Ghosh- 1

Agnibhu Ghosh

212235-21-0001

235-1111-0002-21

CC13

Discuss the illusory nature of Man’s efforts to shape meaning, as demonstrated in Samuel

Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot

According to the infamous Greek philosopher, Aristotle, Tragedy is:

“…an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in

language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in

separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear

effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.”

Aristotle notes six components that make up a successful tragedy: narrative or plot,

character, thought, diction, song, and spectacle.

Gustav Freytag, a German playwright and author, created Freytag's Pyramid in Die

Technik des Dramas (Technique of the Drama), a 19th-century review of five-act story

structure, where he described the rising and falling action of a drama, or dramatic arc, in a

pyramid structure similar to Aristotle's triangle, but with two extra narrative aspects. The five

acts of Freytag's Pyramid are: exposition, mounting action, climax, conclusion, and

denouement.

Modernism was a cultural movement that influenced painting, music, sculpture,

architecture, design, and literature from the 1890s to the start of WWII. Modernism
 Ghosh- 2

influenced political, sociological, scientific, sexual, and family life in Europe and other parts

of the world during colonial and imperial rule. Scientific and technological advancements had

both positive and negative effects on people's socio-political and economic lives.

Postmodernism emerged as a notion, a continuation, and a reaction to modernity,

which fails to provide an objective interpretation of current events. The postmodernist

perspective on international relations emphasizes how language, ideas, abstract concepts, and

conventions influence political activity and activities.

Absurdity is defined as being purposeless. It refers to specific plays of absurdist

literature. Written by European playwrights in the late 1950s, the storyline may involve an

inexplicable transformation, supernatural alteration, or a shift in physics. Plots are often

cyclical. Nonsense might also be used abusively. The work explores nihilism and the

breakdown of communication when life lacks meaning and purpose. Martin Esslin introduced

the phrase ‘Absurdism’ in his 1960 article "The Theatre of the Absurd." Some of the notable

works are The Bald Soprano and Rhinoceros Eugène Ionesco, Le Professeur Taranne and La

Parodie by Arthur Adamov and Endgame and Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, who

popularized this style of writing.

Beckett views absurdity as the core of human existence and utilizes it to show the

desolation and alienation of modern life. Beckett's plays deviate from typical theatrical forms

and procedures, focusing on quiet and repetition. What appears meaningless and nonsensical

is revealed to be the only conceivable meaning in a cosmos in which the human experience of

consciousness (as subject) is encased by a nature and body (as object) devoid of awareness.
 Ghosh- 3

Laughter is an intellectual victory against material nonsense, whereas self-denial is self-

affirmation. Beckett's plays are full with such contradictions.

Beckett exhibits an aptitude for passive personalities who try to make sense of a

progressively absurd existence and who have difficulty surviving in a universe devoid of love

and valuable interpersonal interactions. Examples of these characters include the nameless

characters in Play, the estranged and aging Krapp anticipating his imminent demise in

Krapp's Last Tape, the pitiful Winnie sinking in her grave in Happy Days, the defunct family

in the masochistic Endgame, the monotonous routine of waiting of Estragon and Vladimir in

Waiting for Godot, or the downtrodden in other dramatic works.

A celebrated example of "Theater of the Absurd," a theatrical production that

advances the name's ideology, is Waiting for Godot. This specific drama depicts a world in

which language is unable to convey meaning, everyday acts lack purpose, and people

occasionally exhibit an air of artifice—at times even openly questioning whether they are

even on stage. Perhaps the only thing that gets you through life is absurdity. It appears that

Becket thought absurdity was more appealing than existentialism. In any case, he has

demonstrated a path through absurdity—life.

Waiting for Godot's central themes revolve around friendship, absurdism and

nihilism, and the state of humanity. The pessimism in Estragon and Vladimir's life shows

how much people rely on delusions, like religion, to provide meaning to an otherwise

pointless existence. The play is made up of exchanges between Estragon and Vladimir, who

are waiting for the appearance of the enigmatic Godot, who keeps saying he will show up but

never does. They run across Lucky and Pozzo, talk about their position in life and their
 Ghosh- 4

afflictions, ponder suicide, and yet wait. Vladimir and Estragon, who are sometimes viewed

as tramps, are two humans who are unsure of their purpose in life. They cling to the shaky

belief that there must be a greater good and turn to Godot for guidance. They get an attribute

known as nobility that allows them to rise above their pointless existence because they hold

out hope for direction and meaning in life.

Waiting for Godot paints a bleak picture of everyday existence that is monotonous

and unchanging. It involves unending agony and has no meaning or purpose. "Habit is a great

deadener," as one character puts it; rather than acting out of indifference, our acts should be

deliberate choices. Similarly, time poses a number of complications. The play's title alone

gives away the main action, which is waiting. The primary protagonists are compelled to pass

the time while they wait for a man who never shows up. Time is an enemy, a test of their

endurance, as they have nothing to do in the meantime. Time is circular because they do the

same things every day. The fact that each character appears to have a bad memory makes

things even more difficult; time becomes meaningless because past deeds have no bearing on

present events.

The drama, which draws inspiration from philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and

Albert Camus, captures the concept that life is meaningless by nature and that seeking

meaning is pointless. The play highlights the absurdity and existential agony of the human

condition by portraying a world where meaning is an elusive, ever-receding construct through

its repetitious structure, aimless characters, fractured language, and symbolic themes.
 Ghosh- 5

Works Cited

Aristotle. The Definition of Tragedy. 2021,

uomustansiriyah.edu.iq/media/lectures/8/8_2020_12_26!09_36_53_PM.pdf.

Danwanzam, Ali Usman, et al. “Postmodernism in International Relations.” Usman

Danwanzam | Scholedge International Journal of Multidisciplinary & Allied Studies

ISSN 2394-336X, 24 Dec. 2019, thescholedge.org/index.php/sijmas/article/view/604.

Martin Esslin. The Theatre of the Absurd. niu.edu.in/sla/online-classes/The-Theatre-of-the-

Absurd.pdf.

Özden, Ayşenur İplikçi. “AN ABSURDIST PLAY: SAMUEL BECKETT’S ENDGAME.”

DergiPark (Istanbul University), Jan. 2016,

dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/iujad/issue/45229/566484.

Alsharadgeh, Samer Ziyad and English Language Center, Umm Al Qura University. “THE

THEMES IN SAMUEL BECKETT’S PLAY WAITING FOR GODOT.” European

Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, Apr. 2020,

www.eajournals.org/wp-content/uploads/The-themes-in-Samuel-Becketts-play-

Waiting-for-Godot.pdf.