Waiting for Godot | the 'theater of the absurd'

Waiting for Godot | the 'theater of the absurd'

Q. How does the play, “Waiting for Godot”, show the qualities of the 'theater of the absurd'? Discuss.

Answer: Samuel Beckett's “Waiting for Godot” is a significant play. It has the qualities of the 'theater of the absurd'. The theater of the absurd is a theatrical movement. It basically appeared in the decades 1950s and 1960s in France. It exposed the meaninglessness and absurdity of human existence. In this issue we will find out the notable features of the theater of the absurd.

One of the basic features of the theater of the absurd is the portrayal of a senseless and repetitive existence. In the play, “Waiting for Godot”, there are two main characters – Vladimir and Estragon. They were sitting under a tree in a lonely place. They had been “Waiting for Godot”, the existence and purpose of which were totally indistinct throughout the play. While “Waiting for Godot”, they are involved in an insignificant conversation.

Again and again they tried to leave the place, but they didn't. These kinds of repetitive actions highlight their meaningless purpose and motivation. The play emphasizes the absurdity of human existence in which human beings have to wait for an unknown object and therefore spend their whole life to achieve the uncertainty.

Another notable element of the theater of the absurd includes the break between language and communication. In the play, “Waiting for Godot”, there is almost failure to expose the traditional purpose and meaning of life. Most of the pronunciation used in the conversation in the play is indistinct and fragmented. The composition of the characters is not matched harmoniously. Each of the characters had to struggle to expose each other. This kind of dismantled language reflects such an intuitive problem that seems to be worthless.

Again, the theme of existential anguish is also well known in “Waiting for Godot”. The act of waiting for an uncertain Godot also exposes the absurdity and meaninglessness of their existence and purpose. . They expect that Godot will once give them their answers and meanings of life. However, Godot never comes. It keeps the characters in utter uncertainty and hopelessness.

Thus, the theme of absurdity is emphasized through the dim atmosphere and slackening of the mental and physical ability of the characters. Samuel Beckett, thus, presents such a world which is devoid of the inherent purpose of individuals. It also exposes the emptiness of human life.

Moreover, the central tenant of the theater of the absurd is the challenges of traditional dramatic structure and narrative coherence. The readers will find these features in the play, “Waiting for Godot”. In this play there is a traditional plot in which there is no starting, no middle and even no ending. Instead, the play represents such dismantled episodes and scenes.

It is the dismantling theory that represents the absurdity in the play. The events in the play often lack a logical and casual connection. Not only the events in the play, but also the characters of the play, are also dismantled. Besides, Beckett’s dismantling act of storytelling techniques creates the incoherent expectations of the traditional theoretical conventions.

Finally, the play represents the concept of self and absurd identity. The characters in the play always struggle for their true identities in this world. They find nothing but absurdity. Vladimir and Estragon, for example, continuously try to search for an identity that is the identity of Godot. But what they find is nothing. Thus, their activities throughout the play highlight the traditional convention of absurdity.

In this way, the play symbolizes the qualities of the theater of the absurd. It represents the portrayal of a senseless and repetitive existence. The play also represents the rejection of traditional dramatic structure. Therefore, the play highlights the absurdity and insignificance of human existence.

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