discuss waiting for Godot from the perspective of the theatre of the Absurd.
Answers
Theatre of Absurd is a style of writing plays written by some post-modern playwrights. They believed in Existentialism which means that human existence is meaningless and can be irrational and purposeless. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Becket is a typical example of the Theatre of Absurd.
The following are some observations:
a) The play opens with the two main characters Vladimir and Estragon waiting for a man called Godot, who they have never met but only talk about. He may not even exist.
b) The setting of the play is a country road with a tree behind. It suggests despair and uncertainly which is one of the elements of the absurd theatre.
c) The conversations of Vladimir and Estragon are not about anything specific. They speak about multiple topics like make-up, suicide, religion etc which is against any characteristic of a conventional play.
d) There is no relation to passing of time. In Act 1, Vladimir and Estragon, a boy comes up to them and tells them that Godot will not come now but the next day. But in Act 2 there is no indication how much time has passed as the tree in the scene has leaves now. Finally Godot never comes.
e) Dialogues in Act 1 are repeated again in Act 2 with a few changes.
All of the above go according to the characteristics of the Theatre of the Absurd.