Images and Metaphors in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

2206 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The absurdity in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

Images and Metaphors in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

Interpersonal relationships in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot are extremely important, because the interaction of the dynamic characters, as they try to satiate one another's boredom, is the basis for the play. Vladimir's and Estragon's interactions with Godot, which should also be seen as an interpersonal relationship among dynamic characters, forms the basis for the tale's major themes. Interpersonal relationships, including those involving Godot, are generally couched in rope images, specifically as nooses and leashes. These metaphors at times are visible and invisible, involve people as well as inanimate objects, and connect the dead with the living. Only an appreciation of these complicated rope images will provide a truly complete reading of Beckett's Godot and his God, because they punctuate Beckett's voice in this play better than do any of the individual characters.

The only rope that appears literally is the leash around Lucky's neck that Pozzo holds. This pair of characters appears separated by a rope that is half the width of the stage. In terms of the rope, the relationship between these characters is one of consistent domination. The stage directions say that "Pozzo drives Lucky by means of a rope passed round his neck." [p15] Lucky is whipped often. He is essentially the horse pulling Pozzo's carriage in a relationship that seems cruel, domineering, and undesirable, and yet Lucky is strangely sycophantic. In explaining Lucky's behavior, Pozzo says,

Why he doesn't make himself comfortable? Let's try and get this clear. Has he not the right to? Certainly he has. It follows that he doesn't want to...He imagines that when I see ...

... middle of paper ...

...eckett hopes, must be the strongest rope of all in Waiting for Godot - the noose surrounding Godot's neck that is held aloft, and out of sight, by hope.

Work Cited

Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1954.

Works Consulted

Andres, Gunther. Being without Time: On Beckett's Play Waiting for Godot. Ed. Martin Esslin. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1965. 140-152.

Astro, Alan. Understanding Samuel Beckett. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1990.

Bair, Deirdre. Samuel Beckett. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978.

Mercier, Vivian. Beckett / Beckett. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.

States, Bernard. The Shape of Paradox: An Essay on Waiting for Godot. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978.

Webb, Eugene. The Plays of Samuel Beckett. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1972.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing the Human Condition in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Waiting for Godot

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    In ‘Waiting for Godot’, we know little concerning the protagonists, indeed from their comments they appear to know little about themselves and seem bewildered and confused as to the extent of their existence.  Their situation is obscure and Vladimir and Estragon spend the day (representative of their lives) waiting for the mysterious Godot, interacting with each other with quick and short speech.

    Read More

  • Freedom to Choose in Waiting for Godot, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Iraq

    1484 Words  | 3 Pages

    abandoned the conventions of the classical play to concentrate on his important message to humanity. Using his pathetic characters, Estragon and Vladimir, Beckett illustrates the importance of human free will in a land ruled by science and technology. He understood the terrors of progress as he witnessed first hand the destruction caused by technologically-improved weapons working as a spy during WWII. In his tragicomedy, Estragon and Vladimir spend the entire time futilely waiting for Godot to arrive. They believe that this mysterious Godot will help them solve their problems and merely sit and wait for their solution to arrive. Beckett utilizes these characters to warn the reader of the dangers of depending on fate and others to improve one's existence. He supports this idea when Estragon blames his boots and not himself for the pain in his feet, and Vladimir responds, "There'...

    Read More

  • engaging adult learners

    2139 Words  | 5 Pages

    Adult learning has been studied by numerous philosophers and psychologists for years. Up until the 1970’s most of the theories of adult learning derived from psychology. One of the most important people to study Adult Education is, “James Robbins Kidd”. James Robbins Kidd published over 20 books and at least one thousand articles, reports, and papers. But of all his books, the one that was particularly important is, “How Adults Learn” which was published in 1959. It was later revised in 1973 and became a standard in the field.

    Read More

  • Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Tony Kushner’s Angels in America

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the moment that the curtain rises, Waiting for Godot assumes an unmistakably absurdist identity. On the surface, little about the plot of the play seems to suggest that the actions seen on stage could or would ever happen. At the very least, the process of waiting hardly seems like an ideal focus of an engaging and entertaining production. Yet it is precisely for this reason that Beckett’s tale of two men, whose only discernable goal in life is to wait for a man known simply as Godot, is able to connect with the audience’s emotions so effectivel...

    Read More

  • Adult Learning: Malcolm Knowles

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    Andragogy offers a medium through which adult learning can be facilitated. It is essentially a humanistic educational process that values the individual learner. The powerful relationship between the instructor and student does not compromise educational values and learning expectations. Andragogy adds to the cognitive, affective, interpersonal and psychomotor domains of adult learners in order to bring about transformation. Knowles's version of andragogy presents the individual learner as one who is autonomous, free, and growth-oriented; therefore andragogy is an important and potentially useful avenue for both instructors and learners. The purpose of this paper is to involve initial work toward comparing traditional and adult learning theories and models.

    Read More

  • The Frontier of Existence in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Ionesco’s Rhinoceros

    2044 Words  | 5 Pages

    This essay will explore the frontier of existence in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Ionesco’s Rhinoceros

    Read More

  • Andragogical Model Essay

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Andragogical model is characterized by six assumptions that have emerged from research. The first assumption titled, “the need to know” describes the idea that, “Adults need to know why they need to learn something before undertaking to learn it” (Knowles, Holton & Swanson, 2015, p. 43). “The learner’s self-concept”, describes the second Andragogical model assumption as, “Adults have a self-concept of being responsible for their own decisions, for their own lives” (Knowles et al., 2015, p. 44). The third assumption of the Andragogical model is “the role of the learners’ experiences”. Knowles et al. (2015), describe this as, “Adults come into an educational activity with both a greater volume and a different quality of experience from that of youths” (p. 44). “Readiness to learn” describes the fourth Andragogical model assumption as, “Adults become ready to learn those things they need to know and be able to do in order to cope effectively with their real-life situations” (Knowles et al., 2015, p. 45). The fifth Andragogical model assumption is “orientation to learning”. Knowles et al. (2015), describes this level as, “Adults are motivated to learn to the extent that they perceive that learning will help them perform tasks or deal with problems they confront in their life situations” (p. 46). “Motivation” describes the sixth level

    Read More

  • Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot: A Critical Allegory of Religious Faith

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot has been said by many people to be a long book about nothing. The two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, spend all their time sitting by a tree waiting for someone named Godot, whose identity is never revealed to the audience. It may sound pretty dull at first but by looking closely at the book, it becomes apparent that there is more than originally meets the eye. Waiting for Godot was written to be a critical allegory of religious faith, relaying that it is a natural necessity for people to have faith, but faiths such as Catholicism are misleading and corrupt.

    Read More

  • Christianity in Waiting for Godot

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot: tragicomedy in 2 acts. New York: Grove Press, 1982. Print.

    Read More

  • Life And Death In Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Samuel Beckett Tragicomedy Waiting for Godot he begs the question of life and death. Throughout the commotion of the play Becket addresses the age old debate of the afterlife and if people willingly pass this life to enter into Gods kingdom or if God calls them. Beckett introduces characters such as Estragon, Vladimir, and Lucky to illustrate the different types of perspectives that man has taken on this debate.

    Read More

  • Lack of Closure in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

    2449 Words  | 5 Pages

    Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative, "Waiting for Godot" Cambridge University Press; 2 edition, April 7, 2008

    Read More

  • Summary of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    The setting is the next day at the same time. Estragon's boots and Lucky's hat are still on the stage. Vladimir enters and starts to sing until Estragon shows up barefoot. Estragon is upset that Vladimir was singing and happy even though he was not there. Both admit that they feel better when alone but convince themselves they are happy when together. They are still waiting for Godot.

    Read More

  • Pozzo and Lucky in Waiting For Godot

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    Interpersonal relationships are extremely important, because the interaction of the characters in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot as they try to satisfy one another's boredom, is the basis for the play. Pozzo's and Lucky's interactions with each other form the basis for one of the play's major themes. The ambivalence of Pozzo's and Lucky's relationship in Waiting For Godot resembles most human relationships. Irritated by one another, they still must function together. References to their relationship are generally couched in rope images. Physically present and other wise implied, visible and invisible,involving people as well as inanimate objects, and connect the dead with the living. 	The only rope that appears literally is the leash around Lucky's neck that Pozzo holds. In terms of the rope, the relationship between these characters is one of consistent domination. The stage directions say that "Pozzo drives Lucky by means of a rope passed round his neck." [15] Lucky is whipped often, and he is essentially the horse pulling Pozzo's carriage in a relationship that seems cruel and domineering. Yet Lucky is strangely compliant. In explaining Lucky's behavior, Pozzo says, "Why he doesn't make

    Read More

  • Sartre’s Existentialism in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot

    1566 Words  | 4 Pages

    States, Bert O. The Shape of Paradox An Essay on Waiting for Godot. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978.

    Read More

  • Waiting For Godot Analysis

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although Samuel Beckett's tragicomedy, Waiting for Godot, has no definite meaning or interpretation, the play acts as a statement of hopelessness regarding human existence. Debate surrounds the play because, due to its simplicity, almost any interpretation is valid. The main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, are aging men who must wait for a person, being, or object named Godot, but this entity never appears to grace the men with this presence. Both characters essentially demonstrate how one must go through life when hope is nonexistent as they pointlessly attempt to entertain themselves with glum conversation in front of a solitary tree. The Theater of the Absurd, a prevalent movement associated with Waiting for Godot, serves as the basis for the message of hopelessness in his main characters. Samuel Beckett's iconic Waiting for Godot and his perception of the characteristics and influence of the Theater of the Absurd illustrate the pointlessness and hopelessness regarding existence. In the play, boredom is mistaken for hopelessness because the men have nothing to do, as they attempt to occupy themselves as, for some reason, they need to wait for Godot. No hope is present throughout the two-act play with little for Estragon and Vladimir to occupy their time while they, as the title indicates, wait for Godot.

    Read More

More about Images and Metaphors in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

Open Document