Waiting For Godot
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“WAITING FOR GODOT”
1. Genre
We think that this play is a psichological and philosophical play, because it is about two men who are waiting a God. So, in our opinion, this play in spite of being an absurd stage, is about religion.
We think that this is a play of ideas, we know what is happenning when we see it on the stage, not before. The author explains something using the logic.
Narrator and narrative
As this is a play, we couldnÒt find a common narrator here: what we find is the characters speaking, using the dialogue. But, in some way, we can consider the explanations of the author about the movements of the actors and the decoration as a kind of narrator, which, in that case, would be used in 3rd person.
If we consider this as a narrator, it will be objetive, because we can understand the play in the manner we want, we can interpretate the story in many ways: what this narrator does is help us with the understanding of the story
We believe
that the authorÒs understanding of life limits the story: the two main characters are always thinking on Godot to come, on the death to come. In our opinion, the author want the readers to apreciate life.
As we have said before, the narrator that appears in the play help us to imagine the stage, how the characters look like, their clothesIt sites us on the play.
Theme
As we have said before, the main theme in this play is religion, the “faith in God”.
ESTRAGON:LetÒs go.
VLADIMIR:We canÒt.
ESTRAGON:Why not?
VLADIMIR:We are waiting for Godot.
They are all day waiting for hin because they believe
he is going to rescue them.
Another minor theme that we can find:
-The illness of the two protagonists, that in our opinion is alzheimer, which makes them , specially to Estragon, not to remember what had happened
the day before.
Style
All the events in this play are narrated chronologically. There are no flash-backs, the story is lineal, because an act carries another act, as we can see at the beginning
of evefy one of them:
“Next day. Same time. Same place”
When the two main characters speak is important to know that both say and repeat the same things that other has already said:
ESTRAGON:What I am to say?
VLADIMIR:Say, I am happy.
ESTRAGON:I am happy.
VLADIMIR:So I am.
ESTRAGON:So I am.
VLADIMIR:We are happy.
ESTRAGON:We are happy.
The setting is not very important: we know that Estragon and Vladimir are waiting for godot, but we donÒt know where.
Neither do we find cultural references, except to a religious themes.
Unity
The story goes on, because the two characters have to wait for Godot, and all the events form a unity. One act is followed by another act, and they are in the same place, at the same time, waiting for Godot, as at the beginning.
The climax in this play is the waiting: this is the base of all the acts of the main characters- the characters want to go, but they cannot, they have to wait.
In our opinion, there is no developement, because the same things happen one time and other: they want to go, but they canÒt; they want to commite succide, but they canÒt; all they can do is wait Godot to come. So, as we have said, what centers the story is the waiting for Godot.
In our opinion, the ending is not satisfying, because the play ends as it begins: There is an open end and you want believe
what you want. This is one of the reasons because we havenÒt understand this play very well. Everything is the same: the same place, the same things, the same speech.So the characters donÒt develop.
Characters and characterization
Characters are very important in this play, because the play is about themselves. Here we have four different characters:
MAIN CHARACTERS
-Vladimir is an old man, who has a little bit of memory, and he is like EstragonÒs father: he is always reminding him what they are doing, what he has said,
-Estragon is an old man too, and he has lost his memory: he canÒt remember what has happened one hour ago.
This two characters havenÒt got a normal life, their life is without sense.They pass all the time waiting for Godot, who is a person they donÒt know. While they are waiting, to have a good time, they want to be hanged.
SECONDARY CHARACTERS
-Pozzo, who is a man that treats his servant with contemp. According to the play, he is the owner of some fields.
-Lucky, Who is an old man who works for Pozzo, is a servant that works as a beast in order to not be sold by his servant.
-The boy, who has been sent by Godot to advise Vladimir and Estragon to wait for the next day he to come.
We think that the dominant passion of the characters is the bordom of living in a life without sense. We can see the absurd thigs they do in order to enjoy their waiting in this cotation:
VLADIMIR:LetÒs hang ourselves tomorrow (PAUSE) unless Godot comes.
ESTRAGON:And if he comes?