Absurdist Theatre Waiting for Godot

University Degree Linguistics, Classics and related subjects

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Absurdist Theatre asks its viewer to ‘draw his own conclusions, make his own errors’ (Esslin, 1961, p. 20). I would argue that the intention of Waiting for Godot is to force the reader to draw their own conclusions without providing a climax and conclusion similar to what we would expect from traditional theatre.

Theatre of the Absurd serves to convey an author’s interpretation of the human situation. It does not show man in a specific historical or social context, it is not meant to communicate general views of our existence. An absurd character is remote in the world created. Absurd Theatre discards what we view as a traditional plot and characters to assail its reader with an unnerving encounter. Characters engage in apparently pointless dialogue thus the reader is given an impression of what it would be like to live in a world that is not coherent and does not “make sense”. This is demonstrated by two men waiting around, repeating events, clowning and joking as they pass the time waiting through one day and then another.
Although Waiting for Godot could be depicted as experientialist in its characterisations, the play is first and foremost about anticipation and hope. The play revolves around the characters and their pitiful wait for hope, e.g. Godot, to arrive. I would argue that Waiting for Godot is a play in which nothing happens yet manages to captivate the reader. There is no conceivable plot in the sense of traditional theatre. What is even more interesting is that the second act is a repeat or reprise of the first act so it is a play in which nothing happens twice over. Waiting and doing “nothing”, turn nothing into something by passing the time, in a premise which offers no hope. Estragon demonstrates this, “Nothing to be done” with Vladimir replying, “ I’m beginning to come round to that opinion”. Although initially this refers to Estragon’s boots, it also is used later in respect to Vladimir’s hat. Essentially it describes the nothingness of their lives. The characters experience a struggle to pass the time; most of the play is dedicated to devising games to do so. In reality, Vladimir and Estragon stay together as they need each other to pass the time, to continue waiting.

In the eyes of Absurd Theatre, the absence of women characters could provoke the impression that Vladimir and Estragon's relationship is quasi-marital, as they bicker and argue in the same way a traditional married couple might. ‘Who am I to tell my private nightmares to if I can't tell them to you?’ asks one character to another. Estragon remarks ‘That's where we'll go, I used to say, that's where we'll go for our honeymoon. We'll swim. We'll be happy’ when talking about the Dead Sea. There is a notable absence of either characters wife, or even mention of one. ...