruction of humans.
According to the ‘The Media Insider’ “Postmodernism refers to the state of
culture where media is produced in such staggering quantities that it has
crossed the boundaries into reality itself and hyperreality prevails.
The postmodernism World is shaped by pluralism, democracy, religious
freedom, consumerism, mobility and increasing access to news and
entertainment.
In Post- modernist literature the boundary between fact and fiction is often
dissolved. There is no boundary between fiction and reality; therefore, there is
nothing absolute or eternal.
Postmodern literature during 1960 to 1990 was the dominated mode in the
literary works. Some
Like the play “Andha Yug” by the author ‘Dharamvir Bharti’ who used
Mahabharat to politically comment on the repercussions of war, The author
Samuel Beckett has done so without providing any context or background to
the play.
Beside the stupidity of war, another subject in postmodernism is ethnicity. It is
about marginal groups: common man, black people and race and gender.
1952 is also the year of cold war between USA and Russia, the war was marked
by many proxy wars fought between North Korea and South Korea and North
Vietnam and South Vietnam, these wars caused large scale genocide, mass
murder, migration in the following Countries raising questions about human
rights, justice and social empowerment of the masses.
Waiting is also an important philosophical theme, which means “the action of
staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or event.”
Waiting is used by many authors to symbolise pain, suffering, helplessness, for
example in Ramayana , the act of waiting by Urmila symbolises her love and
helplessness on seeing Lakshman leave, For Sita as well the act of waiting
symbolised a state of frenzy or helplessness, an uncertainity of what will
happen in the future.
In the following play the author is also trying to showcase the same level of
suffering and pain by removing the context.
WHO IS GODOT?
The one question that remains unanswered in the play is who exactly is Godot.
Godot is the sole power which is expected to save and enrich them and change
their dystopia into utopia. By introducing such characters,
Beckett wants to remind us of those people who seem to be simply moving
and living creatures, but indeed lack the sense of existence in their lives.
Godot can be anyone it could be God who is worshipped by many, many people
who have lost everything and are ridden with poverty and hunger, often try to
find a meaning and purpose in their lives, this meaning could often be found in
the temples, mosques, church etc, this meaning becomes the sole reason for
their living.
Lucky’s speech is definitely one of the parts that conveys a whole lot of
extraordinary ideas. He is speaking endlessly and
clamorously in a way that the other characters are suffering from his
monologue. No one can figure out what he really means by those strange
words. Words like “belcher, testew, cunard, or apathia” are somehow hard to
understand, but somehow it can be implied that he is talking about God or his
existence or even when mentions that
God has white beard. It can be construed as :Acknowledging the existence of a
personal God, one who exists outside
time and who loves us dearly and who suffers with those who are plunged into
torment, it is established beyond all
doubt that man for reason unknown, has left his labors, abandoned and
unfinished. It is just a simple definition for
those readers or audiences who are trying to decode this monologue, although
here may be more to it than meets the eyes.
People believe in God (or gods) for a variety of reasons, shaped by personal
experiences, cultural upbringing, psychological needs, and philosophical
inquiries. Belief in a higher power serves multiple roles across different aspects
of life—emotional, social, moral, and existential.
Existentialism Is one of the major themes of the play , where the writer is
trying to question the existence at all points, may it be the scene where the
protagonist Charlie and Estragon try to hang themselves on the true assuming
that Godot will never come, Godot might symbolise the meaning of life.
Godot might also symbolise the passage of time or an event that people
believe will change their lives, the characters repetitive dialogue and action
represent the monotony of life.
Godot could stand for procrastination or indecision—the characters are stuck
in a perpetual state of waiting, unable to move forward or make changes in
their lives without an external force.
Beckett famously refused to explain who or what Godot represents, saying, "If I
knew, I would have said so in the play."
This is an indication to the audience to perceive Godot in a way suitable for
them, it could be women waiting for their sons, husbands, brothers to come
home from the war, it could also be waiting for death.
SETTING OF THE PLAY
The setting of the play is also very mysterious, no destination, location or
whether is mentioned, making it open to interpretation and making it a
Universal play, a play applicable in all places, regions or part of the world
Another symbol of uncertainty is the lightening only lightening effect is when
days turn rapidly to night and the moon rises the surrealistic effect of this
heightened change from day to night amplifies the theme of uncertainty.
CHARACTERS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP
Nothing is mentioned about the characters background, their age , their family
etc only their names is mentioned, The reason of why Estragon is being beaten
and by whom is also not mentioned, making even the characters universal.
The relationship between Lucky and Pozzo portrays a sad reality of human
condition.
According to ‘ Noorbakhsh Hooti’” It is not only about Lucky who is trying so
hard to coax his master to keep him, but also the sad story about the human
being who is sometimes taken advantage of by those who have gained control
over them everlastingly and are entangled in their master’s orders, so that,
they cannot become a normal human being again forever. One of the most
essential and praiseworthy parts to be considered is the fact that, with all these
desperate incidents.”
One of the most essential parts to be considered about relationship between
Vladimir and Estragon is the fact that, with all these desperate incidents they
come across during their waiting, they never leave each other alone. Even
when they do, they find each other again and regret having left each other
alone. Indeed they never decide to leave each other in the lurch. In their
journey of life, uncertainties and obstacles push them toward failure and
unhappiness, and although they pass each other derogatory words most of the
time, but still they find each other’s existence as a sparkling point of hope. As
this dialogue can prove the claim ‘‘Estragon: (wild gestures, incoherent words.
Finally.) Why will you never let me sleep? Vladimir: I felt lonely.
All these relationships are of dependence and uncertainty.
Nihilism
Nihilism is a radical philosophy of meaninglessness. The world and the people
in it exist without meaning, purpose, truth and value. Any system of belief, or
artistic expression, which denies or drains away meaning can be described as
“nihilistic”.
The whole play has elements of Nihilism in it.
Even according to the author, the entire point of writing the play is meaningless
and open to interpretation.
As Nietzsche says: “Nihilistic thought has
many related manifestations: ontological, epistemological, existential, political
and moral” The common
nihilistic debilitation is usually associated with moods of despair, random
destructiveness and longing for
nothingness.
Estragon and Vladimir, the two protagonists, thrust
a lack of meaning and purpose upon the observer’s soul. They often insist on
chatting about meaningless matters in
order just to kill the time. Beckett’s use of nonsensical language exposes the
existentialist theme throughout the
whole play.
According to Noorbakhsh Hooti (Estragon’s dialogues as he says, “Why don’t
we hang
ourselves?” Even though their lives have turned to be so monotonous that they
are inclined to hang
themselves, it somehow implies something other than that. Nietzsche puts it
better when he says: “suicide is the
deed of nihilism”
The following qualities of the play make it unique and captivating, making the
readers wonder till the end. As the author himself says” I do not myself know
what this play means and that is what I want the readers to guess.”
