Thinking Activity : Waiting for Godot

Thinking Activity : Waiting for Godot

Hello readers!

Here is my blog on thinking Activity Waiting for Godot. Academic task is given by Dilip Barad sir, department of English. Here is sir's blog to know about task. And also here is recoding video of Barad sir's lecture while showing movie screening of waiting for Godot.

The movie "Waiting for Godot" is directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. In this 2001 movie, Barry McGovern and Johnny Murphy played Vladimir and Estragon, whereas Lucky and Pozzo were performed by Alan Standford and Stephan Brennan, respectively.

Here are some questions.

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

In this picture two people are there. Both have desire. This picture suggests that two people are waiting for something. But In picture "Longing" is the theme of this painting. So Samuel Beckett was inspired by this painting and then he wrote "Waiting for Godot ''. In the painting they have a desire to meet with God and to get position in Heaven. So when we look towards painting we find that in painting is that, they have desire and then when we look towards Beckett's play both are waiting for something. Paintings show time differences, one is early and another is evening so the time suggests that they waited the whole day for what?. In painting and In play both have the same reason for waiting and for desire.

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

Leaves on Tree - Waiting for Godot

In the play tree is the symbol of "Hope". " Hole is also referred to in Martin Esslin's essay that hopeful begins and hopeless ending". When we find a tree without leaves. That picture gives some negativity in our mind. So if we look at negativity then the tree is a symbol of something happening or it is a symbol of death also. When we have no desire, no anything, it suggests death ultimately becomes a part of life and death. So ultimately the truth is death. So In the play Estragon and Vlidimir both are waiting for Godot. And both have a desire to meet with Godot. They were waiting for the first day but that day Godot never came. But Godot sent a messenger. He does not come. And then the second day he also does not come and again Godot sends a messenger. So When first Godot does not come. At that time Vlidimir sees a tree. On the tree new leaves grow. So it gives hope. So the tree gives positivity that another day Godot definitely comes. That's why they wait another day also. So tree becomes a symbol of hope

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?

Night and Moon - Waiting for Godot

Through the picture we can interpret this moon as the brightness of night We can say that Samuel Beckett wants to convey that the moon's brightness in the night means though the darkness of night there is somewhat hope like the brightness of the moon. Brightness is symbolised here as hope. So, we should not lose our hope, every day is a new day. Once night is over then after another day I will come with brightness so moon and night is a symbol of brightness. 

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?

The word Debris is used in the setting. It can be the influence of World war-2 in the material world. Therefore, we can say that the meaninglessness of a material world that keeps on destroying, nothing is permanent in our life. Everything has been destroyed once. Nothing is permanent in life. 

5 ) The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?

The play begins with the dialogue "Nothing to be done" reflects the Existentialism in the play. This theory shows that life is meaningless, whatever you do it has no ultimate meaning. Waiting for Godot play starts with the idea of nothingness. Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot without knowing that he will come or not, whether he exists or not, who is he? The unclear theme shows the nothingness of the play. But nothingness words also symbolize something. In the play also we can see that there is nothing but also two men are waiting for Godot so there is something in nothingness. 

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. Marshall who played Vladimir in the original Broadway production 1950s)?

The play "Waiting for Godot" is a positive play. I agreed with E.G. Marshall that this play is a positive play. Because once we have died there is no permanent life. But after that we have to live happily if there is hope and nothingness in our life. But live with hope wherever we know that hope will convert in to real or not? But also we can live so play is positive.

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

Samuel Beckett used many symbols in this play in which Hat and Boot are interesting symbols. We can say that hats represent intellectual, mental ability and thinking and boots represent lower and physical appearance. Hat and Boot come again and again in the play. It is very symbolic in the play

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

Pozzo - Lucky: Master-Slave

If we are constantly under  someone then Sometimes we can get a chance to be free from some constructed situation though we can not grab the opportunity because we are habituated with that constructed situation, it can not permit us to think beyond that constructed situation. Lucky knows well that his master has no power to see anything yet he does not go away from him and serves him without the question of real freedom. It is unbelievable as a rational thinker but those who live sheeple's kind of life, they can be driven with the flow without questioning.

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

This play has many symbols to interpret. According to me Godot is God because when we read the dialogue between boy and Vladimir that time Vladimir asked the boy that Godot is white? Then the boy said yes, so we can say that they talk about Christ. Another interpretation is based on political reading in which we can say that Godot means Hitler because when Vladimir asked the boy whether he was beating or not? Then the boy replied yes. So, we can connect with the Hitler that he was beating many countries in world war-2. So in this play Godot means got 

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?

Yes, I totally agree with Esslin's point of view in 'A search for the self' that the subject and the main theme of the play is 'waiting' not the Godot. We can see that in the play nothing happens except the meaningless waiting. There is  no one to come and go, all the characters are only waiting for someone but no one comes. So, we can say the heart of the play is waiting, not Godot.

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?

 According to me plays are better to watch or view rather than reading but in the case of Waiting for Godot play is better to read because play is written in dialogue form that can easy to read and understand rather than watch because if we watch movie then we can not get many dialogue where character are only do action nothing apart from that but once we read it we came know all the conversation between characters. And that conversation gives us a more clear understanding about play.

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

     Vladimir – Estragon killing time in questions and conversations while waiting

     Vladimir and Estragon: The Had and the Boot

     Pozzo – Lucky episode in both acts

     Conversion of Vladimir with the boy

In the sequence I liked the most the conversation of Vladimir with the boy because all sequences are good but no meanings such as. While the conversation with the feel the energy and curiosity in the play because that boy was the messenger of Godot and also that boy frightened from Vladimir but also he told about Godot and gave all questions and answers to Vladimir. So, the first conversation with the boy was the hope for Vladimir and the second conversation somewhat despair and revealed Vladimir's selfishness about waiting for Godot. 

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

The effect of existential crisis or  meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe. We find in the character of Lucky that when his master becomes blind though he doing slavery like sheeple. Hece, we can say that life is meaningless for Lucky because they even don't think about freedom about master blindness.He has chance to choose his Own path but he constantly doing work like sh

eeple.

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

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'?

Suicide in existentialism is a symbolically represent the death by philosophy not by body. Suicide means philosophical suicide at that moment person stop to thinking that is the suicide which we call philosophical suicide. Vladimir and Estragon commit philosophical suicide means they stop to thinking but they do not do becay they are waiting for Godot.

15) 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 a Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?

Yes, we can interpret the political reading in which Vladimir stands for Russia, Pozzo stands for Italy, Lucky stands for England and Estragon stands for France. So, we can connect this to the world war in which these all countries destroyed by Godot mean Germany. That is why Vladimir asked the boy, ``Is Godot beating? Then the boy replied yes. So we connect Godot with Germany, which means Hitler, who destroyed many countries and killed thousands of people.

16 ) The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have been 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 situations and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?

Yes, there is change in both acts. In act 1 Vladimir told the boy to tell Godot that you saw us. So, here Vladimir talked about both Vladimir and Estragon while in the second act Vladimir told the boy that tell Godot that you saw me, so here Vkadimir talked about himself he does not mention the name of Estragon. So, in act 2 Vladimir seems selfish.

Thank you!