SamuelBeckettWaitingforGodot
SamuelBeckett (1906-1989)SamuelBeckettwasanIrishwriter,dramatistandpoet,writinginEnglishandFrench.HewasbornnearDublin,Ireland,onApril13,1906intoaProtestant,middleclasshome.Hisfatherwasaquantitysurveyorandhismotherworkedasanurse.HeattendedthePortoraRoyalboardingschoolinNorthernIreland,thenenteredTrinityCollege,tostudyFrenchandItalianfrom1923to1927.In1929,Beckettpublishedhisfirstwork,acriticalessay.TheessaydefendsJoyce‘sworkandmethod,chieflyfromallegationsofwantonobscurityanddimness.
Beckett'sworkoffersableakoutlookonhumancultureandhebecameincreasinglyaminimalistinhislatercareer.Asastudent,assistant,andfriendofJamesJoyce,Beckettisconsideredoneofthelastmodernists;asaninspirationtomanylaterwriters,heissometimesconsideredoneofthefirstpostmodernists.
HeisalsoconsideredoneofthekeywritersinwhatMartinEsslincalled"TheatreoftheAbsurd".Assuch,heiswidelyregardedasoneofthemostinfluentialwritersofthe20thcentury.BeckettwasawardedtheNobelPrizeinLiteraturein1969forhis"writing,which—innewformsforthenovelanddrama—inthedestitutionofmodernmanacquiresitselevation".
SamuelBeckett’sgraveMontparnasseCemeterySamuelBeckettdepictedonanIrishcommemorativecoincelebratingthe100thAnniversaryofhisbirth.
On10December2009,thenewestbridgeacrosstheRiverLiffeyinDublinwasopenedandnamedtheSamuelBeckettBridgeinhishonour.
WorksBeckett’smostfamouscontributionstomoderntheaterincludeWaitingforGodot(1952),Endgame,(1957),andHappyDays(1961).Thesedarkcomediesrevolvearoundindividualswhoaretrappedinpredictableyetdisturbingsituations.Solitude,paralysis,andabsurdityweresomeofBeckett’sgreatestobsessions,andhisnovelsinFrenchaddressthesethemeswithacombinationofgrotesquehumorandhauntinglylyricalprose.Writingcareerhisearlyworks,upuntiltheendofWorldWarIIin1945hismiddleperiod,stretchingfrom1945untiltheearly1960s,duringwhichhewrotewhatareprobablyhisbest-knownworkshislateperiod,fromtheearly1960suntilBeckett'sdeathin1989,duringwhichhisworkstendedtobecomeshorter
TheatreEleutheria(1940s;published1995)WaitingforGodot(1952)ActWithoutWordsI(1956)ActWithoutWordsII(1956)Endgame(1957)Krapp'sLastTape(1958)RoughforTheatreI(late1950s)RoughforTheatreII(late1950s)HappyDays(1960)Play(1963)ComeandGo(1965)Breath(1969)NotI(1972)ThatTime(1975)Footfalls(1975)APieceofMonologue(1980)Rockaby(1981)OhioImpromptu(1981)Catastrophe(1982)WhatWhere(1983)RadioAllThatFall(1956)FromanAbandonedWork(1957)Embers(1959)RoughforRadioI(1961)RoughforRadioII(1961)WordsandMusic(1961)Cascando(1962)TelevisionEhJoe(1965)GhostTrio(1975)...buttheclouds...(1976)QuadI+II(1981)NachtundTräume(1982)BeckettonFilm(2002)HostedbyJeremyIrons,ProducedbyPBSCinemaFilm(1965)Dramaticworks
ProseNovelsDreamofFairtoMiddlingWomen(1932;published1992)Murphy(1938)Watt(1945;published1953)MercierandCamier(1946;published1974)Molloy(1951)MaloneDies(1951)TheUnnamable(1953)HowItIs(1961)NovellasTheExpelled(1946)TheCalmative(1946)TheEnd(1946)TheLostOnes(1971)Company(1980)IllSeenIllSaid(1981)WorstwardHo(1983)StoriesMorePricksThanKicks(1934)FirstLove(1945)StoriesandTextsforNothing(1954)Fizzles(1976)StirringsStill(1988)Non-fictionProust(1931)ThreeDialogues(withGeorgesDuthuitandJacquesPutnam)(1949)Disjecta(1929-1967)PoetryWhoroscope(1930)Echo'sBonesandotherPrecipitates(1935)CollectedPoemsinEnglish(1961)CollectedPoemsinEnglishandFrench(1977)WhatistheWord(1989)
WaitingforGodot atragicomedyintwoacts1stEnglisheditiontranslatedbytheauthor1952writteninFrench,andpublished.1953premieredattheBabylonetheaterinParis.Theplay'sreputationspreadslowlythroughwordofmouthanditsoonbecamequitefamous.Otherproductionsaroundtheworldrapidlyfollowed.TheplayinitiallyfailedintheUnitedStates,likelyasaresultofbeingmisbilledas"thelaughoffourcontinents."AsubsequentproductioninNewYorkCitywasmorecarefullyadvertisedandgainedsomesuccess.1954theEnglishtranslationappeared.
Theplayhasoftenbeenviewedasfundamentallyexistentialistinitstakeonlife.Thefactthatnoneofthecharactersretainaclearmentalhistorymeansthattheyareconstantlystrugglingtoprovetheirexistence.WaitingforGodotispartoftheTheateroftheAbsurd.Thisimpliesthatitismeanttobeirrational.Absurdtheaterdoesawaywiththeconceptsofdrama,chronologicalplot,logicallanguage,themes,andrecognizablesettings.Thereisalsoasplitbetweentheintellectandthebodywithinthework.ThusVladimirrepresentstheintellectandEstragonthebody,bothofwhomcannotexistwithouttheother.
CharacterlistEstragon(Gogo)Estragonisoneofthetwoprotagonists.Heisabumandsleepsinaditchwhereheisbeateneachnight.Hehasnomemorybeyondwhatisimmediatelysaidtohim,andreliesonVladimirtorememberforhim.EstragonisimpatientandconstantlywantstoleaveVladimir,butisrestrainedfromleavingbythefactthatheneedsVladimir.ItisEstragon'sideaforthebumstopasstheirtimebyhangingthemselves.Estragonhasbeencomparedtoabodywithoutanintellect,whichthereforeneedsVladimirtoprovidetheintellect.
Vladimir(Didi)Vladimirisoneofthetwoprotagonists.HeisabumlikeEstragon,butretainsamemoryofmostevents.However,heisoftenunsurewhetherhismemoryisplayingtricksonhim.VladimirisfriendswithEstragonbecauseEstragonprovideshimwiththechancetorememberpastevents.VladimiristheonewhomakesEstragonwaitwithhimforMr.Godot'simminentarrivalthroughouttheplay.Vladimirhasbeencomparedtotheintellectwhichprovidesforthebody,representedbyEstragon.
DidiandGogoareapairwhichcomplementeachother.Apairwhoneedeachother,yetstifleeachother’sgrowth.Theyaremiserablemuchofthetimetogether,yetneitherseemsbigenoughtopartfromtheother.Theyarepossiblypartsofadividedself.Gogoastheunconsciousmind,Didiastheconsciousmind.Theycannotseparateonceandforall.
PozzoPozzoisthemasterwhorulesoverLucky.Hestopsandtalkstothetwobumsinordertohavesomecompany.InthesecondactPozzoisblindandrequirestheirhelp.He,likeEstragon,cannotrememberpeoplehehasmet.Histransformationbetweentheactsmayrepresentthepassageoftime.
LuckyLuckyistheslaveofPozzo,thesymbolofman-as-a-machine.HeistiedtoPozzoviaaropearoundhisneckandhecarriesPozzo'sbags.Luckyisonlyallowedtospeaktwiceduringtheentireplay,buthislongmonologueisfilledwithincompleteideas.Heissilencedonlybytheothercharacterswhofightwithhimtotakeofhishat.Luckyappearsasamuteinthesecondact.
PozzoandLuckyareapairwhichcomplementeachother.Pozzosymbolizesthesadist;Luckythemasochist.Perhapsallslavesmustbecomemasochisticorelsedieinrebellion.Materialisticmanrejectsandsuppresseshisspiritualandculturalside.PozzoneedsLucky,andevenso,heisdyingandwithering.
BoyTheboyisaservantofMr.Godot.HeplaysanidenticalroleinbothactsbycomingtoinformVladimirandEstragontheMr.Godotwillnotbeabletomakeitthatnight,butwillsurelycomethenextday.TheboyneverremembershavingmetVladimirandEstragonbefore.Hehasabrotherwhoismentionedbutwhoneverappears.
TheCircularStructureInatraditionalplay,theplotsusuallygooninalineardevelopment.anintroductionofthecharactersandtheexpositionastatementoftheproblemoftheplayAndtherelationshiptoitssettingsandcharactersthedramatist'sworldviewClimax;conclusion
IntheplaysoftheTheateroftheAbsurd,thestructureisoftenexactlytheopposite.InWaitingforGodot,thesettingisthesame,andthetimeisthesameinbothacts.Eachactbeginsearlyinthemorning,justasthetrampsareawakening,andbothactsclosewiththemoonhavingrisen.Theactiontakesplaceinexactlythesamelandscape—alonely,isolatedroadwithonesingletree.
Wearenevertoldwherethisroadislocated;allweknowisthattheactionoftheplayunfoldsonthislonelyroad.Thus,fromActItoActII,thereisnodifferenceineitherthesettingorinthetimeand,thus,insteadofaprogressionoftimewithinanidentifiablesetting,wehavearepetitioninthesecondactofthesamethingsthatwesawandheardinthefirstact.
Moreimportantthantherepetitionofsettingandtime,however,istherepetitionoftheactions.VladimirandEstragonAloneArrivalofPozzoandLuckyVladimirandEstragonAloneArrivalofBoyMessengerVladimirandEstragonAloneAtthebeginningofbothacts,thefirstdiscussionconcernsabeatingthatEstragonreceivedjustpriortotheirmeeting.Atthebeginningofbothacts,EstragonkeepsaskingVladimiriftheycanleave,onlytoreceivetheresponsethattheyarewaitingforGodot.Intheendingsofbothacts,VladimirandEstragondiscussthepossibilityofhangingthemselves,andinbothendingstheydecidetobringsomegoodstrongropewiththemthenextdaysothattheycanindeedhangthemselves.
Therepetitionofthefinaltwolinesfromthepreviousactattheplay'sconclusionshowsthecontinuedimportanceofrepetitionandparallelisminWaitingforGodot.However,thecharactershaveswitchedlinesfromthepreviousact,suggestingthatultimately,despitetheirdifferences,VladimirandEstragonarereallyinterchangeableafterall.
WiththearrivalofPozzoandLuckyineachact,wenoticethateventhoughtheirphysicalappearancehastheoreticallychanged,outwardlytheyseemthesame;theyarestilltiedtogetheronanendlessjourneytoanunknownplacetorendezvouswithanamelessperson.Likewise,theBoyMessenger,whiletheoreticallydifferent,bringstheexactsamemessage:Mr.Godotwillnotcometoday,buthewillsurelycometomorrow.Finally,andmostimportant,therearethelargerconcepts:first,thesufferingofthetramps;second,theirattempts,howeverfutile,topasstime;third,theirattemptstopart,and,ultimately,theirincessantwaitingforGodot—allthesemakethetwoactsclearlyrepetitive,circularinstructure,andthefactthattheserepetitionsaresoobviousintheplayisBeckett'smannerofbreakingawayfromthetraditionalplayandofassertingtheuniquenessofhisowncircularstructure.
Beckett’sdramaticworksdon’treplytothetraditionalelementsofdrama.ForBeckett,languageisuseless;hecreatesamythicaluniversepeopledbylonelycreatureswhostrugglevainlytoexpresstheinexpressible.Beckett’sattitudetowardslanguage
Beckett’sworkisdefinedbytheconsciousnessthatwordsareincapableofexpressingtheinnerselfandbythesimultaneousacceptanceofthefactthatlanguageisintrinsictothehumansituationandthusnotaremovableelement.Beckettregardslanguageasconstitutiveoftheidentityoftheself;itisonthisconvictionthathisdespairforthehumanconditionandthepowerofhiswritingdepend.Hisattitudetowardslanguageistheparadoxicalacceptanceofself-refutationastheconditionforanyartisticpractice;arecognitionoftheinherentinabilityofwordstocorrespondtoanythingotherthanthemselvestogetherwiththepotentialityofexpressingthisveryinabilitytoexpress.
Hischoiceofdramaticspeechasthefundamentallevelofaction,ratherthanitssubordinationtogestures,movementsandsetting,isthereforefarmorecomplicatedthanatfirstitseemstobe.Beckettfeelsthatthedomainofthewriter-playwrightisthatofaformwhichcreatesmeaningthroughitsstruggletoexpressmeaning.Hedoesnot,therefore,resorttotheformalisticdemandforanartsynonymouswithform,butratherattemptstosolvetheproblemoftheirrelationbypreservingthedialectic.
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