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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