Exactly like the Morality plays, the Theatre of the Absurd, as has been pointed out by Martin Esslin, is concerned with the ultimate realities of the human condition, e. vices, mental attributes, impulses, moods, states of mind, and the like, or of universalized types set in a framework of allegory. The characters in such a play are personified qualities, e.g. The Morality play may be defined as an attempt to dramatize a Sermon. The Morality play was a medieval forerunner of our modern novel-with-a purpose, as unconvincingly didactic as instructive. If we regard Waiting for Godot as a Morality play, it naturally becomes a religious play as well. The casual relationship between divine cruelty and human suffering is perhaps most effectively dramatized in Beckett’s portrayal of many of his characters as emblematic Biblical sufferers.” “The suffering that characterizes earthly existence”, says Herst Zeifman, “and the theological context of that suffering are recurrent leitmotifs in Beckett’s drama. Suffering is the true badge of honour for a Christian. And we all know that Jesus Christ was a carpenter by profession and helped his father Joseph before he had undertaken his missionary work.Īs a matter of fact, Beckett is never tired of referring to Christ and the salvation of the suffering and penitent man. In his novel Molloy, Beckett says: “ It was a cargo of nails and timber, on its way to some carpenter I suppose”. Not Waiting for Godot alone, the other plays are also imbued with deep religious fervour. This is a significant statement and may be regarded as a clue to the play. Do not presume: one of the thieves was damned”. Augustine: “Do not despair: one of the thieves was saved. When Beckett was once asked to comment on the play Waiting for Godot, he quoted from St. Waiting for Godot, an absurd drama as it is, has an unmistakably religious element. They present a hostile universe where man withers like atomic dust. The playwrights normally emphasize irony and negation, neurosis and despair, a ritual orgy of jabbering, the infinity of nihilism.
Waiting for godot characters full#
This is because unlike God who is expected to be perfect, caring and all-present, Pozzo is reckless, detached and full of character flaws.In an Absurd play the idea of God and religion is conspicuous by its absence. However, does his persona fit that of God? Absolutely not. He is only concerned about what benefits him as an individual and he appears to have some mystical watch which makes Estragon mistake him for God at some point. He is the essence of what is meant by mean and through him, we can quite well define cruelty. At some point, we see him as a defensive fella who doesn’t wish for others to get too close to him, perhaps this is a result of having watched countless episodes of others suffer.
The due are two scared to part yet too hesitant to initiate a meaningful relationship. They would spend half of their day pondering over the fact and that’s what makes the tick as each one of them needs the other to figure out anything.
His friendship with Estragon appears to be founded on quicksand and the two keep worrying about whether they actually deserve each other as friends. In fact, critics may think he is actually enslaved by a siege mentality and wouldn’t want to lose the comradeship between him and Estragon. Vladimir is popularly believed to be more intelligent than Estragon but is he? Vladimir would want us to believe that Estragon depends entirely on him while that’s not the case. A case in point is the “let’s hang ourselves!” exchange in Act 1 when he instantly realizes the boy may not support Vladimir and kicks in with his ingenuity explain the situation His intellectual ineptitude is made up for by his ingenuity to rise to occasions when he is needed the most. However, behind the veil of this simpleton guy is actually a mean and wicked Estragon. His memory plays havoc on him and he is virtually unable to initiate any action including falling asleep. Initially, he is seen as playing second fiddle to Vladimir where he is portrayed as incapacitated in almost all fronts. Also known as ’Gogo’ and on one peculiar moment, ’Adam’’, Estragon is a character with changing personalities.
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