Name - Jignesh K. Panchasara
Paper - 107: The Twentieth Century Literature: From World War II to the End of the Century
Roll No- 8
Enrollment no-3069206420200013
Email id-jigneshpanchasara5758@gmail.com
Batch- MA 2020-2022
Submitted to - S.B Gardi Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji
Bhavnagar University.
Introduction
Samuel Beckett, one of the great avant-garde Irish dramatists and writers of the second half of the twentieth century, was born on 13 April 1906. He died in 1989. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. His centenary will be celebrated throughout 2006 with performances of his major plays, but the most popular of them all will be, without doubt, the play with which he first made his name, Waiting for Godot. It opened the gates to the theatre of the absurd as four men appear on the stage, apparently with purpose but (perhaps) waiting for someone called Godot. It is stark, funny, bemusing and still deeply affecting half a century since its first production.
*Brief Introduction of The play*
Samuel Beckett wrote “Waiting for Godot” in French in 1949 and then translated it into English in 1954. “Waiting for Godot” is the most popular play in every corner of the world. Therefore, this play has been performed as a drama of the absurd with astonishing success in Europe, America and the rest of the world in post second world war era.
Significance of the ‘Tree’ in the Setting of Waiting for Godot
Symbolism in Waiting for Godot
Lucky’s Baggage
Lucky never puts down the items he carries, except when Pozzo orders him to do something. He again picks it up without any reason. This action shows the human tendency of enslavement and burdens which are unnecessary. The baggage contains mostly items for Pozzo’s comfort but, in Act 2 it is revealed that the bag which is never opened in Act 1, contains sand. This is another example of character “deadened” by a habit.
The relationship between Pozzo and Lucky is shown as capital and labor, master and slave, exploiter and exploited, between old testament God and new testament Christ.
Pozzo’s Rope
Lucky is a slave for his master Pozzo. Lucky is tied with rope, holding both master and slave together. This is the symbol of distance between the God and his slave. However, when the rope is short the distance between them is smaller. When Estragon and Vladimir try to hang themselves with cord and it breaks, and they remind themselves to bring rope tomorrow. This rope has same purpose as for Pozzo and Lucky.
Night Fall
While Estragon and Vladimir are waiting for Godot, they also wait for the nightfall. This nightfall shows that darkness is like a death and falling of night is like to reprieve from daily suffering as death is death to reprieve from life.
Hat
Hat represents thinking, as the long monologue of Lucky in Act 1 and stops when his hat is knocked off. Estragon and Vladimir also exchange their hats with Lucky’s hat back and forth. This scene is the representation of instability of individual identities and exchanging represents the exchange of identities.
The play has so few props, the props that do appear onstage take on an exaggerated significance. As one example, Vladimir, Estragon ,Lucky, and Pozzo all wear hats and at times seem oddly preoccupied with them. Lucky, for instance, needs his hat to think, and stops his long monologue once his hat is knocked off. In act two Estragon and Vladimir exchange their hats and Lucky's hat back and forth, trying different ones on. Given the importance of these hats to their individual owners, this scene can be seen as representing the fluidity and instability of individual identities in the play. As Pozzo and Lucky don't remember having already seen Vladimir and Estragon in act two, Vladimir begins to wonder whether the Pozzo and Lucky of act two are the same as those of act one. Estragon, for one, does not recognize them, and calls Pozzo Abel. Estragon can't even remember his own past, and at one point tells Pozzo that his name is Adam. Moreover, it is not clear whether the young boy in each act is one boy or two different ones. The boy also calls Vladimir Mr. Albert, which may or may not actually be Vladimir's name. With all of this ambiguity and instability regarding people's identities, the scene of the hat exchange playfully represents an exchange of identities, as Vladimir and Estragon wear different combinations of hats. Vladimir ends up wearing Lucky's hat—notably, the one he needed to "think"—seemingly taking on a new identity, as he then asks Estragon to "play" at being Lucky and Pozzo. Indeed, it's uncertain whether Vladimir and Estragon (or other characters) are actually being themselves throughout the play, or if they even have stable selves they can be.
Names
The most important example of hidden meanings in the play is Godot, which is similar to God. Godot symbolizes salvation that religion promises but never comes true. Estragon means “tarragon” in French, while Pozzo is Italian for water. Lucky’s name suggests the unluckiness of the sufferings. However, nihilist viewpoint is that, these names hold no meaning at all.
Boots
Boot symbolizes daily life struggling and Estragon is the most affected by boots. He takes off and putting again them on. This shows daily struggles in life which cannot be changed.
The Bone
Bone is the symbol of poverty, the characters do not have enough food for themselves and they beg for their survival. This shows the relationship between Feudalism or Capitalism who has dominated over the poor.
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