‘Waiting for Godot’ by Samuel Barday Beckett

The play ‘Waiting for Godot’ by Samuel Barday Beckett is a tragicomedy in two acts. In one’s opinion, this play could be about hope. Although very Eleatic in its characterization, ‘waiting for Godot’ is primarily about hope. The play revolves around Vladimir and Estragon and their piteous wait for hope called ‘Mr. Godot’ to arrive. At various times during the play, hope is constructed as a form of salvation, in the personages of Pozzo and Lucky, or even as bereavement. The subject of the play quickly becomes an example of how to pass the time in a situation which offers no hope. Thus the theme of the play is set by the beginning:

Although the phrase is used in connection to Estragon’s boots here, it is also later used by Vladimir with respect to his hat. Essentially it describes the hopelessness of their lives.

The play has a balance of characters, the two tramps that call out names at each other, do a little circus act by exchanging hats, try to attempt suicide, doing exercises, on the other hand the pride of Pozzo and the comic act put up by his slave Lucky. The play centers on hopelessness and despair.

A direct result of this hopelessness is the daily struggle to pass the time. Thus, most of the play is dedicated to formulating new games which will help them pass the time. This mutual yearning also addresses the question of why they stay together. Both Vladimir and Estragon admit to being happier when apart. One of the main reasons that they continue their relationship is that they need one another to pass the time.

Since passing the time is their common occupation, Estragon struggles to find games to help them accomplish their goal. Hence they engage in impertinent behaviour with one another.

Samuel Beckett has done an impeccable job of running the dialogues though it becomes easier when his characters forget everything. Estragon cannot remember anything past what was said immediately prior to his lines. Vladimir, although possessing a better memory, distrusts what he remembers. And since Vladimir cannot rely on Estragon to remind him of things, he too exists in a state of forgetfulness.

Another second reason for why they are together arises from the existentialism of their forgetfulness. Since Estragon cannot remember anything, he needs Vladimir to tell him his history. It is as if Vladimir is establishing Estragon’s identity by remembering for him. Estragon also serves as a reminder for Vladimir of all the things they have done together. Thus both men serve to remind the other man of his very existence. This is necessary since no one else in the play ever remembers them. Pozzo who plays the role of a representative of the upper class declines to have met them the previous day.

Later on the same thing happens with the boy who claims to have never seen them before. This lack of reassurance about their very existence makes it all the more necessary that they remember each other.

Estragon and Vladimir are not only talking to pass the time, but also to avoid the voices that arise out of the silence.

One of the questions which must be answered is why they are suffering in the first place. This can only be answered through the concept of original sin. To be born is to be a sinner, and thus man is condemned to suffer. The only way to escape the suffering is to repent or to die.

Failing to repent, they sit and wait for Godot to come and save them. In the meantime they contemplate suicide as another way of escaping their hopelessness. Estragon wants them to hang themselves from the tree, but both he and Vladimir find it would be too risky. This apathy, which is a result of their age, leads them to remember a time when Estragon almost succeeded in killing himself:

The concept of the passage of time leads to a general irony. Each minute spent waiting brings death one step closer to the characters and makes the arrival of Godot less likely. The passage of time is evidenced by the tree which has grown leaves, possibly indicating a change of seasons. Pozzo and Lucky are also transformed by time since Pozzo goes blind and Lucky mute.

There are numerous interpretations of Waiting for Godot and a few are described here:

Political interpretations also abound. Some reviewers hold that the relationship between Pozzo and Lucky is that of a capitalist to his labor. This Marxist interpretation is understandable given that in the second act Pozzo is blind to what is happening around him and Lucky is mute to protest his treatment. The play has also been understood as an allegory for Franco-German relations.

An interesting interpretation argues that Lucky receives his name because he is lucky in the context of the play. Since most of the play is spent trying to find things to do to pass the time, Lucky is lucky because his actions are determined absolutely by Pozzo. Pozzo on the other hand is unlucky because he not only needs to pass his own time but must find things for Lucky to do.

Therefore, Samuel Beckett’s successful play, ‘waiting for Godot’ is an interesting one even without family characters and can be classified as intensely theatrical. The characters are well designed to suit the plot and the dialogue delivery serves the purpose of interpreting the same.