Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

Thinking Activity

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett


* About Author by Samuel Beckett :-

                    

                                               Samuel Barclay Beckett born 13 April 1906 death 22 December 1989 was an Irish novelist, Playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. A resident of Paris for most of his adult life, he wrote in both English and French. Beckett was awarded the 1969 for Noble Prize in literature for his writing in new forms for the novel and drama. his work generally focused on the idea of Existentialism and expressed what happens when human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down.

  Q-1) What connection do you see in the setting ('A country road, a tree and evening') of the play and these paintings.

 Ans :-  David Friedrich is a famous German romantic landscape painter. The visualization and portrayal of landscape in entirely new manner was Friedrich's key innovation. "Longing" is painting by Caspar David Fredrich. he has drawn two paintings and both painting have same background of nature. from these paintings Samuel Beckett has got inspiration for his setting of the play "waiting for Godot". other than this there is no more connection between these image and setting of the play because fredrich belongs to romanticism, his depiction of nature has different meaning. so,these painting are inspiration for setting of the play.

Q-2) The tree is the only important 'thing' in the setting. what is the important of tree in both acts? why does Beckett grow few leaves in act 2 on the barren tree the tree has four or five leaves?

 

 Ans :- This tree present very symbolically. first we can say it shows that in first act it is barren, so its effect of world war and then it's had a leaves so suggest hope. second it's represent that how change in nature. third is that "Indifference of nature or universe".

Q-3) In both acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. how would you like to interpret this 'coming of night and moon' when actually they are waiting for Godot?

 Ans :- We can interpret this moon as brightness in the night so, i think Beckett want to convey through this moon's brightness in the night means though the darkness of night there is somewhat hope like the brightness of the moon. so, we should not lost our hope, every day is new day.

Q-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?

Ans:- Debris means destroyed or broken in to the pieces. debris in the play showing like absurdity.

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

Ans :- Nothingness is the central idea of the play "nothing to be done". Vladimir and Estragon was waiting for Godot at same place and in end also they are still waiting.

Q-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 1950 s)?

Ans :- The play is completely optimistic. The dialogues between Vladimir and Estragon, Lucky and Pozzo, messenger the boy reflect the deep philosophy of life. as Pozzo exclaims "one day is not enough for, one day like any other day he went dumb, one day i went blind, one day we will go deaf, one day we were born, one day we'll die, the same day, the same second ..." Hindu philosophy says that nothing can be meaningless. you will gain the fruits of your deeds. and if life is meaningless yet we are going on living. so many people are connected with us but if we kill ourselves then also life will go on as it is for other people.

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

Ans:- Hat is a symbol of intelligence while boots is symbol of hardship or importance of body. but the main point is that yet they both are waiting for Godot. As same in our life also we are intelligent or hard worker doesn't matter. because after all we all are waiting for death.

Q-8) Do you think that the obedience of lucky is extremely irritating? 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?

Ans :- This play present human nature very well, through the characters. in the case of lucky, he gave the rope to hismaster even his master was blind. so, its shows the blindness of human mind, that how he became slave, he not gave the rope to his master but he surrender himself.

Q-9) Who according to you is Godot? God? an object of desire? Death? Goal? success? or ...

Ans:- According to me, Godot is death. after doing all the things, we waiting for death. after all success and happiness, all desires in life nothing left. what to do ? what purpose of life? nothing. then we waits for end, that is Godot that is death.

Q-10) "The subject of the play is not Godot but 'Waiting' (Esslin, a search for the self). do you agree? howcan you justify your answer?

Ans :- the subject of the play is waiting because both the characters waiting from starting to end. as same in our life also from birth we are waiting until death come. this, we can justify the theme of the play is waiting.

Q-11) Do you think that 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?

Ans:- Audio- visual more helpful for better imagination off scene and understanding but i think here sometime audio- visual remains useless. when i watched movie at that time i clarify about background, setting and frame of film but sometime dialogues moving very fast between Vladimir and Estragon and monologue of lucky. 

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

• Vladimir - Estragon killing time in questions and conversations while waiting
• Pozzo - lucky episode in both acts conversation of Vladimir with the boy 

Ans :- the conversation of Vladimir and the boy because it is so relatable. many time it happens in our life that we are eagerly waiting for something and at the end we didn't get it and the irritation we feel same we can feel in conversation of Vladimir and boy.          

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