Theatre of the Absurd and WAITING FOR GODOT

Theatre of the Absurd coined by Martin Esslin in 1955 u Defined: “drama using the abandonment of conventional dramatic form to portray the futility of human struggle (or search for purpose in a senseless world” u It immerses the audiences in a disorienting experience, and challenges many of the “truths” they may take for granted.

Theatre of the Absurd u Pretends not to give a moral or even have a thesis u Usually lacks a plot u Reality often merges into fantasy u Language and reason dissolve u Characters lack motivation u Humor a popular convention

Theatre of the Absurd u Relies upon the image and the situation of the characters (rather than specific plot events). NOT LITERAL! u Purely subjective, thus the reader or viewer to incorporate his or her own feelings and experiences into the play u Characters and situations are EPIC METAPHORS for the human experience!!!

Surrealism (Absurdism) in Art

Absurdism in Literature u Lewis Carroll loved games (like Vladimir and Estragon) u Monkey puzzle: a monkey on a rope is counterbalanced by a weight. He asks if the weight goes up or down when the monkey climbs. u This tests limits and laws of logic

Theory of Knowledge Absolutes and preconceived notions have to be questioned to understand the play u Cardinal directions, time measurement, language, linguistic construction, religion, are all supposed absolutes… but the truth is WE (humanity) may have created many of these concepts to help make meaning out of a chaotic existence u – Reassure ourselves we have some control over our fate, destiny… u WHY? ?

Philosophical Discussion Points u Absolutes need to be examined u Conventions & structures are made up; they function, but are simply human made u Time constructs, laws of physics also unreliable u Language is unreliable

Beckett’s Plan… u Lack of structure in play mimics absurdist philosophy – and then unordered chaotic worldin which we exist. u Didi and Gogo are ‘us’ (EPIC METAPHORS FOR HUMANITY!); we are lost and waiting due to lack of courage/direction to find meaning individually…the reliance on external validation and human constructs is our ‘being lost’

Core Ideas u Duality in character u Master and Slave u External and Internal Validation u Silence u Conventions u Cyclical Nature (no courage to break away from routine) – Repetition and beginnings of scenes / acts

Historical Context u Beckett was fighting for the French (underground) against Nazi occupation u Play not well received traditionally u Was shown to prisoners in 1950’s in San Quentin; reinforced the ‘we’ are ‘prisoners’ and ‘waiting’

The Play u u Didi and Gogo are on a quest for certainty A play that is unknowable mimics a life and existence that is unknowable – Didi and Gogo are trying to find meaning and ‘tricks’ us into finding meaning…. the more we search, the more Beckett laughs! – Character names represent all corners of Europe thus universal aspect of play and themes: – Vladimir = Russian for ruler, leader – Estragon = French for ‘herb’ – Pozzo = Italian for ‘well’ (n. ) – Lucky = English for ‘lucky’ u It asks us to examine how much we are truly ourslves… or to what extent the things we do, and the people we become are concessionato the expectations of others and/or society.

Friedrich Nietzsche u“man (humanity) must overcome his (their) quest for certainty”