原创性声明本人郑重声明：所呈交的学位论文，是本人在导师的指导下，独立进行研究所取得的成果。除文中已经注明引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写过的科研成果。对本文的研究作出重要贡献的个人和集体，均已在文中以明确方式标明。本人完全意识到本声明的法律责任由本人承担。论文作者签名：埤日期：卫山关于学位论文使甩授权的声明本人完全了解山东大学有关保留、使用学位论文的规定，同意学校保留或向国家有关部门或机构送交论文的复印件和电子版，允许论文被查阅和借阅；本人授权山东大学可以将本学位论文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据库进行检索，可以采用影印、缩印或其他复制手段保存论文和汇编本学位论文。(保密论文在艉密后应遵守此规定)⋯⋯：，埤一名掣⋯一
：：：——：：————：』堕茎兰堑笙墅型垫≥———————一：：：摘要厂贝克特一举成为荒诞派戏剧的杰出代表，并为其赢得了世界声誉，微称为“二十世纪最著名最有影响的改变了整个戏剧走向的剧作”。本文就是通过对此剧本的全面分析，来领略荒诞派戏剧所特有的艺术魅力，堤示贝克特是如何用反传统削j．荒诞的艺术袤现手法来反映西方现实社会|!!勺箭臻该剧自从其出现就使戏剧评论界和文学界为之良。曙而评论／{i休，到中两个流浪汉没有指望的空等戈多也被人们赋予了无穷无尽的意义。究竟谁是戈多?：宅多是否是上帝的代名词?评论家对此做过不同的推测。但从充溢全剐的基督教意识来看，“戈多就是上帝”的这种推测是不无道理的。然而此剧的主题并不是戈多
出苤盍堂亟±堂焦途塞——一@是等待一种人们所共有的意识，这正是该剧～直在不同阶层不同年龄不蜘肤色的观众中引起共鸣的原因之一。在我们的一生中，我们总是在等待着什么，l诃戈多只是代表着我们所等待的对象雨己，他可以是人、物、事件、甚至是死亡。此外，一是在等待的过程中，我们才实实香：在地体验到了阱其最纯粹最明湿的方式而流动的时间。而时问的流逝使我仇不得不面对人类存在的基本问题一自我的本质j’uj题。剧中两个流浪汉百无聊赖的胡扯、谩骂、玩耍不仅仅只是为了“消磨时问”，而更是为了“证实自己还存在”。总之，《等待戈多》有着特有的丰富含义，在许多方面为我们打开了视野。正如马丁·艾斯林所言：“《等待戈多》是一首诗，一酋有关时闯、时间的稍纵即逝性、存在的神秘性、变化与稳定的似是恕{F性、世闻的荒涎性的诗。”除了从其丰富的内涵来展示现实的荒诞性外，贝克特所追求的那种“能够容纳混乱的形式’进一步反映了荒诞性的主题，这主要体现在他在《等待戈多》中对作品的人物、结构、语言及时空的创造与安排上。在《等待戈多》巾贝克特没有塑造传统意义上那种细腻刻画的典型人物，丽是对其人物赋予了明显的象征意义，并通过他们的形象来揭示战后西方人的普遍特征．四个主要人物的名字用四种一、：同的语言来表示，这不仅只代表四个国家，实际E是代表着全人类；性格互补的成对的人物其实是代表着人的肉体与思想、物质与精神的两个方面：人物的聋瞎多病正表明了人类正处在进退两难的困境之中；舞台上人物表面上的紧密依存与实际上的相互隔绝形象地再现了西方社会中人们荒唐可悲的现状：聚存一起又不能沟通，想要分开却又害怕孤独。
出丕叁堂亟±堂缱论塞——一同时，《等待戈多》所展示的是一种静态的乃至呆滞的戏剧结构。全剧不象传统剧那样按线性发展，它既没有开头也没有结尾，既没有高潮也没有低潮，只有自身的柱缠、迂回、重复。这不仅体现在剧本的两幕在时间、地点及大的格式卜的重复，更体现在人物动作和语言的重复。不言而喻，这种蕈复、呆滞的结构暗示了在荒诞、窘追的境况下人们生活的乏味与无望，人生就是毫无目的、毫无意义的重复。语无伦次的对白是荒诞派戏剧的又～重要的艺术特征。但在这一方面，《等待戈多》更是有着明显的创新。它把传统戏剧文学中发展故事情节、揭示人物性格、沟通人物思想的语言的作用降到了零度。该剧的语言既不连贯又无意义，要么是答非所问，要么是}|L槭重复的词句。嗣时，她克特还别出心裁地多次运爝剧情的停顿和人物的沉默来表明人物交流思想、表达自我的困难。该翮就是借助语苦本身的窀洞无物来显示人类存在的空虚；用滑稽可笑、荒诞绝伦的语言柬体现人生的荒诞性。此外，贝克特在处理该剧的时空问题上也颇具匠心，使其对主题起到了极强的渲染作用。剧巾的人物早已失去了确切的时间概念，他们既无法知道自已的真实年龄和过去经历，也分辨Z：出今天和昨天的区别。因为q三活就是H复‘f1毫无意义的重复，由于没有什么真JF的事情发生，时|1Jj也失去r其真实性。但“时闯”一词却又在剧中反复出现，这正说明了时问是他们需要填补的空白，是他们必须忍受的折磨，总之，在《等待戈多》中贝克特用崭新的、反传统的艺术表现手法真实地再
出盔盔堂亟主堂僮逢塞——现了谱方现实社会的荒诞性，对我们正确地认识当今资本主义社会，不无裨益。“它象一颗重磅炸弹爆炸，震撼了整个戏剧界。”但它也有其不可取之处。最突出的一点就是其消极性。譬如它虽然指出了人类社会与人类存在本身的荒诞性，但对如何改变现状却未提出任何建议，这就往往使人产生悲观厌世之感。所以，我们应采取正确的态度赏析和借鏊《等待戈多》和荒诞派戏剧这一艺术形式，它们毕竟是西方荒诞社会的特殊产物』X√一～关键诃：荒诞性、西方现实社会、表现手法蓑t蠊巧罐I，芎码够9
——一出蠢盍堂硇±堂鱼迨塞————一INTRoDUCTIoNIn1953，SamuelBeckeu’SfhstplayWaitingfo，GodotwasfirstpremieredattheittleTheatredeBabyloneinParis．Aqdagainstallexpectations，“thestrangetragicfarce，inwhichnothinghappensandwhichhasbeenscornedaSundramaticbyanumberofmanagements，becameoneofthegreatestsuccessesofthepostwartheatre．’’1“Liketheexplosionofaheavybomb．itshookthewholewesterntheatricalcircle．”’Sincethen，theplayhasbeentranslatedintomorethantwentylanguagesandhascapturedthemindsofmillionsofcritics，readersandartistsworldwide．JustasBerylSF!etchefandJotmFletchersaid，“Sincei“productien，everyncwproductionhasattractedmadGodothasbecomeaclassicofthestageoverwhichtherar37criticsnevertireofspeculating，”3Theplayhasbeenacclaimedasoneofthemostsignificantanditffiuentialplaysofthetwentiethcenturyandasaplaythathaschangedthewholetheatre．SoWaitingfo，Godot，“acreatednothing'’，really“madehiscreatorknown．”4SamuelBeckettbecameoneofthegreatestnamesoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdandhisstatuschanged“fromtheobscureavant．gardeⅥxitertotheworldfigure．’’5SomecriticseveDcommentedthatitwouldbedifficulttollameasingleJmpm-tantplaywrightoJ’theyounggeneration--fromAlbeetoStoppard--beitinBfitmn，America，FranceorGermany,whohasnotbeendeeplyaffectedbyBeckett’Sexampleorinfluencedbyhispractice．Whateverposterity’Sverdictabouthisintrinsicworthandstatusasadrmnatist，O
出塞盔堂受±堂缱途塞一thereisnodoubtthatitwillconcede，attheveryleast，thatheisoneofthemostimportantinnovatorsinthehistoryofthemodemstageandoneofthegreatestplaywrightsofthetwentiethcentury．Thisistosomeextentbecausehiscontributioncallleatpreciselytherightmoment，justasthecontemporaryplaywrightJohnSpurlingputit，“SamuelBeckettwaswaitingforthetheatreaSthetheatrewaswaitingforhim．’”EspeciallyhismasterpieceWaitingforGodot，‘'constitutesacrux，apNotalmomentinthedevelopmentofmodestwesterntheatre．’”In1969，BeckeRWaSawardedNobelPrizefor“hisbodyofworkthat，innewformsoffictionandthetheatre，hastransmutedthedestitutionofmodemilaanimohisexaltation．”andfor“hisplayshavethepurifyingl=IanctionasGreektragedy．”8Waiting．1"o，Godotisashorttwo—actplayofNOmorethanonehundredpages．AsEstragon’Swordsintheplay‘'Nothinghappens，nobodycomes，nobodygoes，it’Sa,afful．’毋“Itdoesnottellastory,butexploresastaticsituation．”10Onacountryroad．byatree，twotramps，VladimirandEstragon，arewaitingfor，姐unidentifiedman，Godot．Duringtheirwaiting，theyoccupythemselveswithallkindsoftrivialthingsandemptytalkstOkillthetime．andmasterPozzoandslave1．UCkypassby,chatwiththem，thenleave．Oncethe),tempttOhangthemselves，butfail．Attheendofthefirstact．aboycomesandsays：“MLGodottoldmetotellyouhewon’tcomethiseveningbutsurelytomorrow．”(p．50)ActIIrepeatspreciselythesamepaaern．Thetwotrampsmeetat“thesaiTletime，Sameplace，nextday．’强．55)TheywaitforOodot；Pozz∞and
出丕盍望亟±堂焦论塞一Luckycomeandleave；theyfailtocommitsuicide；aboycomestosayGodotwoddn’tcomebuttomorrow．．Wecansayitisjasttherepetitionofthefirstactwithfiwvariations，suchasthebaretreeinActIhassproutedfourorfiveleavesinActII．andPozzoandLuckyreturninworseshape，PozzobeingblindandLuckybeingdtunbThat’Sbewholecontents．Inbrietjit’Saplayaboutthetwotramps’waitingforGodot．yetGodotwillnevercome，andtheywillwaitforever．Thereisnoclimax，110developmentandconclusionasinatraditionaltheatre，butjustillogicalactionsandpointlessandridiculousdialoguesAtfirstsightit’sreallyhardforreadersoraudiencetounderstandtherealmeaningoftheabsurdplay．Sowhy“aplaySOenigmatic，SOexasperating，SOcomplex，andSO-anco_,v一,omisingmitsrefusaltoconformtOanyoftheacceptedideasofdramaticconstruction’’“canattractworldattention，becomeamastez-oieeeoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdandmakeitscreatorworldknown?1thinkitisnotonlybecausethisplayperfectlyrepresentstheartisticeharaeteristicsoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdandpushthedevelopmentoftheabsurdisttheatretOanextreme，butalsobecausewhenweconsiderthewholesocialbackgroundandthesituationthatpeopiewerei'1aftertheSecondWorldWar,wecometounderslmldBeckett’Sbrilliance：usingtheabsurdplaytOreflecttheabsurdsociety．AftertheSecondWorldWar,theEuropeancountrieswereaworldofdisorderandturbulence．TheshadowoftheWarsurroundedpeopleandmadethemfeelneverquiterecoveredfromtheshockanddestructionofthe
——出盔盍堂亟±堂僮迨塞globalnightmare．Itsetpeoplethinkingaboutthemeaningoflifeandtheirownexistence．Theyfeltsuspiciousoftheirtraditionalbeliefsandofthesocialdevelopment．Weevencarlsaythattheywereuncertainabouteverything．Theabsurdityandemptinessofexistence，thehumananguishanddespaigtheinnervacancyofselfarejustthesituationstheywerein．AndtheprayWaitingforGodotexactlyshowsthethemes．Sobyanalyzingthisplay,notonlycallweappreciatethepeculiarartisticcharmoftheTheatreoftheAbsurd，seeinghowBeckearevolutionizedthedramabymakingaradicalandskillfulcombinationofcontentandforminexpressinghisideasoflifeandhiscoucemswiththecontemporaryworld．butwecanalsoseetherealityofthepostwarwesternworldthroughtheabsurditythattheplayreveals．which，ramsure，willbeofsomeimportanceforUStohaveabetterunderstandingofthemodemwenemworld
一出丕盔堂亟±堂焦途塞CHAPTERoNESamuelBeckettandtheTheatreoftheAbsurdTheTheatreoftheAbsurdoccupiesallimportantpositioninfilemodernwesternliterature．ItisamilestoneinthehistoryofdramaandoneofthemajorschoolsofartaftertheSecondWorldWar．Itmainlyreferstotheworksofanumberofdramatistsof恤e1950sand1960s，suchasSamuelBeckett，Engrnelonesco，ArthurAdmov,JeanGenet，EdwardAlbee，andsoon．Infact,thesewritershadneitherorganizedmovementnoranybadgesorbanners．It’sin1961thatMartinEsslincoinedthenameandpublishedthebookTheTheatreoftheAbsurd．Ashesaid，“thetermiscoinedtodescribecertainfeaturesofcertainplaysinordertobringoutcertainunderlyingsimilaritiesaccessibletodiscussion．Thatandnomore．”12Butjustsincethen，thenanlebegantospreadandbeaccepted．Infact，theTheatreoftheAbsurdistheoutcomeofthedespairingsocialrealitythatreflectedonthemodemstage．AftertheSecondWorld、Var,facingthedemolitionsofthewarandfacingthepotentialthreatofnuclearweapons，peoplewerelostinseriousideologicalandpoliticalcrisis．Thecertitudesandunshakablebasicassumptionsofformeragesweresweptaway，andthetraditionalbeliefsandvaluesweretotallyshatteredbythewar．Peoplebegantosee“man’spropensitytoevil，thedestructionforceofscienceandthepossibilityofself-annihilation，”andallthese“set14
themthinkingthemeaningofexistenceandlife”．HInTheMythofSisyphu．v，AlbertCamus(1913—1960)oncedescribedthehumansituationinawoddofshatteredbeliefsAworldthatCallbeexplainedbyreasoning，howeverfaulty,isafamiliarworld．Butinauniversethatissuddenlydeprix7edofillusionsandoftight，manfeelsastranger,ltisisallirremediableexile，becauseheisdeprivedofmemoriesofalosthomelandasmuchashelacksthehopeofapromisedlandtocome．Thisdivorcebetweenmanandhislife，theactorandhissetting,trulyconstitutesthefeelingofAbsurdity．‘4EngineIonesco，inallessayonKar'ka，alsomentionedthat“Absurdisthatwhichisdevoidofpurpose．．．Cutofffromhisreligious，metaphysical，andtranscendentalroots，．．wlallislost；allhisactionsbecomesenseless，absurd，useless．’’15SotheTheatreoftheAbsurdcanbeseellasthereflectionofwhatseenlstobetheattitudemostgenuinelyrepresentativeofthattimeInTheTheatreoftheAbsurdEsslinclearlypointsoutthedifferencesbetweentheconventionallyrecognizedgoodplaysandtheplaysofTheatreoftheAbsurdIragoodplaymusthaveacleverlyconstructedstory,fllesehavenostoryorplottospeakof：ifagoodplayisjudgedbysubtletyofcharacterizationandmotivation，thesealeoftenwithoutrecognizablecharactersandpresenttheaudiencewithalmostmechanicalpuppets；ifagoodplayhastohaveafullyexplainedtheme，whichisneatlyexposedandfinallysolved，theseoftenhaveneitherabeginningnora11end；ifagoodplayreliesonwitryreparteeandpointeddialogue，theseoftenconsistofincoherentbabblings．16
————出盎太堂亟±堂焦i金塞————Sotheobscuretheme，plotlessplot，anti·herocharacters，anddevaluedlanguagebecomet11emainarlisticfeariesoftheabsurdisttheatre．ButtheSO—called“absurdist”theatreisnotreallyabsurd．Tothecontrary,behindtheabsurdity,itrevealssomeuniversalthings．themostsignificantofwhichisthatitreveals啦erealityoftheworld．forit“isintentonmakingmodemmanfaceuptothehumanconditionasitreallyis，tofreehimfromillusionsthatarcboundtocauseconstantmaladjustmentanddisappointment．’’17and“Itsensitivelymirrorsandreflectsthepreoccupationsandanxieties，theemotionsandthinkingofthecontemporarypeopleinthewesternworld．。’“Inall，theTheatreoftheAbsurdusestheabsurddevicesofexpressiontoreflecttheabsurdityofthercajib’．whichachievesaperfectintegratiorofcententsandform．andbecomesoneofthemoststrikingschoolsofartofthepostwarButitiswellknownthatitisnearlyimpossibleforUStotalkabouttheTheatreofthcAbsurdwithoutmentioningitsmostfamousrepresentativeSamuelBeckettandhismasterpieceWaiting如rGodotSamuelBeckeRWaSborninDublinin1906，atg-nilyofProtestanth'ishmiddleclass．In1923，heenteredTrinityCollegeinDablin，wherehcreadFrenchandItalian．Aftergraduation，hewenttoParistoteachEnglish．AndthusbeganhislifelongassociationwithParis．InParis，hemetJamesJoyeeandsoonbecamealnemberofhiscircle．InBeckeR’Sworks，westillCalltracetheinfluenceofJoyce．In1930，bereturnedtohisoldcollegeinDublinasalecturerinFrench，buthegaveitupaftera
出苤友堂亟±堂僮逾塞——yearfor‘'hefeltthathabitandroutinewasthecanceroftime，andtheartist’slifeofnecessityalifeofsolitude'’，19sohestartedaperiodofrestlesstravelling．Writingpoemsandstories，doingoddjobs，hemovedfromDublintoLondontoParis，traveledthroughFrancemadGermany．ItissurelynocoincidencethatsomanyofBeckett’slatercharactersaretrampsandwanderers，madthatallarelonely．In1937，hef孙allysettleddowninParis．Butshortlyaftermovingthere，hewasstabbedinthestreetbyamanwhohadbeggedhimformoneNAfterhisrecovery,heaskedhisassailant，whostillremainedinprison，whyhehadattackedhim，thereplywas“Idon’tknow,sir．’’Thisattitudeaboutlifecomesacrossinseveralofhislaterwritings，especiallyinWaitingforGodot．DuringtheSecondWorldWar,BeckettjoinedtheundergroundmovementinParistoresisttheGemlans．Hewasforeedtofleewithhiswifetotheunoccupiedzonewhenseveralmembersofhisgroupwerearrested、Heonlyreturnedin1945afterPariswasliberatedfromtheGermans．Buttheexperienceinthewarhadgreatinfluenceonhislaterwritings．Forexample。somecriticsbelievedthatthesense&aimlesswaitingatthecoreofWaitingforGodotwasundoubtedlyinspiredinpartbyBeckett’sexperiences“ontheru心’f而mtheGestapo．AfterhisreturntoParis．heSOOFlreachedthemostproductiveperiodofhiswritingcareer．Untilhisdeathin1989Becket【wrotemanynovelsandplaysbothinFrenchandinEnglish，suchasMalonedies．TheUnnamable，Endgame，HappyDays"，andsoon．ButthemostfamousandtheonethatearnshimhitemationalfameisWaitingforGodot．Inthisplay,bycompletely17
出壅盍堂亟±堂僮途塞——repudiatingthetraditionalstandardsofthe“well—made’’play,Beckettfullyreflectsthepredicamentofmodemman’sexistenceintheabsurdworld．Sofollowing．withacomprehensiveanalysisofitsthemesandform，1willpresentyouhowWaiting．fo，GodotexcellentlyrepresentstheartisticfeaturesoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdandmdyreflectstheabsurdityofthemodemwesternworld．18
CHAPTERTWOHopelessWaitingSincethefirstproductionofWaitingforGodot，criticsandreadershaveneverbeentiredofinterpretingandcommentingontheplay．It撕nktworeoNonsshouldbementionedhere．Oneistllat“asawell-educatedandwidelyreadman．Beckettiswellacquaintednotonlywiththedespairofmodemmallbutalsowiththelonghistoryofthoughtthathasledtoit．Sohisworkisofgreatcomprehensivenessandpower．’，20AnotheristhattileobscurityofWaitingforGodotaffordspeopleavastfieldtohuntfortheimpliedmeaningfromdifferentauglesofviewAccoIdingtoolle’sdifferentexperience，situationandstateofmind，onecanappreciateandcatchadiflbjentthemeofit．HerbertBlau，thedirectorwhentheplaywasperformedatSanQuentinpenitemiary,oncecomparedtheplaytoapieceofjazzmusic．‘％whichonemustlistenforwhateveronemayfindinit．’’21Really,whenitisanalyzed,andreadpiecebypiece，thisshorttwo-actplaybeginstotakeshapeandillustratesmanydifferenttnlthsoftheeverydayworld，especiallyofthewesternworld：deathofGod，hopelesswaiting，meaninglessofman’sexistence，absurdityoflife，sufferingofbeing，alienationofpeople，passageoftime，etc．JustasMartinEsslin．said，‘‘WaitingforGodotisaplayofpeculiarrichnessthatitopensvistasonsomanydifferentperspectives．Itisopentophilosophical，religious，andpsychologicalinterpretations，yetaboveallitisapoemon19
一d』壅盍堂亟±堂僮盈塞——time，evanescence，andthemysteriousofexistence，theparadoxofchangeandstabilitynecessityandabsurdity．’'222．1WhoIsGodor7．AlthoughinWaitngforGodot，Godotisneverphysicallypresentonstage，andhisidentityisaconstantriddleoftheplay,hispresenceiseverywhere．Thewholeplay，includingalltheactions，dialoguesandeventhethemeitself,wecansay,isaffectedb)thementionofGodot．SosinceitsproductiontherehasbeenmuchdPbateamongcritics3stotheidentityofGodot．WhenAlanSchneider,whodirectedthefirstAmericanp(：rformanceoi’I氍AtingforGodot，越skedBeckettwhoorwhatwasmeantbyGodot．hereceivedtheanswer,“Iflknew,1wouldhavesaidSOintheplay-．’’23ButforamallbroughtupinaseverelyProtestantenvironmentandhavingattemptodallMADissertationonDescartes，BeckettcouldnotavoidreferringtoChristiantextsandtocanonicalexegeses．SomanycriticsmaintainthatGodotisaweakenedformoftheword“f；。d”．TIisviewismostsimplisticallystatedinH6leneL．Baldwin’SSamuelBeckett"t|RealSilence：“．．withourpresentknowledgeofBecketIasanattistwhorelishesthemetaphysicalsearch，itappearstlmtGodotisGod．’’：4Andifwereadtheplaycarefullyandthoroughlywec趾1seethebiblicalechoesreallyaboundthroughoutthewholeplay．Godot，likethepastGod，isasupremelypowerfulbeing，foritishewhoholdsinhishandthefutureofmankind--VladinairandEstragon．“Ifwedropped20
him?He’dputfishtlS．”(p．93)“Andifhecomes?We’1lbesaved．"b．94)．Laterthemessengerboy’swordsfortherprovethisthatMr．Godotseparatesthesheepfromthegoatsandpunishestheshepherd(p．51)，somewhatlikeGodseparatespeopleonefromtheotherandpunishesthoseathislefthand．What’smore．theboythinksMr．Godotalsohasa“whitebeard'’．whichatlastmakesVladimirblurtout‘‘Cba'isthavemercyonus[”(p．92)St．Luke’Stwothieves，oneofwhomWassaved，Luck)1Sspeechofa“personalGod⋯诵tilawhitebeard”0．42)，andeventhewords“Cain'’，“Abel”，“Adam”，“Christ”，“prayer'’，and‘‘repentingtheoriginalsinofbeingborn”alllhickenthereligiousatmosphereButoneobviousfeatureoftheseChristianechoesisthattheyaremockingonesinsteadofseriousones．AliceandKermethHamiltonevenarguedforcefullyandprovocativelythatBeckeRrepeatedlyretersoralludestotheBiblebecauseitiSoretextthatheknowshecannottrust．“BeckettdoesnotllSCChristianmythologyjustbecauseheknowsit，but，moreparticularly,becauseheiscertainitisnottrue．，，25Evenattheverybeginning,VladimirrigorouslyanalyzesthegospelsOnthesul3iectofsalvation．Whenhesays“Oneofthethievesissupposedtohavebeensavedmadtheother⋯damned”(p．12)，⋯itSareasonablepercentage．”(p．11)HeandEstragoneachCanhaveafifty—fif哆chanceofbeingsaved．Butas“onlyone，outofthefourEvangelists，speaksofathiefbeingsaved”(p．12)，thepercentageofthechanceofsalvationconsidexablyreducestotwenty—five．What’Sevenworse：however,isthat‘‘of21
⋯出塞太堂亟±堂焦途塞——～theotherthreetwodon’tmentionanythievesatallandthethirdsaysthatbothofthemabusedhim．'b．13)ForVladimir，thisdashesanyhopeofsalvation,fortheoddshasbeenreducedtoalmostnull．So“Whybelievehimratherthantheothers?”(p．13)Clearly,VladimirdoesnotapproachtheBiblefromaChristianview,whichholdstheBibletObe“inspired，inerrab!e，andauthoritative”．Rather,ForVladimir,theBibleisjustlikeanyothertextwhose‘'truth”mustbetested．Andhere，VlMimirhasfouadthe“truth”oftheBibletobefallible．Various0血ersituationsechotIlis．WhenVladimirasksEstragon“DoyouremembertheGospels?”Thereplyis“IrememberthemapsoftheHolyland．Colouredthe),were．verypretiy．TheDeadSeawaspaleblue．‘l'heverylookofitmade．11。OtrsW⋯”(n．12jInotherwords，theBibleisjUSIanotherbookfoEstragon．abookthathe。anreadormerc!ylookat，ratherthanbelievingittObc“Gospeltmth’’AndGodothimselfisunpredictableinbestowingkindnessandpunishmeni．1heboywhoishismessengermindsthegoats，andGodottreatshimwell，Buttheboy’Sbrother,whomindsthesheep，isbeatenbyGodot．WhenheisaskedwhyGodotdoesn‘tbeathim．thcboyicplieshedoesn’lknow@．51)Tosomeextend‘；。山tisjustasarbitraryasGodAllthenationswillbegatheredbelbrehim，andhewillseparatepeopleODefromtheotheraSashepherdseparatesthesheepfromthegoats，andhewillputthesheepathisrighthandandthegoatsattheleft．Thenthekingwillsaytothoseathisrighthand，“Come，youthat
areblessedbymyFather,inheritthekingdompreparedforyoufiDmthefoundatioaoftheworld．”⋯ThenhewillsaytOthoseathislefthand，“Youthataccursed，departfrommeintotheeternalfirepreparedforthedevilandhisangels．”(Matthew25：32—4I)SoifOodot’Skindnessisbestowedfortuitously,hiscomingisnotasonrceofpurejoyitCallalsomeandamnation．That’SwhywhenEs订agon，inthesecondact，believesGodottobeapproaching，hisfirstthoughtis“I'maccursed．’’AndasVladimirtriumphantlyexclaims⋯ItSGodot!Atlast!Let’Sgoandmeethim．’’Es打agonransaway,shouting“I'minhell!”(pp．73—4、Fromthispointofview,thoughit’SeasyforUStoseethatGodotwillnevercome，andtheirhopeofsalvation，anevasionofthesufferingandanguishthatspringfromfacingtherealityofthehumancondition，willneverberealized．yetchancereallyplaysamajorroleinWaitingforGodot．JustasPozzo’SremarksonLucky’Sconditionofservitude，“RemarkthatImighteasilyhavebeeninhisshoesandheinmine．Ifchancehadnotwilleditotherwise．Toeachonehisdue．"(p．31)Howeasilytherolescouldhavebeenreversed．Byextension，wecaninferthateverythingisuncertain,evenhumanlifeandhumanexistenceallbasedonchmaceBesides，thecharacterLuckycanbereadasasymbolicfigureofJesus，sincetheparallelsbetweenLuckyandJesusstrong．Lucky,chinedwitharope，isthehumiliatedpfisoner'muchlikeJesuswastheprisoneroftheRomans．I,uckycarriestheburdenofPozzo’SbagslikeaperpetualcrossofJesus．Estragonbeats，curses，andspits
出丕太堂亟±堂鱼论塞onLuckyexactlyasRomantreatedJesuswhenpreparinghimforcrucifixion．、ⅣhenEstragonaskswhyLuckydoesn’tmakehimselfcomfortable，PozzorepliesthatLuck=，doesn’twanttodroptheluggagebecause“hewantstomollifyme，sothat1willgiveuptheideaofpartingwithhim．"(p．31)Likewise，Jesusbelievedthathehadtocarryouthisburden，crucifixion，toawakenman’sfaithinGodfortimetoCOllie．Hecommissionedhisapostlesto“makedisciplesofannations⋯teachthemtOC81TyouteverythingIhavecommandedyou．AndalwaysknowIamwitbyou．"(Matthew28：18-20)Jesuswantedhumanitytokeephimselfonasateacher,comforter,andultimatelydelivererofsalvation．7hesanle，PozzosayshetookonLuckyexplicitlytO“understandbeauty,．grace，trothofthefirstwaR．=l：”(p．33)ButSOO,qwec龃feelbothhaveoutlived也cirusefuinessV!adimir：Afterhavingsuckedallthegoodoutofhimyouchuckhimawaylike．．，abananaskinPozzo：(groaning,clutchinghishead)．1can’tbearit⋯anylonger⋯thewayhegoesonyou’venoidea⋯it'sterrible⋯hemustgo．．(hewaveshisarms)⋯I'mgoingmadr^Pcollapses，^如head加b打hands)⋯fCarl’tbearitanylongerPozzo：(sobbing)．HeusedtObeSOkind⋯SOhelpful⋯andentertaining⋯mygoodangeandnow⋯he’skillingme(p．34)Fromthisexchangewecansee，inthepast，PozzohadbenefitedfromLucbbutnowthebenefitsaregoneandLuckybecomesaliabilitytOPozzo．Furthermoreitisall24
——一——幽丕太堂亟±堂僮论塞abstracteffectiveness，ratherthanamaterialeffectiveness，t11athasdeteriorated，becauseLuckyremainsalladequateluggagecarrier,ButLuckycarlnolongerofferwhatsoothedandsatisfiedPozzo’Sspidt；instead，hetormentsit．AnddescribingthedisposalofaihithfulmanintermsofthecomicsymbolofabananapeelfurtherreducestheworthofLucky：atrash．IfweconsiderLuckyasasymbolforthedyingJesus，thisexchaugeshowsthatJesus’sacrificeisnolongerworthwhatitonceWas，andthisfailuretranslatesintothespiritualfailureofChristianity．ThesacrificeofJesus，whichwillbeeventuallytossedlikeabananapeel，isnOWonlyamechanizedactionforamusingboredmanjustasLucky’SbroadrangeofmirthfuldanceshasnOWbeenreducedtoasinglesequenceofstifimovemeDtperfomaedOilcommandtoalTIUSethetwotramps．ThemeritsofChristianityhavedecreasedtothepointwheretheynolongerhelpmanata11．Afterreadingthis，wecarleasilyconcludethatallthesemockingbiblicalechoesfurtherexpresstheideaofthedwindlingvalueofChristianfaith．soinWaitingforGodot．wecanfeelthereligiousatmospherepervadingthewholeplay．WhoeversaidthatGodotwasaparalleltoGodmaywellheCOITect，especiallywhenweconsiderthetraditionalwesterncultureandtherealsituationofthepostwar-westernworld．WeknowtheconceptofGodandoriginalsinhavealong-standingpositioninthewesternpeople’smind．InordertogetthesalvationafterdeathandenterintotheparadiseinwhichGodlivestoenjoytheeternalhappiness，one
——一出塞盍堂亟±堂焦论塞mustfollowthecreedsoftheBible．using“Good”torestrainandtriumph“Evil’’which，infact，formsthebasisofthewestempeople’straditionalmoralityandvalueIt’Sthisconceptthatmadepeoplehavetheirbelief,andtheirlivingpurposeaswellButoneday，theyfoundGodisnolongerinexistence．Evenearlyin1883inNietzsche’SZarathustra，NietzschespokeopenlythatGodisdead．AndsinceNietzsche’SdaythenumberofpeopleforwhomGodisdeadhasgreatlyincreased．Godisdead，SObeganthedeclineofthereligiousfaith．SuchsituationdidnotemergesuddeNNbutoccurredwithhuman’Sunceasingpursuitofreasonandscience，theresultofwhichisthatthetheoryofevolmionnegatedtheconceptthatGodcreatedtheworld；theprogressot’astrononlymadeEarthaplanetofli“leimportanceintheuniverse；andSigmundFreud’spsychologyrevealedthathuman’Ssubconsciousimpulseismoreforcefulthanfilereasonthattriestoconstraintheimpulse，namel)“Evil’’ismuchstrongerthan“Good”．Themoreadvancedthesciencedevelops．thesmallerthereligiousrealmbecomes．EspeciallyaftertheSecondWorldWar,peopleagainbegantodoubtabomtheirIraditionalbeliefsandtheirSO—calledsavior,God．ThewarhassweptaNa37alltheirtraditionalbeliefsandvaluesPeoplelhej：1aworldinwhichallthetraditionalconceptsthatgavelifeitsmeaningwerebeingthreatenedwithchaosandanarchy．IntheabsenceofGod，lifebecomesrootlessandmeaningless．Somanypeopleare“searchingforawayinwhichtheyCall，withdignity，confrontauniversedeprivedofwhatwasonceitscenteranditslivingpurpose，aworlddeprived
——出苤去堂亟土堂僮途塞ofagenerallyacceptedintegratingprinciple，whichhasbecomedisjointedpurposeless--absurd．’’26Therefore．VladimirandEstragon’SwaitingforGodotisjustlikepeople’SwaitingforGod．ThoughnooneintheplayeverreallysawGodot，oreverwill．yethisappearanccisnotasimportantasabeliefinhim．Itisthisbelieffllatservesthemostimportantfunction：itgivespurposetoVladimirandEstragon．asi'()rSOmanyyearsCttristianityseemedtopromisemeaningmidpurposetoSOmanyinthewesternworld．Butafterfinishingreadingtheplay,clearlyweCallseethatGodot，asinscrutableasGod，willnevercome．It’Sunreliable，irrational，andfutileforVladimirandEstragontOpintheirhopesonGodot’Ssalvation，asit’SuselessforpeopletorelytheirhopesonGodtosavetheworld．Andastothispoint．peoplehaveclearlyrealizedespeciallyafterthewa3"．SotheactofwaitingforGodotisshownasessentiallyabsurd“Admittedlyitmightbeacaseof‘Beliefisabsurdity’，yetitmightevenmoreforciblybetakenasademonstrationoftheproposition‘Absurdityisbelief．’’’27However,althoughtherearealotoftheologicalsuggestionsintheplay,andwetruly,fromthereligiousinterpretation，seetherealabsurdityofthewesternworldafter{hewar．yet“GodotisGod”isonlyoneoftheinterpretationsofwhoGodotis．Infact．hecarlbeanything．InWaitingforGodotandEndgame：Theatre疗sText．MichaelMortonmadeaverybrilliantexposition．HesaidGodotCallbesimultaneouslywhateverwethinkheisandnotwhatwethinkheis：heisailabsence，whoCanbeinterpretedatmomentsasGod，death，thelordofthemanoLabenefactor,evenPozzo
——出丕太堂亟±堂僮论塞butGodothasafunctionratherthanameaning．Hestandsforwhatkeepsuschainedtoandinexistence．heistheunknowablethatrepresentshopeinanagewhenthereisnohope，heiswhateverfictionwewanthimtob卜_aslongashejustifiesourlifc—aswaiting．28AndinTheTheatreoJ。theAbsurd,EsslinalsopointedoutWhetherGodotismeanttosuggesttheinterventionofasupernaturalagencNoiwhetherhestandsforamythicalhumanbeingwhosearrivalisexpectedtochangethesituation，orbothofthesepossibilitiescombined，hisexactnatureisofsecondaryimportanceThesubjectofthepIa’isnOtGodotbutwaiting，theactofwaitingasallessentialandcharacteristicaspectofthehumancondition．+throughoutourliveswealwayswaitforsomething，andGodotsimplyrepresentstheobjectiveofourwaith!g-一-anevenLathing，ape≈。n，death．29Sowaitingisthecoreofthepla)；_ThuswecallunderstandwhenthcplaywasperformedattheSanQuentinpenitentiaryin1957．whytheplay,whichhadbewilderedman)-criticsandattdienceinParis，I,ondon，andNewYjrk，wasmmediatelygraspedbythefourteenhundredconvicts。Someconvictssaid“Godotissociety”，andsomesaid“Godotistheoutside”．Andateacherattheprisonsaid，“Thecenvictskalowwhatismeantbywaiting⋯’’sincetheplayconffonledwiththemasituationinsonicwayssimilartotheirOu,ql，theirexperienceoftime，waiting，hopeanddespairSincethereiswaiting，itseemsthereshouldbesome‘‘hope”．Asthetreeintheplay,thefirsteveningitwas“blackandbare”(p．66)，butthesecondeveningitsprouted
出丕态堂亟土堂缱论塞一⋯一——“fourorfiveleaves”(p．57)，Andweknowinliteraturethesproutoftreeshasoftenbeeninterpretedasasignofoptimism，asymboloflife．Buttoputthisinterpretationheremustbeunsatisfactory,fortoBeckea，all“agnosticpessimist”，who“constantlydeniestimeasahopefulmovementforward”．30thetreeinhisworldisonlyallisolatedphenomenon，inexplicable，justadeceitfulmiragelikeGodothimself，holdingoutnogenuinepromise．Sincethewholeplayhighnghtstheendlesscircularityofthemeaninglessandpurposelesslife，it'sahopelesshope．Godot--thehopcofVladinfirandEstragon．isonlyanillusionthattheymakeuptosoothethemselvesandtokeepthem矗omfacingthehumanconditionandthemselveswithfullyconsciousawareness．Butthelongertheywait．themoresufferingstheywillhave．JustasVladimir’swordsHopedef'e1鬻dmak．eththesomethingsick,"(p．10)Whatmakesitworseisespeciallytheyarewaitingpassively,for‘‘itisintheactofwaitingthatweexperiencetheflowoftimeinitspurest，mostevidentform．Ifweareactive，wetendtoforgetthepassageoftime，wepassthetime，butifwearemerelypassivelywaiting，weareconfronted、viththeaetionoftimeitself’’3ForVladimirandEstragon，theyarewaitingpassively，SOtheyhavetOexperiencetheactionoftime，whichmakesthemboredtodeath．Thefirstlineoftheplayis“NothingtObedone”(p．9)，asentencethatisrepeatedforseveraltimesinthewholeplay．WhenEs仃agonsays“Nothingtobedone”，heisonthepointofgivingupthestruggletopulloffhisboot，butitisalsoacolnmentontheplayingeneral．Soevenat29
出塞太堂亟±堂僮途塞——一theverybeginningwecanrealizetheabsurdityoftheplay,forthetraditiotmlideaisthatatthebeginningofaplaythereissomethingtObedone：asettingtobeestablished，characterstobedeveloped，motivestobeanalyzed，amysterytobesolved，aninjusticetoberighted，acrimetobepuntshed，orapairofloverstObeunited．ButBeckeaundercutsalloftheseinthefirstsentence．Inaddition．Vladimir’Sanswerto也esentencecomicallywidensthefocus：“I'mbeginningtocomeroundtothatopinion．AllmylifeI'vetriedtoputitfromme，saying，Vladimir,bereasonable，youhaven’tyettriedeverything．AndIresumedthestruggle．”(p．9)Clearlythesentenceherecallbeinterpretedthatactionisuseless．JustseewhatEstragonsayslateL“NousesWaggling．Nouse、~riggling。Ne傲ingtobedone．"(p．21)Butthm’SnotenoughTileharshestrealityisthmalthoughtheyknowallthethingstheydowillbefutileandmeaningless．yettheyhavetodosomethingtokillthetimethattorturingthemduringtheirwaitingforGodot．Sincewhenonewaitspassively．itseemsthattimedoesnotpassi11thisworld；rather,thecharactershavetofindwaysofpassingthetimethemselves．AndVladimirandEstragonknowthat“Nothinghappens，nobodycomes，nobodygoes，it'sawful．”(p．41)So“Whatshallwedonow?”becomesasentenceVladhnirandEsgagonalwaysaskingeachother．OnesolutionadoptedbyBeckett’Scharactersismechanicalrepetition，re—enactingsituationswithoutperceivinganysignificanceinthoserepeatedactions．That’Swhatweseeintheplay：VladimirandEstragonbicker,abuseeachother，constantlyaskeachotherpointlessquestions，staggeraboutcnonelegtrying沁look
liketrees，playagameofbeingPozzoandLucky,evencontemplatesuicide．Buttheconceptoftheirpassagcoftimeleadstoageneralirony,sinceeachminutespentwaitingbringsdeathonestepclosertOVladimirandEstragon，andmakesthearrivalofGodotlesslikelyInbrief,riomatterGodotisGod，orthehopethatisalwaysawaitedbutneverfulfilled，oranythingthatpeoplewaitfor,Waiting力，Godotwellportraystherealstateofthewesternpeople：theirvacancyandgroundlesshopesinanunpredictableandabsurdworld．2．2SearchfortheSelf“Wh。anqI?。isaconstantquestioninBeckett’sexplorationofthehumanconditionandofthemeaningofhuman’Sexistence．EspeciallyinWaitingforGodotwithafurtherexplorationofthequestion，Beckettclearlyreflectsmarl’sbewildermentandanxietywhenconfrontedwitllthehumancondition,andconveysmail’sdespairatoeingunabletofindameaninginexistenceAswehaveseenvqhenonewaitspassively,onewillhavetofacetheactionoftimeitself．And‘"theactionoftimewillconfrontUSwiththebasicproblemofbeing—也eproblemofthenatureoftheself．”弛which，beingsuNecttoconstantchangeintime，isinconstantfluxandthereforeeveroutsideourgrasp．InTheTheatreoftheAbsu以EsslinputitaS“Beingsubjecttothisprocessoftimeflowingthroughns
出筮太堂亟±堂位迨塞一——andchangingllSindoingSO，weare，atnosinglemomentinourlives，identicalwithourselves．”33，Thesentencem',demerecallthefamousphilosophyofHeraclitus⋯Everythingflowsandnothingabides’．Everythingisinastateofbeeoming；nothingever／s：、Youcannotsteptwiceintothesameriver,forotherwatersandyetothersgoeverflowingon．⋯34ThusweseethemessengerboyfailstorecognizeVladimirandEstragon1％mdaytOday．WhenVladimiraskstheboy“Doyounotrecognizeme?”(p．91)theboydeniesthathehaseverseenthetwogampsbeforeandinsiststhatthisisthefirstllrnehehasactedasGodot’SmessengeLButweknowheisthesameboyasinthefirstact．Soastheb·)yJeaves，Vladimirtries10impressitupon!fim：“You’resureyousawme，eh，youwon7tcomeandtellmelomorrowthatyouneversawmebefore?”心91)Theboydoesnotreply,butw-earesurethathewillagainfailtorecognizethem．Canweeverbesurethatthehumanbeingswemeetafethesametodayastheywereyesterday?VehenPozzoandLuckyfirstappear,neitherVladimirnorEs仃agonseemstorecognizethem，EstragoneventakesPozzoforGodot．Butaftertheyhavegone，Vladimir．commentsthattheyhavechangedsincetheirlastappearancetButEstmg(minsist：Jthathedidn’tknowthem．Vladimir：YesyoudoknowthemEstragon：NoIdon’tknowthem．Vladimir：Weknowthem，Itellyou．Youforgeteverything．(PauseTohimself．)Unless
出丕去堂殛土空僮论塞——⋯一一they’renotthesameEstragnn：Whydidn’ttheyrecognizeUS，then?Vladimir：Thatmear[5nothing．ItoopretendednottorecognizethemAndthennobodyeverrecognizesus(p．48)Inthesecondact，whenPozloandluckyreappear,cruellydeformedbytheactionoftime，VladimirandEs廿agonagainhave",heirdoubtswhethertheyarethesamepeopletheymetonthepreviousday．EvenPozzodoesn’trememberthemtoo：“Idon’trememberhavingmetanyoneyesterday．Buttomorrow1won’trememberhavingmetanyonetoday．Sodon’tcountollmetoenlightenyou，”(p．88)Nomatterbecausewithtimpassageoftimepeopiereallychangeconstantlyorbecauseoftheamnesiathatallthecharactershave，thefactthatnoflcofthecharactersretainaclearmentalhistoryreallyheightensVladimirmidEstragon’Sanxiety．Becausethatmeanstheyshouldconstantlystruggletoprovethattheyexist，Soalthough“Verylikely,theyallchmlge．"(p．48)since“EverythingOOZES，”and⋯ItSneverthesamepusfiomonesecondtothenext．”①．60)VladimirandEstragoninsistthatit’Scertainthatonlytheyca”’tchange(p．481toprm，etheir0VFilexistence。YetthefacttIlatneithertheboynorPozzoandLuckyremembereitherofthemreallycastsdoubtsontheirveryexistence．ThisiswhyVladimirdemandstoknowthattheboywillinfactrememberthemthenextday．WhatmakesitworseisthateventhemselvesCannotremembertheirpast．EstragoncannotrememberanythingpastevenwhatWaSsaidimmediately33
priortohislines．Vladimir,althoughpossessingabettermemory,distrustswhatheremembers．Sothismakesmallhavetothinkaborathisexistence：whetherheexistsornot,whatisthemeaningofhisexistence“Being，aSAristotlesaid，acreaturethatdesirestoknow,mancannotendurefortongtheabsenceofmeaning．WhentheuniversedoesnotseemtOofferthiskindofmeaningoreventoallowthepossibilityofit，theinevitablehumanresponseisfrustration，andhewilltrybyanymeansathisdisposaltocreateit，oratleasttoimagineit．’’35That’SthecaseinWaitingforGodot．WhentheyCan．’tfindanymeaningntheirlives．VladimirandEstragonimposetheirwildernessanillusorymeaningwaitingtbrGodot．Godo[ismaythingtheexpectationofwhichhelpsV_ladimirandEstragontobeartheirexistence．AsEstragonsays“Wealwaysfindsomething，eh，Didi，togiveustheimpressionweexist．”(p．69)SoalthoughtheGodottheywaitforisavaguefigureandwouldprobablybeadisappointmenttothemifhecame，yetaslongastheycanmakethemselvesbelievethatGodotwillsomedaycomeandoffersomekindofhelp。theycancomfortthemselveswitllthethoughtthat“inthislnlnlcrse．confusiononcthingaloneisclear．WearewaitingforGodottocon3e．’"p·80)SincethehopethatGodotmi曲tcomeafterallisthelastillusienthatkeepsVladinfirandEstragonfromfacingthehumanconditionandfacingthemselveswithfullyconsciousawareness．SoVladimir’SretreatintotheillusionofwaitingforGodot．andPozzo’scompulsiontokeepgoingon，bothseemtogrowoutallirresistibletendencyinherent
————．}b盔太堂亟±堂僮途塞————～inhumannature：theneedformeaning．“AslongasthoughtCanfindatleastanillusionofmeaningitisasourceofsomecomfort，butthetroubleisthatitcontinuallyrullsupagainstsuchmysteriesasthatrepresentedbythestoryofthethieves．Whenthishappens，theeffectisnotonlydisorientingbutpainful．sometimesexcruciating．”拍Lucky’Sspeechandtheothersresponsetoitisagoodexample，WeknowLucky’SspeechistheresultofPozzo’Scommandofaskinghimtothink．Howevermad，Lucky’Stirade，fromthetheologicalbeginningtothesubjectof“anthropometry”，fromthestudyofmalltonatureandtodeath，showsthewreckageofthought．Briefly,themainconcelTISofhisspeechisthattheconditionofreanisimplicitlyacrucifixion．TheonlydifferencebetweentheagonyofmodemmallandthatofChristis．asEstragonsayslater，thatintheearliertime“theycrucifiedquick",(p．52)butinOllrtimeitismoredrawnout，“％everyrllanhislittlecross．Tillhedies⋯Andisforgotten”(p．62)．Andduringthecourseofthespeech，thestagedirectiontellsUStheothersreactastbllows(1)VladimirandEs护agonallattention，Pozzodejeaedanddisgusted．(2)VladimirandEsn,agctnbegintoprotesLPozzo—ssufferings"increase．轴iVladimirandEstragonattentiveagi：in．Pozzoim?o'eandmoreagitatedandgroaning．(4)i'TadimirandEs驴agonprotestviolentlyPozzojumpsup,pullsOntherope．Generaloutcr2zLuckypulls01ltherope，staggers，shoutsh{stext．AllthreethrowthemselvesOrltuckywhostrugglesandshoutshistexL(p．42)Pozzohashearditallbefore，probablyoften，thereforeis“dejectedanddisgusted’’at35
一～出壅太生亟±堂僮迨室thestart．ButVladimirandEstmgonarecuriousinthebeginningbecausethoughtisnotquitefamiliartothem．Althoughtheyoccasionallytouchonareasofmystery,theynormallyavoidgoingintoittoofar．Mostofthetime．theyusetalkasadistractionSOthatthey“won’tthink_!’(p．62)and“won’thear⋯allthedeadvoices”(p．62)ofthosewhohavethoughtandwhohave“exploredthemysteryofbeingandtheselftotheimitsofanguishandsuffering'’37before．Butwithgreatcuriositywhentheydohearthem，theyfmdtheworldbecomes“acharnel—house”filled埘ththe“corpses”(p．64)ofoldideas．Lucky’Sspeech，wecansee，functionsasawindowintothecharnelhousewhich“Youcan’thelplooking”憎．64)，butthevisionprovesunendurable．Since”T]finkingisnottheWGrSl，Whati^terribleistohm’ethought．”(p。64)，whichremindsmeofDescartes’famouspropositionthatgreatlyinfluencedBeckett’Sphilosophy,。’Ithink．thereforeIam．”Thatistheactofthinkingistheindisputableproo￡ofonc‘Sexistence．ButwhattheplayS110wsUSisthatalthoughthecharactersalwayslrytheirbesttofindsomethingtogivethemselvestheimpressionthattheyexist，theydarenotusethinkingsincetheydarenotfacetheirrealconditionintheabsurdworld．．Sothewholeplayrevealsagradualbreakdownofailtheillusionsthatappeartogivemeaningtoexistence．ThisCanbewellexplainedbytheflowoftheuncertainty--fromthehopeofdiscoveringtheidentityofOodottoitsrepeateddisappoinmaentfills．AstoGodot，VladimirandEstragon“hardlyknowhim．Eventheysawhimtheywouldnotknowhim．"(p．23)OncetheyeventakePozzoforGodot．And
——————』：尘塞盍堂亟±堂焦途塞～⋯theirappointmentisbynomeanscertain．Estragondoesnotrememberitatall，andVladimirdoesn’tknowwhomadetheappointment，ifany,oritsplaceandtime．HeisnotquitesurewhattheyaskedGodottodoforthem。ItWaS“nothingverydefinite⋯akindofprayer⋯avaguesupplication”0．18)SowecailseethegreatabsurdityofrelyingonanuncertainGodottogivemeaningtOmar!’sexistenceAnothergoodexampletoshowthisisthebreakdownoftheillusionofownershipThearchetypalrepresentativeofmall’sdesireforpossessionisPozzo．Whenheentersthefirsttimewithhisslave，Lucky,loadeddownwithhisbelongings，heisunhappytofindthetwotrampswaitingonhislandandthinksit“adisgrace’’that“theroadisfreetoa11．”(p．23)Astheacigoesi)n．however,thesecttrityofownershipgraduallyslipsawayfromhhnUShispossessionsdisappearOllt!byone．itispipe，forexample，andhiswatchsimplyvanish．Thisisablowtohisillusionofpower,buthemanagestoavoidthefuUrealizationofwhatishappening．Givingupthesearchforhiswatch，hecomfortshimself埘tllthethoughtthathe“mustleftitatthemanor'’(p．46)，thoughhehadbeenmakingaconspicuousdisplayofitonlyafewminmesearlier．InActII，whentimehasalreadyerodedmostofthepowerheoncehad，madeventhepossessionsthatoncefilledthebagsLuckycarriesarenowreplacedbysand，PozzostillreferstoLuckyas“mymenial”(p．87)，anddriveshimon．AsVladimir’Swords“habitisagreatdeadener”、it’Struethatoldhabitsofthoughtareagreatcomfortandanimportantdefense．whichCanpreventonefromreachingthepainfulawarenessofthefullreality
——出塞盍堂亟土堂焦逾塞ofbeing．YethoweverhardPozzotriestoavoidrealizingthereality,wecallfeelthebreakdownofhisillusiontousehispossessiontogivehimselfsomemeaningofhisexistence．Asthevariousmeaningsthathavegivenshapeandcoherencetotheirlivesgraduallyfailsthem，allofthecharactersareforcedtoconfrontatleastbriefly,therealabsurdityoftheirexistence．EspeciallytoVladimirandEstmgon，conversingandplayinggamescarlholdoffforawhiletherealizationofthereality,butinthelongrunrealityismorepowerfulthantheirdefense．Andwhentheyreallyfacethereality,theyfinditunbearable．SotheyaSSlLWIesuicideasabettersolutiontoescapefiomthereality．‘‘WeshouldhavethoughtoJ、itamillionyearsago，inthenineties⋯Har．dinhand疗omthetopoftheEiftMTower,amongthefirst．Wewerepresentableinthosedays．Nowit’stoolate．Theywouldn’tevenletUSup．”CO．10)Yetsuicideremainstheirfavoritesolution．“Let’Shangourselvesimmediately”0。17)“Whydon’tvcehangourselves?”(p．93)Butinaworldofabsurdity,deathaisobecomesabsurd．Firstlybecausesuicide：ntheplayisunattainableowingkltheil‘ownincompetenceandtheir．1ackofpracticaltoolstoachie、reit，SOtheya弛forcedtOcontinuetheirwaiting．AsMichaelWononsaid，‘‘Deathasarieventispresentedasdesiredbutultimatelyimpossible．whereasdyingasaprocessisshowntobeouronlysurereality⋯DeathaSafatalending，asafinalsilence，isabsentfromtheplay．”38SoVladimirandEstragonwillgoonwaitingnotonlyforGodotbutalsofortheirdeathThesecondisbecause
出壅态堂亟±堂位途塞一一theropethatsupposedtoputallendtothemalsoservesasthebeltholdingupEstragon’Strousers．’‘Atoneofthemostsombermomentsinthehistoryofdramainthiscentury,atatimewhenallhope，evenofeasefuldeath，hasevaporated：atthatprecisepointthevictim’strousersconcertinaaromidhisallkles．’’39Buteventhisisnotthewholejoke，becausewhenVladimirtellsEstragontOpull01lhistrousers，Estragon，inafinemusic—hallstyle，getsitallwrong．“Youwantmetopulloffmytrousers?”(p。94)which，cannotbedenied，bringsitsaudienceandreadersthemostunbearablepoignancy．Sobesidescatchingtheabsurditythattheplayreveals，atthesametimeWecartappreciatetheartisticcharmoftragicomedy,sinccBeckencallsWaitingfo，Godot“A’Fragicomedyin’l'woActs”．BemardShawoncedefinedtragicomedyasbeingboth“deepermadgrin。nef’thantragedNThat’Strue．WhenweseeEstragon’St／'otlsersfallabouthisankles，Iamsure，nobodyCanholdhimselffromlaughing，butit’Sbitterlaughter,it’Slaughterwithhorrorandtears。Beckett’SfirstdirectorRogerBlinoncesaid，“Beckettisuniqueinhisabilitytoblendderision，humorandcomedywithtragedy：hiswordsaresimultaneouslytragicandcomic．’’40r；iizabeffoWinkleralsowrote．‘‘InBeckett’sambiguous‘tragicomedy’thec!ownisafigurewhoembodiestheinscrutabilityofexistence．Hecreateslaughteroutoffailureirresolutionandfrustration；hisisnotacomedyofaffirmation，butthebitterhalf-laughofa‘perhaps’．’’41Really,Beckett’Suseofthetragicomedygreatlyintensifiestheabsurdityoftherealworld．39
———出丕态堂亟±堂僮论塞一一Thesituationsofthecharactersintheplayareauniversalone．Sincetheyarehumanbeings．(ThiswillbeexemplifiedinthenextchapteL)SoherenotonlyVladimirandEstragon，andPozzoandLucky,butalsothewholehumanbeings．areseekingmeaninginallabsurdtmiverseWaitingforGodotislikeabundleofbrokenmirrorsreflectsdifferentpartsofthehumansituations．NomatteryouarekeepinggoingontOstruggletofindameaningofexistence，asPozzoandLucky,oryouaresittingtherewaiting，asVladimirandEstragon．thereisnodifference．Becausenoneofthemcanfindanyanswerastothemeaningoflife．SotheplayisapoemOnaworldinwl-dchmailwaitsandhopesforsomethingtOgix7eameaningtOhislifetoprovehisexistence．aI试tOrelievehimoftheabsurdityofadeath．Buthewaitsinvain，sinceourlifeisasmeaninglessasourdeath，JustasPatrickA．McCarthysaysinCriticalEssco,sonSamuelBeckett,‘‘Humanlifeiscircularandfutile．aclosedsystemthatenclosednothingbutmeaninglessness．‘’42
一——山盔太堂亟±堂焦途塞——一CHAPTERTHREEAnti-traditionalDevicesofExpressionTheworkoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdreflectstheabsurdityoftherealworldnotonlyfromitscontentbmalso行ofBitsform．whichisthebiggestdifferencebetweentheTheatreoftheAbsurdandothertheatresthatdealwiththethemeoftheabsurdityofthehumancondition，suchV_StheExistentialisttheatre．AlthoughtheExistentialistnxitershavesimilarconcernsasthedramatistsoftheAbsurd，theyexpresstheirunderstandingoftheworldandhumanconditioninanelegantlymtionafisficandlogicalstyle，well—constmc把dplot。vividlyportrayed℃hm'acters，compactandpowerthllanguage，beautifulphrasingandsparklingargumemation．Yetsincetheworldisabsurd，disorderandinscrutable，howCanthewriterspresenttheirsenseoftheirrationalityofthehumanconditionillafunnofhighlylucidandlogicallyconstructedreasoning?Sobravelyfacinguptothethctthattheworldhaslostitscentralexplanationandmeaning，theabsurdistplaywrightsfounditisnolongerpossibletoaccepi_eatformsstillbasedontheconstitutionofstandardsandconceptsttlathavelosttheirvalidit)：Accordingly,theTheatreoftheAbsurdstrivestoexpressitssenseofthesenselessnessofthehumanconditionbytheopenabandonmemofrationalandtraditionaldevicesofexpression．Inaddition，“TheTheatreoftheAbsurdhasrenouncedarguingabouttheabsurdityofthehumancondition；itme!elypresentsitin
——出丕盘坐亟±堂僮论塞——being--thatis，intermsofconcretestageimages．’’43Undoubtedly,theemploymentofusingtheabsurdanti—traditionalformtoexpresstheabsurdrealityachievestheverypurposeofaperfectintegrationbetweenthecontentandtheform．Andinthe’FbeatreoftheAbsurd，Beckett’Sworks，especiallyhismasterpiece，WaitingforGodot，as1havementionedinthefirstchapter,pushesthedevelopmentoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdtoanextreme，notonlyfromtheaspectofitstheme，butalsofromitsform．Beckettoncepointedout，“Theform，structure，andmoodofanartisticstatementcannotbeseparatedfromitsmeaning，itsconceptualcontent；simplybecausetheworkofartasawholeisitsmeaning，whatissaidinitisindissolublylillkedwiththeⅥanneyinwhichitissaid．andcannotbesaidmanyotherway．。“4S。“Theartist112．：131findaform．anewformforanewvisionofthings，⋯‘WhatIanlsayingdoesnotnleanthattherewillhenceforthbenoforminart．Itonlymeansthattherewillbenewform．andthatthisformwillbeofsuchatypethatitadmitsthechaos，．．．Tofindafonnthataccommodatesthemess，thatisthetaskoftheartist．’，45Andhepersonallyappliedhistheoriesintopractice．ButtheformthatheemployedinhisWaitingfo，GodotisSO．strikingand50newthatatthebegirm_；ngsom．ecriticsweredismayed．The37complainedthmnothingatallwell—madethere，noconventionaldevelopment：noconflict，noclimax，noideas，andsuchviolationsmustcemposeallanti-play．But诵t}ltheirmoreattentionandmorestudyontheplay,theyfoundWaitingforGodotflgoodtheatre，“thesetting，thecharacters，thepointlesstalking，thetedium，theclowning，and
——一出壅杰堂亟±堂焦淦塞eventhehintsofsomething—more—than—thereseemedagreatconspiracyinwhichnothingisirrelevanttosomethingthatcannotbedetermined．”46Fletcheralsocommentedfavorablythat“BeckeRfoundthemearlsofsettingoutthemetaphysicaldoubtsthattormentpeopleinformsthm．1ikeallradicalinnovations，surpriseatfirstandtheninashortspaceoftimebegintoseemnaturalandinevitable．’’们3．1Anti．heroCharaetersInthe,traditionaltheatres，therearebrilliantlydrawnprotagonists，andthepurposeofthearrangementofothercharactersistOserveasafoilto,highligh_cthemaincharacters．*hoafousuallyheroicones．BLotthat’SnotthecaseintheTheatreoftheAbsurd．IntheabsurdisttheatretheprotagonistsRrenonentity,trm'nps，waiters，doorkeepers，prostitutes，andthediscarded．Thesecharactersusuallyhavenoindividuality,SOgenerallyplaywrightsofthiskindjustUSethesymbolsthatembodiedinthecharacterstorepresentthepeopleatthebottomofthesociety,whichisreallyagoodmethodtoattractmostpeople’SattentionandarousetheirsympathyabitcasilylnWaiiingJbrGodot，themostimportantpoimthatwellreflectstherealconditionoftkwholewestempeopleintheabsurdworldofpostWorldWarIIisjustBeckett’sbrillianttreatmentofthecharacters．Intheplay,thereareneitherstronglycharacterizedcharactersnordetaileddeseriptionofthem．Beckettgiveshischaractersawideridentity．Estragon，Vladimir,
——幽壅太堂塑±堂焦论塞——PozzomadLuckyarenotsimplyfourparticularmen．Inabroadersense，theyarerepresentativesofmankind．AsmostcriticshaveagreedwimAndrewKennedy’sobservation，thecharacters’narnes，Estragon，Vladlmir,PozzoandLuckyarerespectivelyFrench，Russ．：an，Italian，andEnglish．48BeckeRUSCSthefournanlesoifourdifferentlanguagestOrepresentnotonlythefourcountxiesbu!alsothewiaolehumanrace．AnothermethodthatBeckettUSeStoachieveauniversalmeaningforIrischaractersistheinterchangeabilityofallthecharacters．Allrolesarereversible，and3jidentitiesarearbitrarilydefinedBeekettunderminesthestability-ofcharactersbyreversalandself-contradiction．Forexample，Esiragon，whocannotidentil}'Christ8￡thebegirmingofthepla),ciaimztohaveimitatedlfim"allhislife．Pozzo，whoprideahimselfonpunctuality．declareshehas“wnotionoftime”(p．86)ThefuriousexchangeofhatssymbolizestheexchangeofrolesbetweenVladimirandEslragonEvenDairiesthemselvesaresubversiveofidentity．“Pozzo—becomesBozzo，GozzoGodot；“Godot”isGodinorGodet．Intheend，allthecharactersbecomeEverymzm“Atthisplace，atthismomentoftime，allmar血indisus．”(p．79)“Wcarereel3,"(p．82)．EvenPozzo．alterhavinglostmos￡,ofthepoa,se。s!onsandpowe．；thatgave!．jmpersonalidentityandsecuri≈,,isalsouniversalized：whenheRnswersmboth“Cain”and“Abel”，Estragonconmlentsthatbe’Sallhumanity．(p．93)Inaddition，allthectmmctersarestrippedalmosttothebareofanysocialbackground．SOtheymightbesaidtorepresentdifferenttypesol’mehtmlanrace
出塞太堂亟±堂焦论塞————Estragonisthesensualist，thecornlTlon，unthinkingmaterialist，whileVladimircomparativelyspeaking，istheembodimentofrationalmall，whoseesadeepersignificanceintheplightofhumanlife．Luckyshowsnodesiretoinquireandtoquestion．Hehasfoundhismeaninginthenegationofhisownpersonality，andhewantstobeledandisshownintotalsubmissiontoPozzo，whereasPozzofindshismeaningintheexerciseofpersonalpower．Godot，ashasmentioned，mightberegardedasasubstitutionforGod，orasman’shopeforsomethingdifferentinhislifeayearningforanewdynamicwhichwillrevitalizehisexistenceAnotherfeatureofthecharactersisthatBeckeRfrequentlypresentstwocontrastingcharactersasapairtOcomplementeachother．Vladimirisintellectual，loquacious，andhasamore“feminine”personality．Estragonisintuitive，taciturn，andhasthemore‘‘masculine”personality．Thisisreflectedinvariousways。Vladimirhastroublewithhishat，Estragonwithhisboots．Vladimirhas“stinkingbreath”，Estragon“stinkingfeet”(p．46)．Ineatinghiscarrot，Estragonfindsthatthemoreheeatsofitthelesshelikesit，whileVladimirreactstheopposite--helikesthingsashegetsusedtOthem．Estragondreams，Vladimircannotstandhearingaboutdreams．Vladimirrememberspastevents．Estragontendstoforgetthemassoonastheyhavehappened．Vladimirispersistent，Estragonvolatile．ItismainlyVladimirwhovoicesthehopethatGodotwillcomeandthathiscomingwillchangetheirsituation，whileEstragonremainsskepticalthroughoutandattimesevenforgetsthenameofGodot．During45
——⋯出壅太堂殛±堂僮论塞——一theirwaitingtheiractivitiesanddialoguesalsoshowthisquality：“dancing，juggling，tumbling，miming，fallingandrisin哥—withEstragonthemoreactiveofthetwo；theirdialogueisvaried、vimquestionsandexclamations，logicanddisjunction，incompletenessandalternatives，eruditionandobscenity,synonymsandanion37Insparadoxandincongruity--withVladimirthemoreinventiveofthetwo．’“9PozzoandI,uckyareequallycomplementaryintheirnatures：Pozzoisthesadisticmaster,Luckythesubmissiveslave．Inthefirstact，Pozzoisrich，powerful，andcertainofhimsel(：herepresentsworldlymaninallhisfacileandshortsightedoptimismandillusoryfeelingoftx)werandpermanence．Luckynotonlycarrieshisheavyluggage，andthewhipwithwhichPozzobeatshim，butalsodancesandthinksforhimInfact，it’SLuckywhotaughtPozzoallthehighervaluesoflife：‘'bemlty，grace，truthofthefirstwater．”(p．33)SoPozzoandLuckyrepresenttherelationshipbetweenbodyandmind，thematerialandthespiritualsideofman，withtheintellectsubordinatetotheappetitesoftIlebodyAlthoughsuperficiallyeachcomplementarypairarecloselytied，it’Sreallyhard．forthemtohaverealcommunicationwithRrl‘arealunderstandingofeachother．MostofthetimetheyarelockedawayfromeachotherinseparateStreamsofthou曲1．“EvenwhentheirtrainsofthoughtaregoingintheSasTledirection．whichisseldomenough，theyrunonseparate，thoughparallel，tracks．”50Thisismadeclearevenattheverybeginningoftheplay．ThesceneopenswithEstragonseatedonamoundstruggling
wimabootthat",viiinotcomeoff．Givinguptemporarilyhesays“Nothingtobedone．”(p．9)Vladimirhearsthis，butinsteadofaskingwhatiswrongorifhecanhelpheusesthewordsaSaspringboardforgeneralphilosophicalobservations：“I'mbeginningtOcowteroundtothatopinion．AI!raylifeI'vetriedtoputitfrommesaying，Vladimir,bereasonable，youhaven’tyettriedeverything．AndIresumedthestruggle．"(p．9)IttakessometimeforEstragontogetthroughIohim，andwhentheyfinallydogetontothesaIncsubject．Vladimiragainusesitasanoccasionforaphilosophicalobservation：“Bootsmustbetakenoffeveryday．”(p．1O)Besides，sympathyisevenmoredifficulttoreachtheother：Estragon：∞。6妫．1lelpmsVIadimir：Ithurts?Estragon：Hurts!l-liewantstoknowifithurtsVladimir：(angriiy)．Nooneeversuffersbutyou．fdon’tcount．I'dliketOhearw1．,atyou’dsayifyouhadwhatlhave．(p-10)AsEstragoncontinuestoaskforhelp，Vladimircontinuestotalkabouthisownpa,blem，untilfinallyEs打agongetsthebootoffbyhimsell：AndthefollowingdialoguewillfurthermakeUSseethedifficultycharactershaveincommunicationandtheisolatedconditiontheyarein：Estragon：Whywillyouneverletmesleep．'?Vladimir：1feltlonely
出丕态堂亟±堂僮迨塞一Estrsgon：1hadadream．Vladimir：DOU’ttellmeEslragon：WhoarnItOtellmyprivatenightmarestoiflcan’ttellthemtoyou?(P16)What’Smoreabsurdisthatthoughtheyknowthere’SnorealconmnuficationⅥritheachother,stilltheyhavetostaytogether：Es仃agon：Don’ttouchme!Don’tquestionme!Den’tspeaktome!StaywithmeEstragon：Yousee，youfeelworsewhenI'mwithyou．1feelbetteralonetooVladimir：(vexed)’thenwhydoyoualwayscomecrawlingback?Estragon：Idon’tknow(PP．58-9)Wecansaytheyarcunhappytogether,butevenmoreunhappyapart．Thereisaninvisibleropethatconnectsthemandmakesthemhardtodepartfromeachother．JustaSMartinEsslinpointedout：“TheoppositionoftheirtemperamentsistheOallSeot’endlessbickeringbetweenthemandoftenleadstothesuggestionthattheysh)ujdpart．Yet，beingcomplementarynatures，theyalsoaredependentoneachotherandhavetostaytogether．”“Andashasanalyzed．Estragonrepresentsthephysicalsideofmarl，．whileVladimirtheintellectualside．Separatelyeachisonesideofmail，buttogethertheyrepresentmanasawhole．Withoutonetheotherwouldbelost．Andatthesametime，thecompanyofoneanotherisoneofthefewdistractionst}1eyhavefromtheboredomandanxietythatconstantlypressuponthem．Sobothneedanothertobreakthemonotonyandtheterriblesilenceoftheirwaiting，andbothneedanothertoprovide
——出盘盍堂亟±堂僮迨塞⋯⋯～proofthatmeyreallyexistbyrespondingandreplyingtOeachother．Astoanotherpairofcharacters，PozzoandLucky,althoughthereisarealropetl】atconnectsthemtogether,it’Sevenharderforthemf0communicate．Inthewholeplay，besidesthetirade．Luckyhasnowords．HconlymechanicallydoeswhatPozzocommandshimtodo．／nfactitisimpossibleandnotnecessaryforamasterandslavetohaverealcommunication．Hence，Pozzo，thoughamaster,alsofeelslonely．Justlookathiswords，“Theroadseemslongwhenonejourneysallalone⋯Icannotgoforlongwithoutthesocietyofmylikes⋯”Q．24)“ThemorepeopleImeetthehappier1become．Fromthemeanestcreatureonedepartswiser，richer，moreconsciousofone’sblessing．"(p．29)“1havesuchneedofencouragement．”(p38)ThusweseethefactthatalthoughPozzocomplainsheCan’tbearLuckyanymoreandwantstogetridofhiminActI，yetinActII，whentheyappearagain，PozzobeingblindandLuckybeingdumb，theyarestillfledtogether．PozzostilldrivesLuckyonhisaimlessandrestlessjoumeyasVladimirpersuadesEstragontocontinuetheirpurposelessandendlesswaitingforGodot．It’Sthemutualneedthatkeepsthemtogether：PozzoneedsanaudienceandneedsLu：ky’SmenialservicesandLuckyneedsamastertoguidehim．Herewecanalsofeelthebitterironyoftheplayandtheabsurdityoftheworld．Amanwhoisalwaysbulliedandhumiliatedbyhismastershouldbe“Unlucky'’，butintheplayheiscalled“Lucky”．Intheabsurdworld，comparativelyspeaking，maybeLuckyis“lucky”becausehisactionsaredeterminedabsolutelybyPozzo，thereisnonecessityforhim
tOstruggletofindthingstodotopassthetimeaSothers．AsEugeneWebbsaid，“Freedomisadifficultburdentobearinanabsurdworld，inthemidstofchaos，slaverycanappeartohavesomethingsatisfyingdefiniteaboutit．’’52Ifthisisthecase，thentherelationshipofPozzoandLuckyisadevastatingcommentonthehopesofVladimirandEs打agon，sincetheyhavemadetheirGodotintoakindofabsoluteauthority,atleastintheirimaginations．VladimirandEstragon’SrelationshiptoGodot，likeLucky’StoPozzo，isthatofslaves：Estmgon：Wheredowecomein?Vladimir：Coraein?Onourhandsandknees．EsWagon：AsbadaSihal?Vladimir：Yourworshipwishestoasserthisprerogatives?Estmgon：We’venorightsanymore?⋯We’velostourrights?Vladimir：(distinctly)．Wegotridofthem(p．19)IfwhattheyseekfromGodotiswhatLuckyhasalreadyfound、thentheemptinessoftheirhopeisobvious，atleasttothereadersandaudience．Theirsituation，then，isthat·ofpeoplewaitingfornothingmuch．inauniwihe1hathasnothingmuchtoofferFromtheabove，wecanseetherealsituationofallthecharacters：spirituallybarren，distorted，pessimisticanddespairing．TherealityofseverealienationandspiritualcrisisofwesternpeopleaftertheSecondWorldWarisfullyreflectedbeforereaders．Humanbeingisabsurd：thoughtogetheryetCallnotcommunicatewitheach
～出苤太堂亟±堂僮盈童other,thougheagertoapartyethasnobraverytofacetheloneliness．Anotherimportantpointofthecharacterswhich，Ithink,addsbothbreadthanddepthtotheplayisitsreflectionofpeople’Shatredandcursetothewar,acommonfeelingthatmostpeoplehaveaftertheSecondWorldWar．Thefourcharactersintheplayallhavesomethingwrong：Pozzoisblind，Luckyisdumb，EsHagonhasachefeetandVladimirhastroubleinurinating．Beckettjustusestheseabnormalphenomenatoremindreadersandaudienceofthedisasterthatwarhasbroughttopeopleandindicatehumanbeingofthepostwarisinasituationofdilemma．WhenVladimirasksPozzowhenLuckybecamedumb，Pozzorepliesfuriously“When!Oneday,isthatnotenoughfl耳you，onedayhewentdumb，oneday1went．blind，oned盼wewereborn，onedayweshalldie，isthatnotenoughforyou?”(p．89)Thewords、vit}lthefollowingdialoguebetweenEstragonandVladimirisreallythought-provokingEstragon：Thebestthingwouldbetokillme，liketheothers．Vtadimir：Whatother?(Pause)Whatother?Estragon：Likebillionsofothers．．．．VIadimir：We’reiliexhaustible．Eslragon：It’SSOwewon’tthink．、，iadimir：Wehavethatexcuse．Estragon：It’sSOwewon’thear．Vladimir：Wehaveourreasons．EsUagon：Allthedeadvoices．．．．Vladimir：Whatdotheysay?Estragon：Theytalkabouttheirlives．51
出丕盔堂亟±堂焦逾塞Vladimir：Tohavelivedisnotenoug}lforthem．Estragon：Theyhavetotalkaboutit．Vladimir：Tobedeadisnotenoughforthem．Estragon：It’Snotsufficient．(Silence)(PP．62—31Thoughtheydon’ttalkaboutthewarclearly,yetfromthedialogueswecanfeelthewar,especiallythenuclearWar’Sgreatimpactandpressureonpeople．Warhasseizedmanypeople’Slivesevenjustinoneday．Warhasshakenpeople’Straditionalbeliefsandmadethemfeelatacompletelossanddon’tknowhowtofacethechangingsociety．Theydarenotlookbackthehistory,evenlessdaretheyfaceuptothereality,andthinkaboutthefuture．“Nothingtobedone”(p．7)，“There’Snothingwecarldo”(p44)，and“’!"here’Snothingtodo”(P．48)，列thesereflectpeople’SincapableandmiserablesitumioninthestrangeandabsurdsocietyOntheinternet，ICalTleacrossthefoUowingwords，which,Ithink，reallymakesomesenseoftheplay,andpartlyshowUStherealityofthemodernwesternworldStrippedofourwrappings---ouroccupation,politics，interests-weallbecomeBeckett’Scharacters：alone，clawingourwaythroughthemuddiedchaosofamaddenedworld，enduring‘beyondthelimitsofendurance，hopingwhenallseemshopeless，髓ri、[ngMestormsoflifeshelteredonlybyourwillandpersistence
——虫壅太堂亟±堂僮论塞————3．2RepetitiveStructureWhenBeckettisaskedaboutthethemeofWaitingfo，Goodr,heusuallyreferstoapassageinthewritingofSt．Augustine：“ThereisawonderfulsentenceinAugustineTwishIcouldremembertheLatin，ItiseveafinerinLatinthaninEnglish，‘Donotdespair：oneofthethieveswassaved．Doimtpresume：oneofthethieveswasdamned．”’Andsometimesheadds．“1girlinterestedintheshapeofideasevenifIdonotbelieveinthem．．．ThatsentencehasavVonderfulshape．Itistheshapethatmatters．’’53Trulythethemeofthetwothievesonthecrossandthethemeoftheuncertaintyofthehopeofsalvation．asIhavementionedinthesecondchapterpervadethewholeplay．Yetherethepoint1wanttomakeistoshowBcckett’sgreatconcernwithshape．Since“Asaplaywright，BeckettconsidersstrueB．tretobcmoreimportantthanany‘message’forthecommunicativefunctioningofaplay．’’54AndWaitingforGodothasawonderfulshape．ThewholeplayisshapedtoreflectthatfearfulsymmetryasthesentenceofSt．AugustineThetwoactssetinthesameplaceandhappenatthesanletime，andsalrlecharacterscometothestage．Especiallybotllacts，towardstheend，seetheentranceofaboywhosaysthesamemessagethatGodotwillnotcomet／hateveningbuttomorrowEvenduriligtheirwaitingtheytalkaboutsomesalnetopicsandplaysomesamegames．Thereisnoplot，noconventionaldevelopment，noconflict，110climax，andnodenouement．Insteadofdevelopinginacontinuouslineaccordingtotheinternallogic53
——出筮态掌亟±堂焦迨塞——ofasetofideas，theplayislikeacirclearoundthecentralproblem一-themeaningofhumanexistence．JustasBerylS．Fletchersaid，“Itsstractureisnotdynamic，bmstatic；itdoesnotriseandfallballistically,butmeandersandcoilsonitselfiItsfundamentalmodeisnotrevelation，butrepetition．’’55AndtherepeatedandnearlystaticstructuremakesUSseethedullnessandhopelessnessofpeople’Slifeintheahsurdandembarrassingsituationdeeperandfarther,foritCanbeinferredeasilythatthereisnoresultforthecharacters’waiting．Iftherewereathirdactorafourth，thetrampswouldwaltsomemoreandtheboywouldgooncoming．Butwhythereareonlytwoactsinsteadofthreeorfourintheplay?Becketthimselfoncesaidthat“Oneactwouldhavebeentoolittle、andthreewouldhavebeentoomuch．”56WilliaraaYorkTindallalsocommentedthat‘啊1etwoacts(insteadofoneorthree、seemedatOllCethemaximtanandminimumstructttrefortheclearideaofsamenessinchangeandofmankind’Sround，asmiserableasVladimir’Ssongofthedoginthekitchen．”57Itistruethattheauthorhasgivenmanifoldandstrikingexpressiontoalogicalcircularity,andthedittythatVtadirnirsingsattheopeningofActIImaywell·symbolizeandechothecircl_llarityoftheentireplayasitteasinglybeginsagainwheneveroneexpectsittoanend：Adogcameinthekitchenandstoleacrustofbread．ThencookupwithaladleandbeathimtIlIhewasdead．Thenallthedogscamerunninganddugthedogatombandwroteuponthetombstonefortheeyesofdogstocome．Adogcameinthekitchenandstoleacrustof
。出苤叁堂亟±堂焦盈塞——bread．Thencookupwithaladleandbeathimtillhewasdead．Thenallthedogscamerunninganddugthedogatomb(pp．57．8)Thedog-songiswhattheplayisabout．Thereisnolineardevelopmentoftheplay,butjustarepetitionwithoutbeginningorending．Sothetwotrampswillneverstoptheirwaitingti】lthecomingoftheirdeath．“RepetitionisthemeandtechniqueofVladimir’Sroundsongwhichreducesman’slifetoadog’Slif豳ndcrueldeath．”59Therepetitivestructureisexhibitednotonlyfromtherepetitionofitstime，placeandbigpattem，butalsofromtherepetitionofcharacters’actions，gesturesandwordsEvenattheverybeginning，Becketthasemphasizedtherepetitivenatureoftheplay．IntheprintedtexttheplaybeginswhenEstragontries“again”totakeoffhisboots．Wereadthefirstexampleofafrequentlyrepeatedstagedirection‘'Asbefore”．InVladimir’Sfirstspeechhetalksabout“resumingthestruggle”．HenotesthatEs仃agonisthere“again”and“isgladtoseehimback’．ThenheasksEs订agonwhetherhehas‘'thesamelotasusual”．FollowingwehearthesignificantquestionanditsanswerthatVladimirandEs仃agonaskeachotherrepeatedl)7：“Ithurts?”“Hurts!Hewantstoknowfithur￡s!”(p．10)ThisfirstofthemanyrepetitionsofthedialoguemakcspaingeneralManyotherobviousphrasalrepetitionscanbereadandheardthroughouttheplay，suchas‘‘We’rewaitingforGodof’，‘'Nothingtobedone”，‘’Perhaps”，⋯ItSnotcertain”，“Idon’tknow'’．‘‘Help!”Andeventhestagedirectionsas‘‘Pause'’and“Silence”oftenoccupythestage．Inaddition，thephrasalrepetitionsarereinforcedbygestural
——出苤太堂亟±堂焦监塞repetitions：Estragonwithhisshoes，Vladimirwithhishat，Pozzowithhispossessions，Lucky、Ⅳimhisluggage．andthemusic-hallroutineinwhichVladimirandEstragonjugglethreehats．Andallthecharactersrepeatedlystumbleandfall：inActIEstIagonandVladimirsetLuckyonhisfeet；inActIItheydothesalncforPozzo．～first．therepeateddialoguesandactionsseemtobetheresultofthecharactersplacedonthestagewithoutascript．SOtheymustfillthetime、vithimprovisatoryspeechesandactions，oranythingjusttokeeptheplaygoingon．Butwhenweretrospect，viewingita11，wecanrealizeitsfunction，itssignificance，sinceallthesecanremindUSofthethemesoftheplay,thesufferingofbeing，uncertaintyoftheworld，hopelessnessoflifeabsurdityofexistence．Undoubtedly,‘‘TheplayreliesforitsstructuralcotiesionnotonaforwardmovementbutonthereturnofleitmotifsthmweaveinandOtltthroughthework．，，59AlthoughgenerallyspeakingAct1IistherepetitionofActI，yetit’Snotasimplerepeat，it’Sakindofrepetition埘msomevariations，as3mametrywithsomeasymmetD"Justasthecharactersoftheplay,theveryrlalnesofthefourmaincharactersindicate·theirpairing：EsiragonandVladimircomainthreesyl!ab]esandeightLetterseach；PozzoandLuckycontaintwosyllablesandfiveletterseach．EventheniclmeL!meDidiandGogobothhavefoarlettersofrepeatedmonosyllablesandthenamelessboyalsohasabrother；yetthereisnocounterpartforGodot．That’StheasymmetryLet’Sseetheendofthetwoacts．ActIends
————出壅太堂亟±堂焦论塞Estragon：Well，shallwego?Vladimir：Yes，let'sgo．(Theydonotmove)(p．54)AndActIIendsVladimir：Well?Shallwego?Estragon：Yes，let’Sgo【Theydonotmove．)(p．94)Thoughthewordsareidenticalinbothcases，therolesareinvertedandthepunctuationismodifiedattheendofAct1I，aquestionmarkinsteadofacolnm_aisusedtoslowdownthedelivery，Fromtherepeatedwordsandthefewchangeswecanfeeltheirgreatdisappointmentandhelplessnessintheirwaiting．Andthisisonlyoneinstanceamongmanyoftheplay’Sasymmetryorvariati：ms：thebaretreeinActIhassproutedfourorfiveleavesinActII；PozzoandLuckyretuminworseshapethanbefore，PozzobeingblindandLuckybeingdumb；ineachactVladimirandEstragonattemptsuicideandfail，butfordifferentreasons，tOnalnebutafew．Howeverthesevariationsdonotmeanthattherearereallysomechangesintheirlives，butmerelyservetoemphasizetbeessentialsamenessofthesituation，sincenothingrealeverhappens，changeisinitselfanillusion．Onedayislikeanother．‘'Themorethingschange，themoretheyaremesame．’’60That’Stheterriblestabilityoftheworld，AswhatPozzosaysintheplay,“Thetearsoftheworldaretheconstantquality．Foronewhobeginstoweep，somewhereelseanotherstops"(p．33)Soalthoughtherearesomechangesincharacters’wordsandactions，inessence，thesechangesCannotchangetheir57
——出塞盍堂亟±堂焦途塞embarrassingsituation，theirhopelesswaitingandabsurdexistence．That’Sthedramaticstatementsofthehumansituationnself．WeCansee，byusingsuchkindof、deviceofexpressiontheplayisnotintendedtotellastorybuttoexpressapatternofpoeticimages．AsMartinEsslmsaidinTheTheatreoftheAbsurd,“’FhingshappeninWaitingforGodot，butthesehappeningsdonotconstituteaplotorstory；theyareallimageofBeckett’Sintuitionthatnothingreallyeve，happensinmall’sexistence．’’And“WhatpassesintheplayarenoteventswitIladefinitebeginningandadefiniteendbuttypesofsituationthatwillforeverrepeatthemselves．ThisiswhythepattemofActIisrepeatedwithvariationsinAct11．’’6lna11．insteadoffollowingthetraditionwhichdemandsflintaplayhaveanexposition，aclimaxmldadenouement，Beekett’SWaitingfo，GodothaSacyclicalstructurewhichmightindeedbebetterdescribedasadiminishingspiral．InthisspiralafinalclosurecallneverbefoandintheBeckettianuniversal，SOthecharacters，inordertopassthetime，havetotakerefugeinrepetition，repeatingtheirownactionsandwordsandoftenthoseofothers．MichaelWorton’Scommentscanwellexpress·BeckettlSbrilliancyiahisa11‘angementofthestracturcofWaiting如rGodot“BeckeR’SgreatinnovationinGodotisbothtoquestionformalsU”ucturethatplaywrightsofprevioustraditionshavefeltobligedtorespectandtoofferarepresentationofrealitythatrecognizesandinscribestheformlessnessofexistencewithoutattemptingtomakek‘fit’anymodel．”62
出丕太堂亟±堂缱诠寥3．3DevaluatedLanguageSince“TheTheatreoftheAbsurdisatheatreofsituationasagainstatheatreofeventsonsequence，andthereforeitusesalanguagebasedonpatternsofconcreteimagesratherthanargumentanddiscarsivespeech．．．topresentasenseofbeing，abasicsituation．’m，SOthedislocatedandpointlesslanguage，mechanicallyrepeatedsentences，andlongsilenceareimportantartisticfeaturesofthe’llaeatreoftheAbsurdByusingvoidandridiculouslanguageitshowsthemeaninglessandabsurdityofhuman’Sexistence．Inthispoint，Beckett’SWaitingforGodot,wecansay,isthebestreflection．Inalettertohisfriend，Beekettsaid：“GrammarandStyle!Theyappeartometohas．ebecomejustasobsoleteasaBiedcrmeierbathingsuitortheimperturbabilityofagentleman．Amask．Thebestwaytotreatlanguageisassiduouslytomaltreatit．Iflanguagecannotbeobliterated，itCanbeatleastbeattenuated．’‘64Andinhispractice，inWaitingforGodot，Beckettdevaluedtheindispensablelanguagethattraditionallyemployedtodevelopplot，revealindividualcharacter．andexpresstheplaywright’Sthought，nearlytoanull，which，asaresult，broughta‘‘revolution’’intheliterallanguege．However,whenlanguageisnotemployedtOdevelopplotorrevealindividualcharactegtheverbalexchangesofthecharactersbecomeabsurd，abitlikeverbalballgames．Beckettthoughtinadisintegratedworld,onlythedisintegratedlangrtagecanwellexpressit．Solanguageinhisplaysservestoexpressthebreakdownandthe
出丕太堂亟主堂位途童disintegrationoflanguage．NiklausGessnerhastabulatedtendifferentmodesofdisintegrationoflanguageinWaitingfo，Godot：The，rangefromsimplemisunderstandingsanddouble-entendrestomonologues(assignsofinabilitytocommunicate)，cliches,repetitionsofsynonyms，inabilitytofindtherightwords，and‘telegraphicstyle’(10ssofgrammaticalstructure，commmdcatienbyshoutedcommands)toLucky’Sfarragoofchaoticnonsenseandthedroppingofpunctuationmajks，suchasquestionmarks．asallindicationthatlanguagehaslostitsfunctionasameansforcommunication，thatqueNionshaveturnedintostatementsnotreallyrequiringananswer．65Misunderstandingsreallypervadethewholeplay．Themostpoignantisattheendoftheplay、卅lenVladimir8sksEstragontopullGnhistronsers．Esuagonreplies“Youwantmctopulloffmytrousers?”(p。94)Andtherepetitivenscof“Nothingtobedon。，’isagoodexamplefordouble—entendre，sinceitnotonlymeansthatEstragonhasnowaytotakeoffhisshoes，butwhat’Smoreitshowsmall’shelplessnessanddespairsituationintheabsurdworld．Estragon’ssentence“There’Snolackofvoid．”(p．66)isanotherexampleofthiskind，for‘'void”herenotonlymeansspace，butMsomeansthe．man’sstateofmind，especiallythedoublenegationexpresses强intcnsi5edvoid，whichshOWStheextremelyvoidsituationofnlaflinthewestenlworld．Besides，theilearemanytimestheyfindtheyareunabletofmdtherigtawordstoexpressthemselves“Relievedandatthesametime⋯(hesearchfo，theword)⋯appalled．"(P11)，“Oneissupposedtohavebeensavedandtheother⋯(hesearchesforthecomrat3'o／’
出丕太坐亟土堂焦途窒s仉’P回⋯dammed．"(p．12)FollowingisanothergoodexmnpleEstragon：Allthedeadvoices．Vladimir：TheymakeanoiselikewingsEs仃agon：Likeleaves．Vladimir：LikesahdEstragon：Likeleaves．Vladimir：111eymakeanoiselikefeathers．EsⅡagon：LikeleavesVladimir：LikeashesEstragon：Like[eavesf厶mgsilence．)(PP．62—3)Themostlyrical，andmostperfectlyphrasedpassageofthedialoguesintheplay,asmanycriticshavecommented，exactlyshowsthecharacters’inabilitytofindtherightwords幻describeexistence．Andthequegion“What’11wedo，what’11wedo!”(p．68)looksnotasaquestionneedinga11answeranymore．butratherasifitWaSshoutedaccusinglyatthemalignfateordivinitythatcontrolledtheirexistencesinceEstragonisdespairling(p．68)Butmoreimportantthananymerelyformalsignsofthedisintegrationoflanguageisthenatureofthedialogueitself,whichagainandagainbreaksdownbecausenOtrulydialecticalexchangeofthoughtOccursinit．ThisisreflectedeitherthroughBecketc’Streatmentofthecasuallinkswhichareinchargeoftheprogression6
——出苤盔堂亟±堂焦缝塞ofthetraditionaltheatresorthroughhisnegationoflanguage’Smostimportantfunctionofcommunication．InBeckeR’SWaitingfo，Godot，theimportantcasuallinksarefrequentlymissing．BeckeRoncesaidthatconceptmadlogicarehelplessinaconfiasionthattheartistmunorderwithoutthem．66Sohissceneisbuiltwithsentenceswithnoapparentcausalorlogicalconnection．Estragon：Whatdidhereply?Vladimir：Thathe’dhavetothinkitoverEs：：'agon：Inthequietofhisroom．Vladimir：Consulthisfamil3Es打agon：HisfriendsVladimir：Hisagents．Estragon：HiscorrespondentsVladimir：Hisbook．Estragon：Hisbankaccourlt．(p．18)·Theabovedialogueseemslikealtematmnsofvalrelatedmonologueswhichformanactionscarcelyinvestedwithlogicalrelation，narrativeconsistency,orlinearprogression．Thecharactersdonotseemtobeawareofwhattheyareconcernedwithnorwheretheirconversationisleadingto．Eachsentencesimplypresentsafragmentarypictureofthesituationofthespeakerwithoutactivelyparticipatinginthe
——出塞盔堂亟±堂僮论塞——processofdescribingorfollowingeventssequentiallyOnewaytonegatethelanguage’SmostimportantfunctionofcommunicationisBeckett’Sllseofthecontradictionbetweenlanguageandaction．Forexample，bothattheendofthetwoacts，EstragonandVladimirsay：”Well，shallwego?⋯1Yes，let’Sgo．”But“m印donotmove．”(op．54，94)Andinthefirstact，beforePozzo’Sleaving，‘‘Adieu”isyelledninetimesinallbythethreecharacters，butafterthat，“silence,YlO01．1emoves．’强．47)Thecharacters’dislocatedlanguageandinconsistencybetweenwordsandactioncausereaderstoreve'Atherealitybehindthewords，andtounderstandtheabsurdityofthesocietyfurther，Talkisonlyfortalk’Ssake．Languageisnolongeranefficientwaytocommunicate．itisradicallydevalued．MartinEsslinonceexplmned，“TheTheatreoftheAbsurdtendstowardaradicNdevaluationoflanguagetowardapoetrythatistoemergefromtheconcreteandobjectifiedimagesofthestageitself．Theelementoflanguagestillplaysanimportantpartillthisconception，butwhathappensonthestagetranscends，andoftencontradicts，thewordsspokenbythecharacters．’’67Whatamiserablesituationpeoplelivein．anotherwayoftheplay’Snegationoflanguageisbythecontradictionbetweenthebeautifullanguageandthemeaninglesscontents．Beckett’Slanguagehastherhythmofpoetry．Heusuallypaysmuchattentiontothelyrieismoflanguage，butignoresthelogicoflanguage．Let’sseethewordsVladimirsayswhenhemistakesPozzo’ScomingforGodotinAct1I，“Wearenolongeralone，waitingforthenight,
————出塞太堂亟±堂焦论塞waitingforGodot，waitingfor．．．waiting．Alleveningwehavestruggled，unassistedNowit’Sover．It’Salreadytomorrow．”(p．77)Ifwerearrangethewordsinapoeticform：Ithinknoonecandenythatitisabeautifulpoem：Wearenolongeralone．Waitingforthenight，WaitingforGodot，WaitingforWaiting．Alleveningwehavestruggled，NOWit'soverIt’SalreadytomorrowYetthesebeautifullinesmakenosensesincethereisriorealmeaninginit．Sothecontradictionbetweenthebeautifullanguageandthemeaninglesscontenlzintensifiescharacters’helplessnessandemptinessandfurtherreflectstheabsurdityofhuman．cxlstenceInTheTheatreoftheAbsu以MartinEsslinsaid．“Inapurposelessworldthathaslostitsultimateobjectives，dialogue，likeallaction，becomesameregametopass虫ctime．”68Reallyinaworldthathaslostitsmeaning，languagealsobecomesameaninglessbuzzing．Thepurposeofdialogueisnottocommunicateorexpressthings
buttopassthetimetomakethemtemporarilyforgettherealityoftheworld．jUstaSwhistleinthedark，it’Sawaytohidetheirignoranceandfear．“ShallItelltoyou?It’11passthetime．”①．12)“Howtimeflieswhenonehavefun!’’(p．76)SonomatterthetwotrampsarewaitingforGodotorwaitingfornighttofallorjus}waiting，theproblemishowtopaSsthetimesincetheyhaverealizedthedangerofbeingvoid：“AllI"knowisthatthehoursarelong,undertheseconditions，andconstrmnUStObeguilethemwithproceedingswhich--howshouldIsay一、)l栅chmayatfirstsightseemreasonable，untiltheybecomeahabit⋯ButhasitnotlongbeenstrayinginthenigJltwithoutendoftheabyssaldepths?”(1)．80)“Wewait．Wearebored⋯Weareboredtodeath，there’Snodenyingit．”(p．81)jndthoyknow“inthemidstofnothingness”【p．81)thebestwaytopassitwithoutthinkingistalking．“InthemeantimeletUSt珂madconversecalmly,sinceweareincapableofkeepingsilent．”(p．62)Butafterthedialoguehasonceagainrunawayintothesilence，theysigh，waitingforsomeonetOstartthingsoffoncemore．“Come011，Gogo，returntheball．’强．12)“Sayanythingatall!”(p．63)Andononeoccasion，whenVladimirandEstragonhavenothingtOdoandnowheretogo，lheyevenbegintOquarreljusttopassthetime．However,thoughtheplayportraysmall’sdoomedeffonstoconquer“thesilenceofwhichtheuniverseismade”，stilltherearemanystagedirectionsas“pause”，“silence”，andeven“longsilence'’．JustaSBeckeRhimselfsaid，“Althou曲thecharactersareterrifiedofsilencebecausesilencethreatenscessation，silenceispouringintothisplaylikewaterintoasinkingship．’’69
出苤塞兰亟±堂焦途塞MichaelWartononceexplainedthefunctionsofthepausesasfollowingThepausesintheplayaFecrucial．TheyenableBeckeRtopresent：silencesofinadequacywhencharacterscannotfindthewordstheyneed；s'lencesofrepression，whentheyalestruckdumbbytheattitudeoftheirinterlocutor；andsilencesofanticipation，whentheyawaittheresponseoftheotherwhichwillgivethematemporarysenseofexistenceFurthermore，suchpausesleavethereader-spectatorspaceandtimetOexploretheblankspacesbetweenthewordsandthustointervenecreativeIy-_andindividually—jntheestablishmentoftheplay’Smeaning．ⅫButthemostimportantfunction，Ithink，isthatBeckettusesmanypauses，silencesioexpressafeelingofwaitingandtoshowthedifficultycharactershav,eincommunicatingwitheachotherandinexpressingthemselves．Besides，theconstantuseof“silence”andevell‘‘longsilence’’alsoprojectspeople’Sindescribablesenseofalienationandanguish．SomecriticsevencommentedthattheoriginalapproachthatBeckettadoptedtorevealcharacters’lonelyandvoidfeelingbypausesandsilencescreatesallunprecedented‘‘aestheticsofsilence”BesidestheconstantUSeof“pause”and‘‘silence”．thefrequentappearanceofuncertainwordsisanotherfeatureoftheplay．⋯Perhaps’isalineword．Thekeywordinmyplaysis‘perhaps‘．’’71LikeBeckett’swords．therearereallymanyperhapsandotheruncertainwordsinWaitingforGodot．ThefollowingarejustfewexamplesinActI：“Possibly．"(p．14)“Imaybemistaken．”(p．15)“Jcan}havebeenlistening．”(p。18)
——出塞厶堂塑=￡．堂焦监塞“Perhapshe’Sahalf-wit⋯It’Snotcertain．"0．26)“Ialnperhapsnotparticularlyhmnan，butwhocares?⋯’Evenyou，whoknows，willhaveaddedtomystore．"0．29)“RemarkthatImt咖fjustaswellhavebeeninhisshoesandheinmine．”(p．31)“⋯forreasonsunknown⋯’(p．43)“Imusthaveleftitatthemallor．”(p．46)“Idon?seemtobeabletodepart．"(p．47)“verylikely．Theyallchange．⋯‘Unlessthey&renutthesame．”(p．48)‘'Nothingiscertain．"(p．53)Alltheseuncertainwordsrevealthatmanhaslostconfidence，subjectiveinitiatives，andjudgementinthestrange，absurdworld．·EspeciallyaftertheSecondWorldWar,mallwasdeprivedmostofthecustomarymeaningthathehadimposedonhisworld，andtheworldsuddenlychangedtobestrange，uncertain，andinscrutableAndthedialogueinBecket／’Splayisoftenbuiltontheprinciplethateachlineobliterateswhatwassaidinthepreviousline，whichreflectstheuncertaintyofmailinafurtherway．InWaitingfo，Godot,therearemanyassertionsmadebyoneofthecharacters，butgraduallyarequalified，weakeneduntiltheyarecompletelytakenback．Es打agon：Let’SgoViadimir：Wecall’t．⋯WearewaitingforGodot．Escragon：fdesperingly)．Ah!(pause)．You’resureitwashere?Vladimir：Hesaidbythetree．(theylookatthetree．)Doyouseeanyothers?Estmgon：Lookstomerflotelikeahush．Vlaclimir：A～．Whatareyouinsinuating?Thatwe’veCOllietothewrongplace?67
Estragon：HeshouldbehemVladimir：Hedidn’tsayforsurehe’dcome．(p．14)Fromthedialogue，wecarldeeplyfeelcharacters’anguishintheuncertainworldEsslinevenironicallycommentedthat“Inameaninglesstmiverse，itisalwaysfoolhardytomakeapositivestatement．”72Initsdevaluationoflanguage．theplayisintunewitllthetrendofourtimeMaybethat’SonereasonwhySOmanycriticsalesofascinatedwiththelanguage．InTheRetreatfromthe的耐GeorgeSteiner(1960)saidthatmuchoftherealitynowbeginsoutsidelanguage．That’Strue．Nowadayslanguageappearsmoreandmoreasbeingincxmtradictiontoreality．Perhapsontheonehandit’Stheresultthatthecommercializationofthewesternsocietyaffectsthedramaticlanguage．Facingtheincessantandinexorablyloquaciousonslaughtofthemassmedia,thepress，andadvertising，themarlinthestreetbecomesmoreandmoreskepticaltowardthelanguageheisexposedto．Especiallytheadvertising．、Ⅳimitsconstantuseofsuperlatives，hassucceededindevaiuinglanguagetoapointthatnoonebelieves．On．theotherhand，maybeit’Sthereflectionofthecapitalistclassthatofhypocrisyandexaggeration．Undersuchkindofcircumstances，manhasrealizedthatoneshouldreadbetweenthelines，namelyguessingattherealitythelanguageconcealsratherthanreveals．Soabiggaphasopenedbetweenlanguageandreatity．ThatiswhycommunicationbetweenhamanbeingsisSOoftenshowninastateofbreakdowninthe
——出丕太堂殛±堂僮论塞play．Itismerelyasatiricalmagnificationoftheexistingstateofaffairs：Languagehasrunriotintheabsurdv,r；r／dInshort，“BeckettisagreatmanipulatorOl，exp量3iterof,andperformerWz⋯mtbem舒i】：：)ldresourcesandpossibilitiesoflanguage．”订ModulaLiJj窨hislanguagetOsuithiscontents．he奠asshownhimselfagreatmasteroflanguageasanartistic讯edium．Theformless，meaninglessandfragmentarylanguageperfectlyrepresentsthCemptinessofhumanexistence．Byputtingthelanguageofasceneincontrasttotheaction，byreducingittomeaninglesspmter，orbyabandoningdiscursivelogicforthepoeticlogicofassociationorassonance，theplayhasopenedupanewdimensionofthelanguage．743．4DistortedTimeAmoredifficultconcepttoembracethaneithercharactersorstructureinWaiting如，Godotisthenotionthat“time”toobecomesanobjectthatBeckeamanipulates．Becauseplotintheplayisofnoimportance,SOthetime．whichplaysanimportantpartinthedevelopmentoftraditionaltheatres，alsobecomesnotessential．IthasbeengreatlydistoIledordevaluedintheplay．Bothcharactersandaudienceexperienceatimelessstateasthedayoftheeventscouldbeanyday．Thisisonereasonwhysomereadersoraudiencefindtheplayboring，sinceaswhatEstragonsaysintheplay“Nothinghappens，nobodycomes，nobodygoes，it’Sawful．”0．41)Andincontrast，it’S
出叁态堂亟±堂焦论塞⋯一alsothereasonwhysomefindtheplaySOexciting‘‘initsabilitytomakedramaticuseofboredomtocreatetension'’．’5Therepetitior,oftkplayp_oVides‘1Ut。tu。ltr2,1一evidenceoftheimimp01"tmaceoftimeBothactsareidenticalexceptforafewsmallvariations．Withonedayafteranotherbeingbasicallythesameduringtheirwaiting，itisnowonderthatVladimirandEs拄agonhavetroublerememberingwhathappenedduringeachdaY。Andjustbecauseofthislackofsignificantctmnge．timehasnomeaningforthem．AsEstragonsaysatthebeginningoftheseconddayinreferencetothatday,‘‘Formeit’Soveranddone谢t11，Jjomatterwhathappens．”(p．59)nlesentencesuggestshisOW／1realizalionofthencaning!essnessoftbstdayaadoftimeitself-Byextension，thisC&t'lbemadetoappiytoaIlofham；mkindaswell：Lifeisalengthyperiodofwaiting，duringwhichthepassageofthnehaslittleimportanceItowever,1thinkcarefulreadersandaudienceCannoticethatalthoughthereisnodefinitetimeandplaceintheplaysinceitmakesnodifferenceastotheeventthatlmppensinwhichplaceandatwhichtime，yettheplayemphasizestheword‘'time’’for．manytimes．Sinceduringcharacters’passivewaiting，timeisthethingthmnoonecarlavoidfacing，midtimeisthevoidthatneedsfillingandthetorrnentthattheymusttolerate．Soontheonehandtheplaygreatlydevaluestime，butontheotherhand，itportraysman’sdoomedeffortstomastertime．For‘‘Oneoftheseeminglymoststablethatgivesshapetoexistence，andoneofthemostdisturbingthatmakesonedoubthis
——————出壅塞堂亟r主堂焦途塞————existenceisthatoftime．’’76Likethemysteryofthethieves。thisisasubjectthmtroublesVladimirwhentheplayopens，andastheplaygoesonitseemsmoreandmoreproblematic，drivinghimf'maUytoacrisisofreafizafion．WhentheplaybeginsitseemsthatVladimirandEs仃agonhavespecificinformationabou|theappointmentwithGodot，knowingwhen，where，andwhomtheyarewaitingfor．ButthetroublebeginswhenEstragonasksVladimirifitistheplacetheyaretowaitforGodotandwhattheydidthedaybefore．VladimirCan’tsayforsureWhenEstragoninsists011beingtold．VladimirburstsoutangrilythatnothingiscertainwhenEstragon’sabout．(p．14)EsnagonthenasksifVladimkissurethatthisisthee、’eningthey。·eIowaittbrGodot：Estragt、n：You’rcsureitwast}¨3evening?Vladimir：HesaidSaturday,(Pause．)1thinkEstragon：Youthink．Vladimir：Imusthavemadeanoteofit(Hefumblesinhispockets,burstingwithmiscellaneousrubbish．)Estr，gon：(veryinsidious)．Batwhatsaturday?AndisitSalurday?IsitnotratherSunday?(Pause．)OrMonday'?(Pause．)OrFriday?vladi州r：(tookingwildly口3。“thim，船砌嘶如妇fPwm栅cmPdinthP，彻出c印P)It’SnotpossibleEstragon：OrThursday?
————出盔太堂亟土堂擅迨塞——Vladimir．What’11wedo?(p15)AsthedateoftheappointmentwimGodotwobblesrealitybeginstothllapartintoadreamlikeincoherencethatVladimircannotendure．+FhatmaybewhyherefusesaminutelatertolistentoEstragontellhimaboutadreamsincethatoneisalreadyenoughtbrhim．Estragon：1hadadream．Vladimir：Doa’ttellmeEstragon：1dreamt也at—Vladimir：DON”rTEt，LMEEstragon：ThisOltCisenoughr。jyou?⋯【P16jWiththedevelopmentoftheplaywescetheappearanceofPozzoandIuckyPozzoseemstobeattachedtoallorderlytimeschemeasIlcistohispossessions．InActIheevenhasawatchandascheduleandholdsfirmlytOthem“Imustreallybegettingalong，ifIamtoobservemyschedule,"(p．36)WhenVladimirsaysthattimehasstopped，hcresiststhedoubtsthatarebeginningtotroubleVladimir．Cuddlinghis．watchtoh／s蹦，：herepliesthat“Don’tyoubelieveit，sir，don’tyoubelieveit⋯Whateveryoulike，bmnotthat．"’(p．36)Solaterwhenhiswatchdisappearsitismorethanjustapossessionthatisslippingawayfromhim，althoughat谂attimehedoesnotrealizeit．AfterPozzoandLuckyleave，Vladimirremarksonhowthey’vechanged
些』丕盔堂缝±堂焦硷塞——Estragon，however,sayshedoesn’tknowthem．Vladimir,disturbedatthestatement，insiststhattheydo．Buttheseedsofdoubthavebeenplantedagainsincehebeginstodoubthismemory：“Unlessmey’renotthesame⋯”0．48)Thiscontemplationiscutshortbythearrivalofthemessengerboy,whocontributesalottotheunderminingofVladimir’Scertal。nties．Vladimir：I'veseenyoubefore，haven’tI?Boy：Idon。tknow,sirVladimir：Youdon’tknowme?Boy：No，sirVladimir：Itwasp’tyoucameyesterday?Boy：No，sirVladimir：Thisisyourfirsttime?Boy：Yes，sir．SilenceVladimir：Words，words．(Pause．)Speak．(p50)Words，thevehiclesofcommunication，nolongerseemtofitrealityIfActIraisesdoubtsabouttheorderlyrelationshipbetweenthepresentandthepast，ActIIdemolishestemporalpatternaltogether．Thestagedirectionreads“NextDay．SameTime．SamePlace”Q．55)，butduringtheactVladimirisconfrontedwithavarietyofchangesfartoogreattohavetakenplaceinoneday’Stime．Thesceneopenswith“enlerVladimiragitatedly”．Immediately‘‘hehaltsandlookslongatthetree”．
堕』丕盍堂亟±堂僮论塞whichhadbeen“blackandbare”(p．66)thedaybeforebutnow“hasfoUrorfiveleaves．”Thisevidentlydisturbshim，becauseitsetshimmoving‘弦verish矿，(p．57)aboutthestage，apparentlylookingforEstragoneitherasasourceofdistractionorassomeonewhocarlconfirm,thatitisindeedthenextdayandthesameplaceWhenEstragonfinallyarrives，Vladimirhasachancetotrytoreconstructhistimescheme．HefirsttriestogetEstragontoconfirmthatthisisthesameplacetheywereinthenightbeforeVladimir：．．．．Doyounotrecognizetheplace?Estragon：(suddenlyfiwious)．Recognize!Whatistheretorecognize?AllmylousylifeI'vecrawledaboutinthemud!Andyoutalktomeaboutscenery!．．．Lookatthismuckheap!I'veneverstirredfromit(p．61)ThereplNofcourse，doesnothingtoreassureVladimirastotheplace．Vladimirthenattemptstoreconstructthelargerschemeofthepast，butwithnomoresuccess．BecauseEstragoninsiststhatheneverworkedintheMaconcountryasVladimirmentionedsomeyearsbefore：“I'vepukedmypukeofalifeawayhere，Itellyou!．Hem[IntheCackoncouDtry．”(p．62)Afteralittlepointlessconversation，VladimirfinallyremembersthathewantedtoaskEs仃agonhowhewouldsayaboutthechangeofthetreeVladimir：Butyesterdayeveningitwasallblackandbare．AndnOWit’Scoveredwithleaves，．．Inasinglenight．74
⋯——．出盔叁堂亟±堂焦逢塞～——Estragon：Itmus!betheSpring．Vladimir：ButinasinglenightEstragon：Itellyouweweren’thereyesterday．AnotherofyournightmaresVladinfir：(S／lTe可himse∞．Good．Weweren’the；eyesterdayevening．Nowwhatdidwedoyesterdayevening?”(P．66)Butthefactisthatneitherofthemcanformaclearideaabomwhathappenedinthe"thingslookasiftheyaregoingtotakeonashapeonceagainwhenVladimirfindsthatEstragondoesremember：thekickLuckydidthepreviousday,butthearrivalofPozzoandLuckyaiitt]elaterdestroyst_histemporarilyrecoveredcertainty．WhenhehearsPozzoandLucky‘Scoming，Vla&mirnaivelyhopesthatthearrivalofthe“reinforcements”【p77)willhelpthemfromtheirterriblesituationandsettimemovingagain，butwhattmppensisquitethereverseBecausethechangeinPozzoandLuckyPozzobeingblind，andLuckybeingdumb，liketheleavesofthetree，istoogreattobebelievedthatallthesehappenedinaday．Seeingt11eenormouschangeinPozzoVladimi)+asksPozzowhenithappenedinordertoformalineartimescheme．Butthean¨、eris“Don’tquestionme!TheblindhavenonotionoftimeThethingsoftimearehiddenfromthemtoo．"0．86)HoweverwhenhehearsthatLuckyisdumb，Vladimircarl’thelpaskingagain，‘‘Dumb!Sincewhen?”andthisdrivesPozzotohisfinaloutburst75
出丕盔堂亟±堂位途塞————Haveyounordonetormentingmewithyouraccursedtime!It’Sabominable!WhenWhen!Oneday,isthatnotenoughforyou，onedaylikeanyotherday,onedayhewentdumb，oneday1wentblind，onedaywe’11godeaf,onedaywewereborn，onedayWCshalldie，thesameday,thesamesecond，isthatnotefloughforyou?Theygivebirthastrideofagrave，thelightgleamsaninstant，thenit’Sni【ghtoflcemofc．(p．89)ForPozzo，withthelostofhispossessionsandsight，timeisnotpreciselydividedintopast，present，andfutureanymore．Norisitalinear,consistentprogression．Itisdiscreteandfragmentary．Whentimeisseeninthisway,timebecomesallendlesscirclebetweenbirthanddeath．SoVladimir’Sattempttoreconstructhislinearlimeschemetotai!ybreaksdown．He：jdstoagree：“As+．ridcofagsaveandadifficultbird：Downinthehole．1ingeringty,thegravediggerputson1hetbrceps．Wehavetimecogrowold．Theairisfullofourcries．”(PP．90-1、Hereweseetheparadoxoftime：in也eabsenceofGod，nlan’slifeisanacreglimmerinthecontextofeternity．Bmatthesametimeit’Slong，sinceinthepassivewaiting，wehavetimetogrowoldanddie。andtofilltheairvvithourcries．Bert0．Statesoncecommentedtha；therearetWOtheoriesoflimeinBeckefc’Sdrama．cyclicaltimeandlinez,allme，andthetimescherpeotRhitit,．为rGodotisthecompoundofthetWO，proceedingtoanendbywayofcyclicalrepetition．77Sohereweseeallthecharactershavelosttrackoftime．Nightanddayflowiv．toeachother,eventheseasonsarcnolongerdistinguished．"llaelossofwatch．and111e76
——】丛盔盍堂亟±堂僮论塞————lossofsightallsymbolizethatthecharactersafeinasituationthattimeandspaceloseanysense．FromthiswecanseewhytheywouldnotrememberwhattheydidthedaybefoIeandwh)7：heywouldnotrecognizethelandscapeiftheydidwaitinthesameplaceyesterday．Besidesasimpleexplanationofmeirbadmemory。theansweristhatforVladimirandEstragonitdoesn’treallymatterwhattheyhaddonethedaybetbreandwheretheywereOnthatday．Sincenothingrealeverhappens，onetimeandoneplacearesomuchlikeanothertimeandanotherplacethatmakenodifference．AndinaabsurdworldclarityCanbeofnogreatvalueifitleadsonlytodespairAtthesmI坞time．BeckeU’Streatmentofspacealsoplaysanimportantpartinfi-,reshedou7ingtheatmosphcrc2andhighlig!_,0ngthetheme．Hesimplifiesthebackgroundtoitsminimmp，nem'lynotraceol’cultureandnatureintheplay．‘'Eveningacouata37road，atree”(p．7)isthewholeblankandunchangingsetofthetwoacts，whichmakesthecharactershavenowayoutbuttoconsidertheirownpredicamentsThedarkandgloomyenvironmentisjusttherealreflectionofpeople’Sfeelingofthattime，sad，bewildered，troubledandhopelessforthefuture．Theisolatedatmospheredeepenspeople’Slonelyfeeling，aMtheshnplcandrepemedenvironmentfur&ershowsthenlonotonyandmeaninglessnessofhumanexistenceinbriet；thetimeisgreatlydistortedanddevaluedinWaiting知rGodot．YetitbringsnobarriertotheSUCCESSoftheplay；sincewhetherthecharacterscandistinguishtodayfromtomorrowhasnOinlluenceonit．Onthecontrary,thedistortedtimeleads
一一～出壅太堂亟±堂位监塞————itsaudienceintoaworldofconfusion．whichwellreflectsthemeaninglessnessoftimeandthemiserablesituationofhumanexistenceintheabsurdWOrld．AsWill；砌YnrkTindallsaysinSamuelBeckett，‘’Man’Slifeisaconstantwaiting，essentiallyalwaysthesametilltinleitselfceasestohaveanysignificance．Alihoughmanisalwa)7Stryingtogivehislifesomepurpose，tryingtowhileawaythetimeinsomefashion，yetii凫isjastlikethat，haleandhea_rtyoneday,bliMandhelplessthenext’’78
出丕厶堂亟±堂焦途塞——CoNCLUSloNFromtheaboveanalysiswecanseeinWaitingf{jrGodotBeckettcreatesanewlanguage．newideasandabrand—newapproachtOmakearealreflectionoft,hevvesternworldofthepostwar,Withitsprofoundthemes，clown—likecharacters，circularstructure，devaluedlanguageanddistortedtime，Waitingfo，Godotarousespeople’Sawarenessofhnmantragicsituation．IthasenormousinfluencebothOnthedevelopmentoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdandonthepostwarworldliterature．It’Soneofthemostfamousabsurdistdramaandoneofthebestcontemporaryplaysknowntod：etwerttietncenturyNowonderitestablishesBecketttheinoslfamousrepresentativeofthe’FheatreoftheAbsurd，andealTiShimworldfame，WiththepublishingandperformanceofWaiting}10rGodot，Beckettopenedanewerafordrama．Heskillfullycombinedcontentandforminexpressingthemeaninglessnessofhumanexistenceandtheabsurdityofmodemworld．Nopla)州-righthadtransforrnedboththeformandcontentofdramaasradicallyandasprofoundlyashedid．Hedeservesallthehighcommendationsthatcriticshavegi,mntohim．“AllBeckett’Swo．rkportraysthetragicomedy(，tthehumanconditioninagodless，lawless．senselessworld．Theauthenticityofhisvision，thesparebrillianceofhislanguagehaveinfluencedyoungwri'：erstheworldover．”79“Hisfundamentalandoriginalcontributiontomodemdramamakeshimoneofthegreatestdramatistsnotonlyofourcenturybutol’alltime．”80
山塞盔堂亟±生焦途塞⋯AlthoughWaitingforGodottrulyrevealstheabsurdityofmodernwesternu。or[d，yetatthesametimeithasitslimitations，themostevidentofwhichisitspessimismUndertheinfluenceofExistentialism，BeckeRdevelopedaver37pessimisticvievvtowardslifeandhumansociety．Inhiseyes，aSwellasintheeyesofotherplaywrightsoftheTheatreoftheAbsurd，humanexistenceitselfisabsurd，itisonlyaverybrief,unimportanteventinallindifferentuniverse，likePozzo’Swordsintheplay,‘’The),givebirthastrideofagrave，thelightgleamsallinstant，thenit'snightoncemore．”(p．89)Sointhe'alienanddecayingworldBeckettholds∞hopetohumvmi(yttisvislontomart’slifeisacircleenclosedbymeaninglessness，it‘Satorment，ahelt，anincomprehenaiblentfllitywithabsurdandfilfileactivities．NoodevvaW,st_obeh、)翔-intheworld，buthe"、vasborn；tlOonewantstodm，buthewasdead．LifeisonlyaprocessfrombirthtOdeath．ThereisI"10meaningfofonetoexistintheworldsinceworldisunreliableandisofnousetomall．It’Sevenimpossibleforonelofindselfintheworld。SoBeekettandotherplaywrightsoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdonlypointOUttheabsurdityofhumanexistenceandoftheworld，yetfi_leyhavenOattemptoreny．suggestion孙}10ⅥtOchangeorimprovethepr'e!zntsituation．Inordermijaveabe“瓢understandingofthis，let：Sreviewsomepointsof姒mlns内rGodot：Thesettingofthetwoactsisthesame：evening，beforethefallofnight，aJqisolatedtree．whichgivesitsreadersandaudienceafeelingofdesoiaticn胁thopelessness．Vladimir’Swordsat珏IeendofActIIthat“We’i{hangotlrse[ves80
⋯——出苤盍堂亟±堂焦迨塞——⋯一tomorrow'‘(p．94)furtherrevealstheharshrealityofhumanlife：nomatterit’syesterday,today,ortomorrow,thesamefateiswaitingformarl，that‘Sdeath．Andtherepeatedwords“Nothingtobedone”arethegloomysighofthosewhoareintroublebut11a、enointentionofextricatingthemselvesfromthe．predicament．Passivewaitinganddespondentsighsarethephiloselphyoflifeofidlersandcowards．It’S'impossibleforonewhoisbusywithhiscareerandleadsarichlifetodothepointlessthingsasVladimirandEstragondointheplayFromthesepoir,tsofview,wecanseethereisnofutureandnohopeforhtmrankind，which。undeubtcd!yandeasily,c锄disheartenitsreadersandaudiencetobecomepessimisticandworld—weary．7l'hisisthedeficiencyofBeckettandotherplaywrightsoftheTheatreoftheAbsurd，Butasabrokenmirror．itisofgreatsocialsignificanceinreflectingthewesternworldaftertheSecondWorldWar．SoweshouldtakeacorrectattitudetowardsWaiting『orGodotandtheTheatreoftheAbsurdaswell÷['heyalethespecialomco．meoftheabsurdwesternworld．Tosumitup，Waitingfo，Godot，withitsoriginalanduniquedevicesofexpression、fullyreflectsthestrangenessandinscrutabilityc,fthewesternworld，theaJicnationandindifferenceofpeople，andthemeaninglessnessandabsurdityofhumanexistenceAlthoughtherearesomepessimisticanddecadentelememsinit，yetitisofgreathelpforUStohaveacorrectunderstandingofnowadaycapitalistsociety,foritobjectivelymi玎ofstheunconquerableandintensifiedcontradiction．andthe8
——一出塞盍堂亟±堂僮迨塞一————一inextricableandseverespiritualcrisisofwesternsociety-．Atthesametime，sinceBeckettandotherplaywrightsoftheTheatreoftheAbsurdusuallyholdacriticalandnegativeattitudetowardsthewesternsociety,SOtheworkitselewecarlsay,a]soshattersthelieofthe“eternit)。ofcapilalistsystem，andrevealsthehistoricaltrendoithedownfallot’capitalism
NoTES1．Esslin．Martin．劢PTheatreoftheAbsurdNewYork：Doubleday＆Company,Inc．，1969．P．20．2．张中载：《当代英国文学论文集》，外语教学与研究出版社，i996，第319页。3．Fletcher，BerylS。andFletcher,John．AStudent≈GuidetothePlaysofSamuelBeckeItLondon：FaberandFaber,1985，p．43，4．See．Tin(1a11．WiilialllYork．SamuelBeekenNewYork：ColumbiaIJniversityPress，】966，p．3，5，Kennedy,Andrew．SamuelBeckett．Cambridge：CambridgeUniversityPress，1987，P．1．6．QuotedinAStudent'sGuidetothePlaysofSamuelBeckett．p．22．7．Morton．Michael．“lYaitingfo，GodotandEndgame：TheatreasText．”Pilling，John．ed．7焉PCambridgeCompaniontoBeckett．ShanghaiForeignLanguageEducationPress，2000，P．68。8．Quotedin王丽丽：AHistoryof20聃CenturyBritishLiterature．济南：山东大学出版社，2001，第260页。9．Beckett，Samuel．Waiting扣rGodotLondon：Faber&Faber，1978，pAl．q'hesubsequentpagereferencesofthispla)7wiTibegiveninparenfiaeses．10．T／wTheatre∥‘the—tbsw正p-25．!!．Poidn?jl2．?矗e27：．eatre，’，the．dh“irdjP，v五ICetothe＆(。￡』j?￡?Edilion．P．x．13，Allistor，，p，’20”Cenrur)，BritishLiterature．P．189．14．Camus，Albert，殇P均柏可Sisyphus．Paris：Gallimard，1942，p．j8．15．QuoteainmPTheaweofthe—bsurdP．5．i6．Ibid．，p．3．17．Ibid．．D．377．18．IMd．．P．4．19．1bid．．P14．20，w曲b．Eugene．ThePlays"ofSamueiBeckett．LondomPeterOwenLtd．，1972，P．15．21TheTheatreoftheAbsurd．P．1．22．Ibid．，P．40．23．Sclmeider,Alan．“WaitingforBeckett”，ChelseaReview，NewYork，Autumn1958j?202dBNdwhj。HbleneL．,SamuelBecket',iRealSilencd．UniversityPark：PemlsylvaniaS{_ate!．冶lversityPress．1981。P．i07二}一'heCambridgeCompaniontoBeckett．p．76．26，TheTheatre∥theAbsurd．p．351．27．ibid．．p．35．28，TheCambridgeCompaniontoBeckett．p．71．29．TheTheatreof&eAbsurd．D．29．30．TheCambrfageCompaniontoBeckett．P．76．31．TheTheatreD厂theAbsurd．P．29．32Ibid．．P．30．33．1bid．
出丕厶鲎亟耋：堂焦逾塞⋯34．Quotedinwebb，Eugene．7请cPlaysofSamuelBeckett．London：PeterOwenLtd．．1972．P．16．35．1bid．．P．26．36．Ibid．．口．32，37．7碡eTheatreD，theAbsurd．P．39．38．TheCambridgeCompaniontOBeckett．P．7039Fletcher,BerylS．andFletcher,John．AStudent★GuidelothePlaysofSamuelBeekett．London：FabermadEabeL1985。P．26．40．jbid．P．2641．!bid．．P．40，42．McCarthy,PatrickA．CriticalEssayson鼬muelBeckettBoston：GK．Hall＆Co．1986，口．243．砌eTheatreoftheAbsurd．P．6．44．Tbid．．P．24．45．％eCambridgeCompaniontOBeckett．P．74．46．Tindall，williamYork．SamuelBeckett．NewYork：ColumbiaUniversitvPress．1966．n．12．47．AStudentjGuidetothePlaysofSamuelBeckef，．P．22．48．SeeKermdy,Andrew．SamuelBPckett．Cambridge：CambridgeUniversit5r1987．P，35．49．O’iliclat胁搬v9onSamuelBeckett，P．157．50。Thef’缸”，of，S台mueiBeckeu．D．30．51．1'helhcatr=O；?the。{bsurdpp．17，8．52．ThePlaysofSamuelBoe娩tt．P．2853Quotedin7heT,heatreo／theAbsurd．P．32．54．Ⅳ础Cambr’；．aceCompaniontoBeckett．P．75．55．AStudentjGuidetothePlays．ofSamuelBPc妇拉13．47．56．Ibid。，p．19．57．Tindall．WilliamYoIk．SamuelBecke盯．NewYork：ColumbiaUniversityPrebs。1966．P．12．58．C，iticalEssaysonSamuel口eckett．廿．156．59，AStudentiGuidetothePlaysofSamuelBeckett．P．47．60，拍eTheatreoftheAbsurd．P．31．61．Ibid．。P．354．andP．53．62．豫eCambridgeCompaniontoBeckett．n．7463．7协eTheatreo，the，4bsurd．P．354．64．HaymanROilald，Theatrcand。qnrf．Thealre．London：MartinSecker＆Wexburg．I，td．：9"79．P．39．65．QuotedmThe％eatreqftheAbsurd．P．63．66．SeeTindal!．WilliamYork．SamuelBPckett．p．4．67．砌eTheatref圹theAbsurd．P．7．68．1bid。P．86．69，A&udentiGuidetothePlaysofSamuelBeckett．P．39．70。砌cCambridgeCompaniontoBeckett．P．75．71．Quotedin砌gCambridgeCompanionloBeekett．p．67．72．豫eTheatreoftheAbsul戗P．6273．AStudentjGuidelo旃ePlayso／SamuelBeckett．D．24．74．SeeTheTheatreoftheAbsurd．P．357，84
——一出盔盍堂亟±堂焦论塞⋯一——757677AStudent'sGuidetothePic秽sofSamuelBeckett．p。49／'hePlaysofSamuelBecket,．p．34．SeeStates，Bert0．GreatReckoningsinLittleRooms：OnthePhenomenologyoJTheatre．Berkeley：Universit),ofCaIifomiaPress，1987，p．33．78．Tindall，WilliamY0rk．SamuelBeckettp．24．79一SeeEncyclopediaofWorldLiteratureinthe2伊Century、Voi．I．NewYorkFrederickUngarPublishingCo，，1974，p，110．80．AStudentjGuidetothePlay,sofSamuelBeckettp20．
一一⋯～出壅丕茔亟圭堂缱论塞⋯——BIBLloGRAGHY1，Baldwin，H616neL．SamuelBeckett'sRealSilence．UniversityPark：PermsylvaniaStateUniversityPress，19812．Beckett，Samuel．WaitingforGodot，London：Faber&Faber,19793．Booz，ElizabetbB．(cd．)ABrie,／bt#'oduetionmModernEnglhhLiteralw'eShanghaiForeignlanguageEducationPress，I9844，Camus，Albert．TheMythofSisyphus．Paris：Gallimard，19425．Enc)vlopediaofPebrldZ。iteratureinthe20陆Century，V01．I．NewYork：FrederickUngarPublishingCo．，1974．6．Esslin，Martin。The"theatre(∥theAbsurdNewYork：Doubleday&Companyjfle—j960j，Fletcher．BerTl甚。madFietch≮er,John．AStudem、GuidetOthcPlays{目SamuelBeckel：London：FabelandFaber,19858．Grave，LawrenceandRaymondFedeiman．(eds．)SamuelBecketfTheCrP．icalHeritage，London：RoutledgeandKeganPaul，19799Hayman，Ronald．TheatreandAnti-lheatre．London：MarlinSeeker&WarbursLtd．，j979．10．HoIvBibh,．ChinaChristianCouncil．21I『j1l1，Kennedy,Andrew,SamuelBeckettCmr,bridge：C。mbridgeUuiver：dt,．,Press，I987i2．McCarthy,PatrickA．CritwalEssaysOnSamuelBeckettE)3ton：QK。Hal!＆Co、1986．13．Pilling．JobAl．(ed．)lheCambridgeCompaniontoBeckettShanghaiFareigi,LanguageEducationPress，2000
——山塞_：筮堂亟±堂缱淦塞————14States．BertO．GreatReckoningsinLittleRooms：On抽PPhenomenologyofTheatre．Berkeley：UniversityofCaliforniaPress，1987．15．Thldall，WilliamYork．SamuelBeckett．NewYork：ColumbiaUniversityPress，1966．16．WangLili．AHistoryoJ“2甜hCenturyBritishLiterature．ShandongUniversityPress200I．17，Webb，Eugene．ThePlaysofSamuelBeckett．London：PeterOwenLid．，t972．18．郭继德：《英语文学散论》，河南人民出版社，2000。19．龚国杰等编：《文学一当代国外社会科学流派丛书》，四川人民出版社，1988。20．何其苹：《英国戏剧史》，译林出版社，1999。2I．胡家峦等译：《现代主义》，上海外语教育出版社，1992。22．李明滨：《二I一世纪欧美文学史》(3-4)，北京大学f{{版业，1999。23．李维屏：《英美现代主义文学概观》，上海外语教育“}版社，1998。24．廖可兑：《二十赶纪西欧戏剧史》，中国美术学院出版社，1994。25．刘国彬译：《荒诞派戏剧》，中国戏剧出版社，1992。26．任生名：《西方现代悲剧论稿》，上海外语教育出版社，1998。27．旎咸荣等译：《荒诞派戏剧集》，上海译文出版社，1980。28．《外因现代剧作家论剧作》，中科院外国文学研究所编，中国社会科学院出版社．1982。29．张耘：《现代西方戏剧名家名著选评》，外语教学与研究出版社，1999。30．张中载：《当代英国文学论文集》，外语教学与研究出版社，1996。
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