'Waiting For Godot And The Myth Of Sisyphus'

Texts composed during the post World War II period are permeated by a sense of nuclear anxiety, indicative of the impact that post-war upheaval had on the individuals existing within this era. Texts such as Samuel Beckett’s absurdist play ‘Waiting for Godot’ and Albert Camus’ ‘The Myth of Sisyphus,’ sought to reciprocate the ways of thinking during the1945-1989 period, specifically surrounding the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki up to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. The threat of scientific discovery resulting in the destruction of humanity and the political and economic uncertainty within this period resulted in the manifestation of a nihilistic attitude towards Christianity, an intensified questioning of humanity, as well as encapsulating the paralytic Cold War anxiety inflicted upon mankind within this timeframe. Through Theatre of the Absurd techniques, such as nonsense, black humour, absence of time and symbolism, Camus and Beckett, both effectively portray these existential notions. Their constructions of absurdist worlds are systematic in exploring the futility suffered, in the face of a realm devoid of God and eternal truths or values.

The notion of the absurd contains the idea that there is no meaning in the world beyond the meaning we give it. Under the duress of facing an unintelligible world, individuals within the cold war period began to stray from their traditional religious beliefs in order to search for a more reputable purpose for their existence. This nihilistic attitude is skillfully portrayed in ‘Waiting for Godot,’ through the absence of ‘Godot;’ a symbolic representation of a divine power. Although Beckett does not necessarily deny the exist...

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...hin Waiting for Godot. The text is made up of two acts that mirror each other in content, as a convention of the Theatre of the Absurd. Vladimir and Estragon’s existence is cyclical and repetitive as indicated through the stage directions at the beginning of Act 2, “Next Day. Same Time. Same Place.” Vladimir and Estragon are incapable of moving on with their lives, as they are fearful of the repercussions and decisions that may affect their fate. This heightens their anticipation for the arrival of Godot and traps them into complete stagnation. Beckett uses this circulatory structure to effectively communicate the entrapment of humanity post the atomic bomb. As a result of the rejection existential notions, civilisation will remain static until they are freed from their anguish. Beckett further displays Cold War Anxiety through his character little regard for life.