'Waiting for Godot'

Answer the following questions.

(i) When and where does the play 'Waiting for Godot take place?
Ans. All the action takes place next to a tree on a country road, beginning on the evening of one day and ending on the evening of the next. The presence of the tree and a rock of some sort is apparently important, at least according to Beckett -- the setting, he says, is complete with animal, vegetable, and mineral.

(ii) Why is the play 'Waiting for Godot' in two acts?
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" appears to have been structured on sets of binaries. There are two messenger boys, two sets of characters and hence two acts. The two acts show two sides of the same character. Moreover, the two acts describe circular events which means the play could go on forever.

(iii) What is the basic difference between Act I and Act II of 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" has a circular structure. From Act I to Act II, there is no difference in either the setting or in the time. The basic difference between Act I and Act II is the reversal of fortune of Pozzo and Lucky. Whereas Pozzo was clearly the master and Lucky was his slave in Act I, in Act II Pozzo is blind and Lucky mute. They have become dependent on each other for survival.

(iv) What are the major themes of 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. Humour and the absurd, freedom and confinement, modernism and postmodernism, condition of the universe, devaluation of language, uncertainty of all knowledge, search for meaning, choices, truth, time, religion, friendship, hope and dependency are the major themes of "Waiting for Godot".

(v) What is the significance of Godot in the play 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. Beckett denies that Godot is "God". On the surface, Godot is a person for whom the characters are waiting, but who never arrives. In this play, Godot represents a personal god to which we attach our hopes to make our lives better. Vladimir and Estragon wait Godot to get their lives improved.

(vi) What is an absurd play?
Ans. An absurd play is a form of drama that emphasizes the absurdity of human existence by employing disjointed, repetitious, and meaningless dialogue, purposeless and confusing situations, and plots that lack realistic or logical development. "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett is an example of absurd play.

(vii) How does 'Waiting for Godot' demonstrate the qualities of theatre of the Absurd?
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" has a loose plot, there is no significant change in setting, its characters are mechanical puppets, its theme is unexplained, there is no witty repartee and pointed dialogue, and above all Estrogen and Vladimir's endless waiting for Godot is completely absurd.

(viii) Mention the modern qualities which are present in 'Waiting for Godot'.
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" is a modern play in the sense that it defies classic standards. Modern writers had a new liking for fragmented forms and discontinuous narratives, and "Waiting for Godot" is a superb example of fragmented form.

(ix) How is 'Waiting for Godot' a tragicomedy?
Ans. "Waiting for Godot is a mixture of comic and tragic elements. Musical devices, circus acts, cross-talks and the atmosphere of the play are stuff of pure comedy. However, Lucky's pathetic situation, the night-mares, the attempted suicide and above all Estrogen and Vladimir's waiting for something who never comes turn this comedy into a tragicomedy.

(x) What is the moral of the play 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. Life is condensed down into absolutely nothing and only the friendship between Vladimir and Estragon is able to stave off temporarily the loneliness of such a barren existence. We enter the world with no sense of identity and gradually as we grow up assume our identity from things around us -- our families, our achievements etc. However, our assumed identity may be based on illusory concepts.

(xi) In what language was 'Waiting for Godot' originally written?
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" was originally written in French in 1948, with the title "En attendant Godot". Beckett personally translated the play into English.  The world premiere was held on January 5, 1953, in the Left Bank Theater of Babylon in Paris.

(xii) What is 'mandrake'? What is its symbolic reference?
Ans. Mandrake is a plant of the nightshade family, with a forked fleshy root which supposedly resembles the human form and which was formerly used in herbal medicine and magic; it was alleged to shriek when pulled from the ground. In "Waiting for Godot", Vladimir says, "Where it falls mandrakes grow". It refers that mandrakes grow where the semen of the hanged man has dripped onto the ground.

(xiii) What does the song about the dog signify in 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. In the beginning of Act II, Vladimir moves about feverishly on the stage and suddenly begins to sing a dog song -- an old German Balled. It is a circular song. It is emblematic of the circularity and repetitiveness of the play as a whole. It also reinforces Beckett's idea of the loss of individuality, and creates more conflict between Vladimir and Estragon.

(xiv) What does Lucky's 'Dance in a Net' symbolize?
Ans. When Lucky is commanded to dance in Act I, Pozzo reveals that he calls his dance "The Net", adding, "He thinks he's entangled in a net". Thus Lucky's dance symbolizes the agony, strain and entanglement in life to magnify the ultimate suffering of human existence.

(xv) What is the function of the audience in 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. In the Theatre of the Absurd, there is an attempt to draw the audience into the play and make them feel involved. In "Waiting for Godot" it is never revealed conclusively who or what Godot is, this unknown force can be seen metaphorically represent that for which the audience is waiting in their own lives. The audience relates to the protagonists because waiting is common for all.