Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

Hello friends ,

This blog is a part of my classroom thinking activity. This activity given by Dr. Heenaba Zala.

In this blog I have talk about" Waiting For Godot" and I have sharing some of my lockdown experiences and situation around me .

   Here, I gave my answers on six questions .

About writer:

Born: 13 April 1906, Dublin, Ireland

Died: 22 December 1989, Paris, France

Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. A resident of Paris for most of his adult life, he wrote in both French and English.

About play :

Waiting for Godot is a play written by Samuel Beckett .Waiting for Godot is Beckett's translation of his own original French-language play, En attendant Godot, and is subtitled "a tragicomedy in two acts". The original French text was composed between 9 October 1948 and 29 January 1949. The premiere, directed by Roger Blin, was on 5 January 1953 at the Théâtre de Babylone , Paris. The English-language version premiered in London in 1955. In a poll conducted by the British Royal National Theatre in 1998/99, it was voted the "most significant English language play of the 20th century".

Let's we have discuss about question - answers :

1.What do you think about the character of the play?

I found absurdity in the characters of 'Waiting for Godot'.I found  many characters in this play. The characters of the paly are portrayed in a very straightforward way, portraying them as ordinary people.we consider the main characters of “Waiting for Godot” for example, Estragon and Vladimir, we can see that they are waiting without knowing the purpose they are waiting for. Furthermore, they are not making sense of the lives and existence and that is why they think about suicide. Both Estragon and Vladimir are essentially Everymen, representing all of humanity, but they also contrast in some ways. Estragon is primarily concerned with feelings, particularly his own suffering, rather than intellectual thoughts, and he has trouble understanding much of Vladimir's logic and philosophy.

Bucket's character is portrayed as an existentialist. In which nonsense has been given more space. Along with the nonsense, it also shows meaningful things about life. The character within us is portrayed as absurd. 

 Man is always waiting for someone in his life or trying to get something. So he gets nothing and fails. Then despair arises in his mind. The characters in this play do different things with their different objects in an absurd way. Which shows that even in human life many people do such activities unnecessarily. we can say that it is this meaninglessness, this detachment, this strangeness and finally this spiritual and physical isolation in the characters of the text that make them absurd characters.

Another thing which is also associated with the absurdity in the characters of “Waiting for Godot” is their trust on each other for holding up and support. 

2. What do you say about their activities and its significance?

In Waiting for Godot”, the first dialogue is  between Estragon and Vladimir has absurdity and purposelessness of life. Estragon while pulling off his shoes, panting and quite exhausted rests for some time when Vladimir enters Estragon says,

ESTRAGON: (giving up again). Nothing to be done. VLADIMIR: I'm beginning to come round to that opinion. All my life I've tried to put it from me, saying Vladimir, be reasonable, you haven't yet tried everything. And I resumed the struggle. 

When Pozzo asks time and again that his name is Pozzo but then too Estragon and Vladimir are indifferent and call him with wrong name. If somebody loses his identity and name, the situation becomes unbearable and absurd. This gives the sense that like Pozzo, everybody will lose his or her iden tity in this chaotic world where people become so indifferent that they cannot even recognize you by your name. Absurdity is not only in the meaninglessness of the world we live in but also in the time when we become blind to it and cannot realize its effects or functions.

 In fact, this is the situation of all human beings. The meaninglessness of time is in fact the meaninglessness of life and this meaninglessness cannot be changed if one makes efforts as Vladimir says that “one is what one is…the essentials doesn’t change . It means that the absurdity of the world is not to be changed but it is you who is supposed to undergo change and that is death.

3. Is there any similarity between the situations in the play and the lockdown period of 2020?

 I find similarities between both play and period. In this play we find theme of absurdity. And in real life I also feel like absurd just because of pandamic situation. Just because of this pandamic we not allowe to go out from our home. All people stop their work and other working source. Nobody has anykind of income source to earn money. All the things was stop like if we compare that is with characters of the play that they said that leave the place but don't do that same we also faced this type of condition. We want to come out but we do nothing. We waiting for the normal situation and the time that when all things became noraml and we live life as we live ago but we have no idea what this happned. And same thing in this play valdimir and Estrogen waiting for Godot without any kind of purpose.

4. Did you feel like existential crisis?

Yes,I felt existential crisis during Lockdown period. Now a days we are also facing same situation bcz now corona 's 2nd wave spread around us.In the world, many people have found that the Covid-19 crisis has helped them realise what is truly important in their lives.

First, we must a wait for  effective covid  vaccines that have been proven to be both effective and safe. I feel that to live a better life all the things are important like health, money, relationship. We are human beings so we need to all the things to live a safe life.

5.What did you do to pass time?

I have spend time with my family. Specially much time passed with my nephew.Whenever I thought for spending time with my nephew and have more fun with him that time I was always busy in my schedule . lockdown gave me that chance to played with my nephew. In lockdown time we are totally free because in our Saurashtra University has taken our final last sem-6 exam . Than I am totally mentally free and relax. I have enjoyed that time .I have read some general knowledge matireal . I have seen lots of movies, Tv shows, Watching cartoons and my most favourite comedy show, Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashma . During lockdown time I learnt cooking and I feel so happy that time because I have learnt Bajra Rotla and some other dishes.

At evening time ,we are played many games like , Chopat, Ludo, Nav Kukri, Esto, Bad minton, Carrom, Chess. That time I'm so happy bcz all family members are at home and spend time together . I called that time is a family time for us. Because our life is going so fast in that no one have much time for spending with family members and lockdown gives us that chance . Everyone has busy in own schedule. Specially ,my father was a government employee than he was always busy in his job that time I have got a chance to spend time with him and every day my papa said me about my family ' s history and how he was struggled in his life and shared his life ' s experiences.  I learnt many things with him.

Such a very enjoyable days and memorable days for me .

6. How was your psychological condition?

In starting lockdown days I have Fully enjoyed that days . After going some days than I feel so boring because I can't meet my friends and neighbours . 24 hours stay in home , we are not going out of home for few minutes . When I have watching news and covid case's information that time I'm mentally disturbed .what is all this ? what we are doing to protect self and family in this days ? That types questions in my mind .That time I think life is nothing , everything is meaningless . Some time I feel irritation . 

In lockdown time many peoples facing so many problems  . I shared my neighbours situation in corona pandamic .My neighbor's big son marriage in may month and his family was gone surat for shopping . That time declared lockdown and they were not came to home . His son and grandmother both was at home and other family members were surat . They came home after 56 days and all family has quarantine for 15 days .They are facing more difficulties in lockdown time.

That time all people 's mentally situation was same . All are totally disturbed . I thought when everything going well and coming normal days .

Thank u..