Waiting for godot

• Thinking Activity: Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett

"Waiting For Godot" written by Samuel Beckett in which students task is to watch movie and write their understanding of the movie of the given points by the professor. Here is the link of professor's blog click here,

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

:- Through this painting Beckett was inspired for the' setting'of his play - 'Waiting for Godot'.Here Beckett's universe was quite different.His waiting is related to longing in a sense of nature but it was not Beckett's worldly vision.maybe longing or desire maybe fulfilled sometimes but here Beckett's used this Waiting has it's no end.It never going to be finish.. Beckett was inspired by these painting but he makes use of this 'longing' as 'never ending wait'.

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

The tree is a symbol in the play. Many time tree symbolically presented in the play when Vladimir and Estragon try to be hebetate like tree. So, leaves stand for hope and despair. In first scene tree was destroyed so we can interpret and connect it with world war-2 because this play written just after war and in second act this tree have leaves so it stand for hope and also we can say it is changing nature.

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?

In both the act we find that when night comes its reflection of there life how are absurd they are waiting for something is not come so finally the night is reflection of there lost or something that they want to achieve but then not achieve or then not get success,
And when the moon rise it's reflect that there is one hope that The Dark night will be end with this beautiful moon and there life darkness is also and just like night will end and morning comes so the moon is reflection of hope in Dark night.

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?

Yes,I can read they the director feels the settings with some debris.The place where both act plays ,it was a hill ,first day barren tree and second day with some leaves.yet with this kind of debris which Beckett has used it says alot to us . He talk here about human being,its life ,etc

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

"Nothing to be done" reflects the Existentialism. This theory shows that the life is meaningless, whatever you do it has no ultimate meaning. this play starts with this idea of nothingness. Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot without knowing that he will come or not, is he exist or not, who is he? unclear theme shows the nothingness of the play.

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

- Ya, the play "Waiting for Godot" is positive play,not negative ,not pessimistic.But it depends on reader's mind.How reader want to look it. Everybody has its own point of view or perspective.I am agree with that everything goes on life on it's time idea of E.G.Marshal.

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

Samuel Beckett used many symbols in this play in which Hat and Boot are interesting symbols. We can say that hat represented the intellectual, mental ability and thinking and boot represent lower and physical appearance.

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

                                                   

How can it's possible a slave is carrying luggage of master and also carry whip from which he maybe beaten still he is giving it to his master.Even when pozzo, the master was blind then why don't lucky leave him why still he is giving whip to pozzo.which kind of this slavishness is.

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

Its depend on person just because on my point of you " Godot is peace " just because this play come after Second World War so here we find that the player writer or at that times majorly literary work facing absurdity nothingness or westward become hopeless that's why on my point of you Godot is peace.

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 agree with the 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 happen except the meaningless waiting. there is no one come and go, all the characters only waiting for someone but no one come. So, we can say the heart of the play is waiting not Godot.

11) Do you think 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?

If I say yes it needs reading before play studied.because it was a Absurd play still Samuel Beckett had gone very deep and connected dot with some events or myths.so,before studying play we have to aware about it,our concept should be clear then dialogue or audio-visuals help in better understanding of play.

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

                                          

Vladimir-Estragon killing time in questions and conversations while waiting ,Pozzo-Lucky episode in both acts,Conversation of Vladimir with the boy
Ans. I liked the most the conversation of Vladimir with the boy because except this all are boring and meaningless in some extent, 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 Vladimir for telling about Godot. So, first conversation with the boy was the hope for Vladimir and second conversation somewhat despair and revealed Vladimir's selfishness.

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?

In movie I saw and feel that they are waiting for a person for whom they don't know.Even they don't know who is Godot a human being,a supernatural power,a god or what else? They don't aware then still why they waiting.We have our Existence in life then we have think it and use it on proper way.As Vladimir and Estragon are talking to pass time they are raising rational questions then what about their identity or existence.

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?

Suicide in existentialism we find that it's a symbol Suicide in existentialism we find that it's a symbolically represent the death by philosophy suicide means philosophical suicide at that moment person stop to thinking that is the suicide which we call philosophical suicide.

15) 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'?

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

Ans. Yes, we can interpret the political reading in which Vladimir stand for Russia, Pozzo stand for Italy, Lucky stand for England and Estragon stand for France. So, we can connect this to the world war in which these all countries destroyed by Godot means Germany that is why Vladimir asked to the boy that is Godot beating? Then boy replied yes. So we connect Godot with Germany means Hitler, who destroyed many countries and killed thousands of people. And other interpretation of Pozzo and Lucky master and slave in which we connect Pozzo with England and Lucky with Ireland, so in this matter Ireland struggling a lot with England and recently we have seen Brexit pact.

16) The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have 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:

yes,there is a change in Act 1and Act 2. When in Act 1 boy comes to them and asked Vladimir that what I asked to Godot sir ? Then Vladimir replies that tell him that you saw us,and in Act 2 when boy asked the same question and Vladimir replies a quite different,this time he says you tell Godot that you saw me not us.So,here comes self-perspective ,he thought that if Godot comes then he will save me and Estragon was sleeping so he wasn't thought about him.According to Vladimir only he deserved God's attention or presence.so,here we can see self motive of Vladimir.It was a great change in both act and it questions on humanbeing,how a person was changed.