ASSIGNMENT

QUES.: THREATRE OF THE ABSURD WRITER JOINED EXISTENTIAL PHILOSPHY WITH

DRAMATIC ACTION AND CHARACTERS TO SHOW HOW ABSURD LIFE COULD BE.FIND
ATLEAST 3 EXAMPLES OF ABSURD ACTION OR DIALOGUE .DESCRIBE THEM AND
EXPLAIN WHY YOU THINK THEY SHOW ABSURDITY OF LIFE.

WAITING FOR GODOT WRITTEN BY SAMUEL BECKETT DISPLAYS THE CONCEPT OF

THREATRE OF ABSURDITY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF
ANSURDITY BEFORE MENTIONING ITS USE IN THE NOVEL. THE THREATRE OF
ABSURD IS A POST WORLD WAR II DESIGNATION FOR PARTICULAR PLAYS OF
ABSURDIST FICTION WRITTEN BY A NUMBER OF PRIMARILY EUROPEAN PLAY
WRIGHTS IN THE LATE 1950S, AS WELL AS ONE FOR THE STYLE OF THREATRE
WHICH HAS EVOLVED FROM THEIR WORK. THEIR WORK FOCUSED LARGELY ON THE
IDEA OF EXISTENTIALISM AND EXPRESSED WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HUMAN
EXISTENCE HAS NO MEANING OR PURPOSE AND THEREFORE ALL COMMUNICATION
BREAKS DOWN, IN FACT ALERTING THEIR AUDIENCES TO PURSUE THE OPPPOSITE.
LOGICAL CONSTRUCTION AND ARGUMENT GIVES WAY TO IRRATIONAL AND
ILLOGICAL SPEECH AND IT TO ITS ULITMATE CONCLUSION SILENCE.

SAMUEL BECKETT WAS EVIDENTLY INFLUENCED BY THE FRENCH EXSTENTIAL

PHILOSOPHY OF STARE AND CAMUS. BRIEFLY, EXISTENIAL PHILOSOPHY IS
DESCRIBED TO BE HOLDING THE VIEW THAT WE HUMAN BEINGS SIMPLY EXIST IN A
UNIVERSE THAT DOES NOT HAVE ANY OVERREACHING MORAL ORDER OR MEANING.
WE ARE NOT ESSENTIALLY GOOD OR BAD, WE ARE WHAT WE MAKE OURSELVES ,
AND WE ARE WHAT WE CHOOSE TO BELIEVE. BECKETTS INTERPRETATION OF THIS
PHILOSOPHY APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN THAT IN WORLD WHICH HAS LOST ITS
SENSES OF LOCATION IN ANY LARGER ORDER, ANY LOCATION OUTSIDE OURSELVES
IS ONLY DISTRACTING SCENERY.

WAITING FOR GODOT IS HUMAN WAIT FOR NOTHING TO HAPPEN IN LIFE. LIFE IS
POINTLESS, PURPOSELESS AND MEANINGLESS. WE ARE MADE TO UNDERSTAND
THAT LIFE MEANS NOTHING, OR A BIG NOTHING. NOTHINGNESS IS THE ESSENCE OF
HUMAN EXISTENCE AND EXPERIENCE. AN EXISTENTIALIST HOLDS THE VIEW THAT
HUMAN LIFE IS EMPTY AND HOLLOW THAT ONE HAS TO INJECT MEANING INTO IT
WITH MUCH CONSCIOUS EFFORTS. LIFE IS STAGNANT, A CESSPOOL OF FAILURES.
ONE IS BORN, TO REMAIN STATIC, AND DIE WITHOUT GROWING. LIFE IS A TALE
TOLD BY AN IDIOT, FULL OF SOUND AND FURY , SIGNIFYING NOTHING .ALL HUMAN
ACTIONS LEAD TO FRUSTRATION, FAILURE AND FEELING OF FLEETING
FELLOWLESSNESS. EXISTENCE MEANS NOTHING OR NON-EXISTENCE.ONE IS BORN
AND IS DESTINED TO DIE WITH GREATER SUFFERING THAN THOSE WHO HAS GONE
BEFORE.
THERE ARE SEVERAL INSTANCES OR DIALOUGES IN SAMUEL BECKETTWAITING FOR
GODOT WHICH SHOW THE ELEMENTS OF EXISTENIAL IN THE NOVEL .THROUGH THE
CHARACTER OF VLADIMIR AND ESTRAGON THIS POINT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD VERY
CLEARLY.THESE ARE TWO TRAMPH-LIKE FIGURE ,STANDING NEAR A TREE .THEIR
OSTENSIBLE PURPOSE FOR BEING THERE IS THAT THER ARE WAITING FOR
CHARACTER NAMED GODOT. THEY REPEATEDLY REFER TO GODOT IN TERMS THAT
INDICATE THIS IS A REAL PERSON:

ESTRAGON: CHARMING SPOT [HE TURNS, ADVANCES TO FRONT, HALTS FACING

AUDITORIUM] INSPIRING PROSPECTS.[ HE TURNS TO VLADIMIR} LETS GO.

VLADIMIR: WE CANT.

ESTRAGON: WHY NOT?

VLADIMIR: WERE WAITING FOR GODOT.

ESTRAGON: [DESPAIRINGLY] AH! [PAUSE] YOURE SURE IT WAS HERE?

VLADIMIR: WHAT?

ESTRAGON: THAT WE WERE TO WAIT.

VLADIMIR: HE SAID BY THE TREE.

BY THIS SMALL COVERSATION BETWEEN THESE TWO TRAMPS WE CAN IDENTIFY THE
ELEMENT OF ABSURDITY. IN MY OPINION THESE TWO ARE WAITING FOR SOMETHING
WHICH NEVER APPEEAR IN THE NOVEL. THEY KNOW THAT THEIR LIVES ARE JUST
MEANINGLESS, YET FOOLS AS THEY ARE, THEY STILL WANT TO GO ON LIVING.THEY
WAIT AGAINST A HOPELESS WAIT, AN ETERNAL AND FUTILE WAIT FOR SOMETHING
TO HAPPENTO THEM. THEY ARE LEADING A LIFE OF NOTHINGNESS WHICH
ULTIMATELY MAKES IT MORE MISERABLE AS IT IS POINTLESS.

ANOTHER INSTANCE WHICH DEPICTS ABSURDITY IS THROUGH THE SPEECH OF

LUCKY, WHO IS MORE OR LESS CONSIDERED TO BE A DUMB ANIMAL, AN
AUTOMATION.HE IS EVEN SEEN AS A SLAVE OF POZZO, A FEMININE, NON EUROPEAN
ENTITY. LUCKYS SPEECH POINTS OUT THE ESSENTIAL FACTS THAT LIFE IS ABSURD
AND FULL OF FUTILITY. THE SPEECH DORS NOT ADHERE TO ANY GRAMMATICAL
RULES. IT IS AN INDICATOR TO THE FACT THAT ALL THE RULES RELATED TO LIFE
ARE GOING TO END ULTIMATELY IN DEATH.DEATH IS DEPICTED AS THE ONLY
CERTAINTY.LUCKYS SPEECH IS CONSIDERED AS THE HIGHEST POINT OF
MODERNISATION THAT HAS AN ELEMENT OF UNIVERSALITY INHERENT IN IT. THE
LIFE IS FULL OF SUFFERINGS.SUFFERING IS SEENS AS A PRELUDE TO ENTER
HEAVEN.NOTHING HAS RESOLVED EXCEPT THAT EVERYTHING WOULD ULTIMATELY
END IN ANNIHILATION.IT IS PERCEIVED THAT NO AMOUNT OF PROGRESS CAN DELAY
THE ONSLAUGHT OF DEATH.IT SERVES AS CRITIQUE OD MATERIALISM THAT IS
CAUSING GRADUAL ALIENATION OF MANKIND FROM BENEVOLENCE.
LUCKYS ENTIRE SPEECH HAS A DECADENCE AND DEATH AS ITS KEY IDEA. MAN IS
SEEN TO BE WASTING AND PINNING. THE DESIRES ARE UNLIMITED AND THEIR
FULFILMENT LEAVES MANKIND ALL THE MORE IS UNEASY.IT INDICATES THE
UNCERTAINTY AND TRANSITARINESS OF HUMAN LIFE AND IT PLEASURES. NOTHING
CAN MITIGATE THE CERTIDUE OF DEATH. EVERY NOTION IS ABSTRACT AND HENCE
SUBJUGATED TO DOUBT.

IN SAMUEL BECKETTWAITING FOR GODOT ALL THE CHARACTERS HAVE NOTHING

TO DO WITH WORLDTHEY BELONG TO, OR LIVE IN. THEY BREATHE IN HOLLOW,
CRYING VOID. THEY APPPEAR ON A BARE STAGE WITH ONLY A LEAFLESS TREE
WHICH IS PRONE TO SUICIDAL TENDENCY. THE HEROES ARE NON- HERORES, ONLY
PHYSICALLY ALIVE JUST BREATHING, NO LONGERENJOYING ANYTHING. THEIR WORLD
IS SO EMPTY THAT IT HARDLY ANY CHANCE FOR A TRADEGY. THE ACTORS ARE
MERELY CLOWNS WHO ARE UNABLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EXISTENCE AND
NON-EXISTENCE. THE HEROES DO NOT EXIST AS THE WORLD DOES NOT
EXIST.MANY OF US DO FEEL LIKE THESE HEROES THAT WE DO NOT ACT BUT ARE
MERELY ACTED UPON.THEY ARE TRUE REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNCHEERING
WORLD. SO IT IS ABSURD PLAY FULL OF ABSURDITIES AND WITH THE ELEMENT OF
EXISTENIAL PHILOSOPHY.

FROM- ASHI JAIN

ROLL-NO- 140037

CLASS SECTION A

COURSE- ENG. (H)