Man's Search for Meaning in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett; a tragic comedy in which Estragon and Vladimir wait for a person named Godot, who never shows up. This existentialist play, which takes place in a single setting, and time, follows the actions and the traditional rules of human existence, and doing nothing in their lives except waiting. Beckett has written a play in which nothing happens, and one minute is no different than the next. The play ends exactly the way it begins, with two men waiting impatiently for Godot and try to exist in the hostile and uncaring world by their human condition, e.g. they keep repeating themselves, talking nonsense, forgetting and trying to find the answer the question: Who and where is Godot? From the paradoxical repeating of words, forgetting, and speaking of nonsense, the play tells us that human life has no meaning, but in real life humans will create distractions and diversions, trying to form patterns and purposes and meanings to get meaning in their life.

Through out the play form can be seen, in two acts with the repetition of lines, actions and stage directions. Didi and Gogo wait impatiently, but waiting induces boredom and Estragon continuously says “Let’s go” but they do not move referring to create boredom within and by the repetition of dialogue as well as actions. Vladimir and Estragon constantly ponder questions, many of which are rhetorical or are left unanswered. During the course of the play, certain unanswered questions arise: who is Godot? Where are Gogo and Didi? Who beats Gogo? All of these unanswered questions represent the rhetorical questions that individuals ask, but never get answers for within their lifetime. The many repetition of the empty hats being passed back and forth can be s...

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...tialist describes the human condition of Estragon and Vladimir. They repeat themselves, which refers to their time passing and an attempt to remain oblivious of the fact that they are waiting for a vague figure, partly of their own invention, that will never come, because Estragon never remembers meeting Godot but Vladimir does. They finish each others sentences; keep repeating, “Let’s go” but the stage directions say, “They don’t move” which refers to the form in the play. This waiting, repeating, and talking nonsense tells us that stop waiting, or either go ahead because waiting will only make one lose more time. Gogo and Didi should have stopped waiting, talking nonsense and should have done better with their time.

Works Cited

Beckett, Samuel. Waiting For Godot. 3rd ed. N.p.: CPI Group, 2006. Print. Vol. 1 of Samuel Beckett: The Complete Dramatic Works. 4 vols