In Waiting for Godot, the tragic element (in regards to time) is that Vladimir and Estragon are idle. If one is busy, time appears to go by quickly if one is idle, it goes by slowly. This does not mean, however, that our own perception of time cannot be altered. Our attempts to organize time and to control its speed are mere illusions–time has no schedule, and it continues on despite our regulations. Whereas death can be controlled to a certain extent, time is something which no one can exert any control over. The way in which this sentiment is conveyed is tragicomic due to its ability to speak to the audience on two different levels. Therefore, Vladimir and Estragon feel as if they lack control in life and in death. They realize that while committing suicide may grant them temporary control over life, the state of being dead will throw them into a condition of helplessness once more. Fearing a loss of the familiar, life is “safer.” Clearly they fear the possible separation that could occur if the tree branch breaks. Vladimir and Estragon feel that they must continue living because death and the separation that it risks are too dangerous, or rather, obscure. Looking beneath the surface, however, we can see that his response is not pure nonsense. Initially, the audience finds Estragon’s inability to make this differentiation laughable. Therefore, worldly concerns, like safety, become irrelevant. When a person dies, he or she no longer exists in the world. What makes this scene humorous is that at surface, Estragon’s response seems cowardly and illogical. However, when they make their decision to refrain it becomes morbidly humorous:ĮSTRAGON: Don’t let’s do anything. Essentially, the act of suicide is tragic because the act itself takes away one’s humanity. The basic human instinct is survival, so when one not only lacks this instinct, but also seeks a means to directly counteract it–it invokes feelings of despair and regret from those witnessing it. At first, the scene appears to be only tragic. In Act One, they debate hanging themselves from a tree but are afraid that the first will break the branch, thus leaving the other alive and on his own (Beckett 1.12-13). Vladimir and Estragon occasionally express this desire to take their own lives. This control lies in the ability of human beings to commit suicide. Yet, there is still some amount of control one can exert over when he or she will die. This is true to a certain extent–one cannot conquer death when it comes. Most human beings adopt a passive stance and see themselves as powerless in the face of death. This anecdote is an excellent preface to reading or seeing Waiting for Godot because it prepares the audience to abandon any preconceptions they may have about theatre in order to better understand the piece. Eventually, Waiting for Godot received the recognition it deserved and took its place as a classic of modern theatre. Unlike European audiences, the prisoners were able to identify with the play, primarily because they understood the concept of waiting (Esslin 19). Godot’s debut in the United States took place at San Quentin penitentiary in 1957. In fact, it is said to have nearly caused riots across Western Europe (Esslin 2). At its premier, the play shocked its audience as it presented a new type of theatre which used very unconventional methods. It was written by Samuel Beckett and performed for the first time in Paris on January 5th, 1953. Waiting for Godot is the most well-known play from the Theatre of the Absurd movement. More specifically, it asserts that this tragicomic quality appears most often in the moments where the characters feel as if they lack control over death, time, Godot (standing in for the unrealized), and the self. How can something be both tragic and humorous at the same time? This paper analyzes specific themes throughout the play in an attempt to demonstrate just how accurate Beckett’s description is. At first, this definition seems somewhat impossible. When he did this, he included the subtitle, “A tragicomedy.” This portmanteau suggests that the play blends elements of tragedy and comedy together. “Nothing to be done.”–Estragon “They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it’s night once more.”–Pozzo “At me too someone is looking, of me too someone is saying, He is sleeping, he knows nothing, let him sleep on.”–Vladimir “I can’t go on like this.”–Estragon “That’s what you think.”–Vladimirīeckett translated the text of Waiting for Godot from French to English himself. Still from the Theatre Royal Haymarket’s 2009 production of Waiting for Godot
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