Thinking activity : Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett

"Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's oweful."

Hello readers, this Blog is part of thinking activity. We had a movie screening of the movie "Waiting For Godot" written by Samuel Beckett. The movie "Waiting for Godot" is directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Our task is to observe the point which is given by sir and to think. Click here if you want to see the point. In this movie, Vladimir's role performed by Barry McGovern and Estragon's role performed by Johnny Murphy. Other two important characters are Pozzo -sadistic master and Lucky - submissive slave. So Pozzo's role performed by Alan Standford and Lucky's role performed by Stephan Brennan.

1. What connection do you see in the setting (“A country road, A tree Evening”) of the play and these paintings?

In all play, first, we see the setting of the play or Author may first think about setting. So the setting of the play is inspired by two paintings by Caspar David Friedrich and the title of this painting is 'longing'. Longing means a strong desire to achieve something. Desire means hunger, wish, want, need, longing etc. As we know that the centre of the play is not Godot but waiting. Vladimir and Estragon, both are waiting for Godot. Both have a strong desire that Godot will come. So Waiting is connected with longing. Same way in the painting we can find two people and they may wait for Sunrise or sunset or they may just see the sunrise or sunset but nothing happens. As Lucan said that,

"Desire is impossible. You can never achieve the desire."

So sunrise gives you hope and sunrise and sunset is symbolized that,

"Time is passing, we are as we are before in the same place and time is eaten us."

2. The tree is the only important 'thing' in the setting. What is the importance of tree in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act 2 on the barren tree- The tree has four or five leaves?

As we know that, Everything humans have needed to survive was provided by the natural world. The way a symbolic relationship exists between trees (nature) and human beings. Humans breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, while trees breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. The tree is a symbol in the play. In both acts, we can find a minor difference in the tree. In the first act, we can not find leaves but in the second act, the tree has leaves. We can not control the nature of time the same way we can not control our life. Godot told both men to wait for him by the willow tree maybe that's why they are waiting here. The willow tree has great religious significance. But we have to think that it is a willow tree or not. Like they are not sure that Godot will come or not the same way this is willow tree or not.

3.  In both acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this 'Coming for night and moon' when actually they are Waiting For Godot?

In Waiting for Godot, the moon rising signals the beginning of the full night and the time when Vladimir and Estragon stop waiting for Godot for that day but the question is why they are stop or why they do not stay there? As we know that night (darkness) is a symbol of death. The Hope come when the messenger of the Godot comes. The light of the moon suggests that there is hope and on next day Godot will come. So they think that every day is a new day and we should wait, Godot will come.
In our life sometimes we think that if we are not able to complete our work today than we will do it next day but sometimes new day never come in our life and we, atlas we lost everything that we have.

4) The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?

Debris means loose natural material consisting especially of broken pieces of rock. Samuel Beckett's famous work Breath is the best example to understand this setting which is chosen by Director. When I watched the movie, I observed the same thing in the play.

5) The play begins with the dialogue "Nothing to be done". how does the theme of 'nothingness' recurs in the play?

This is a very interesting dialogue of the play.   "Nothing to be done" reflects the Existentialism. Our life is meaningless. Why we all are living or why we all are here? In the play, Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for Godot without thinking that Godot will come or not the same way we all are doing something without thinking anything. We think we are studying but after that what? Maybe you think about Job after that what? Sometimes we think positively or sometimes negatively. Positive thinking gives you Hope and negative thinking give you to despair.

6) Do you agree: "The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what- atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything- life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life."(E.G. Marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950s)

Yes, I agree that the play was a positive play, not negative or not pessimistic and I agree to the point of E.G Marshal that the play waiting for Godot is positive play in the sense of life is goes on we can not stop. As in the play, Vladimir and Estrogen think to commit suicide. Yes, we can kill ourselves but we can not kill our life. If you are living than you have to face everything. Living and experience everything is more important than killing ourselves.

7) How are the props like the hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolical significance of these props?

In the play, we can find many symbols. The symbol of Hat and Boots are very interesting symbols in the play. Hat represent thinking and spiritual intellectual life and Boot represent living a physical life.
Vladimir is a more intelligent or intellectual character in the play but Estragon is weak or not able to think.

8) Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and Nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?

In Paradise Lost we see that if you are obedience to God than God will love you or care you but if you are not obedience to God or If you cross your boundaries than God gives you punishment. Eve and Adam both are punished by God. But here think is different. Here we can see master and slave relationship. Pozzo is master and Lucky is slaves. Lucky is obedience to his master and follow him. Even when the mater Pozzo is blind and he obediently hands the whip in his hand. His master is blind but he is not. Sometimes living with your past or with the master is better than escape. Sometimes we learn new things from our master as we learn from colonisers. Sometimes we get a chance to free from everything but we can not because we are habituated or we think this is good for me. Lucky knows that his master has no power to see anything and he has the best chance to escape but even knowing this he serving him without asking any questions.

9) Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? or...

As we know this play has many interpretations. When we read the play and if we think than according to me Godot means God. In the second act, we can find some conversation between Boy and Vladimir and through that conversation maybe they are talking about Godot.

BOY:
He's sick, Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Perhaps it was he came yesterday.
BOY:
I don't know, Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
(softly). Has he a beard, Mr Godot?
BOY:
Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Fair or . . . (he hesitates) . . . or black?
BOY:
I think it's white, Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
Christ have mercy on us!
Silence.
BOY:
What am I to tell Mr Godot, Sir?

So this is the first interpretation. When we read political reading of the name then we find that Godot means Hitler. Hitler was the nemesis for Jews.

In the play when Vladimir said Boy that he is beating or not at that time boy said yes sir.

10) "The subject of the play is not Godot but 'waiting' (Esslin, A search for the self). Do you agree? How can you justify your answer?

I agree with this point or with Essline's Essay 'A search for the self'.The main subject of the play or the centre of the play is waiting not Godot. In the play, nothing happens Nobody comes or goes. There are only two main characters and they are waiting or to kill the time they are playing with Hat and do conversations or question - answers. As this two-character, we all are waiting for something. Time is passing and they are as they are before. So we can say that,

"Waiting for Godot does not tell the story but it's exploring the static situation."

11) Do you think plays like this can better be 'read' than 'viewed' as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to 'think'? Or is it that the audio- visuals help in better understanding of the play?

According to me, reading is better than just watching the play because if you want to understand this play or any other play than once you have to read or re-read the play. In the play, we can find Lucky's speech. To understand his speech we have to read. The play has continuous dialogue and less actions. Watching and reading both are important things but we have to give more importance to reading rather than just watching.

12) Which of the following sequence you liked the most:

- Vladimir-Estragon killing time in questions and conversation while waiting
- Pozzo-Lucky episode in both acts
- The conversation of Vladimir with the boy

I liked the Conversation of Vladimir with the boy because when the boy comes at that time Vladimir thinks now Godot will come. The boy is his hope because he was the messenger of God. This is a very short and apt conversation.

13)  Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during the screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt if ever it was?

Yes, we feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe. First the meaningless waiting for Godot and second the character of Lucky. In both the actions, we can see that Godot is not coming but we can find Godot messenger Boy.

14)  Vladimir and Estragon talk about ‘hanging’ themselves and commits suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide in Existentialism?

Suicide is an art in existentialism. Vladimir and Estragon talk about hanging themselves and commits suicide but they are not doing because Vladimir thinks that to commit suicide is sin so we can not. When do we think about suicide? We think when absurdity comes in our life. But Camus talks about accepting the absurdity. When you have hope of something like Vladimir and Estrogen has hope that Godot will come at that time you may stop to commit suicide.

15) Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'?
So far as Pozzo and Lucky [master and slave] are concerned, we have to remember that Beckett was a disciple of Joyce and that Joyce hated England. Beckett meant Pozzo to be England, and Lucky to be Ireland." (Bert Lahr who played Estragon in Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?

Yes, we can do a political reading of the name of the play. So Vladimir stands for Russia, Pozzo stands for Italy, Lucky stand for England and Estragon stand for France. During the world war, countries like Italy or England destroyed by Germany. In the play when we read the conversation between boy and Vladimir at that time Vladimir asked boy that is Godot beating? At that time boy say yes he is. As we know in Germany, Hitler destroyed many containers and people.

16) The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy's question, Vladimir says:

"BOY: What am I to tell Mr Godot, Sir?
VLADIMIR:  Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?
How does this conversation go in Act II? Is there any change in seeming similar situation and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?

Yes, we can find a difference in both the acts. In act one, Vladimir told Boy that tell Godot that we are waiting but in act 2 we can see the difference. Vladimir told the Boy that he is waiting. In real life, we can find this point.