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Waiting for Godot

In: English and Literature

Submitted By lisakjames
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Pastiche on Waiting for Godot
The Theatre of the Absurd is a style of writing which portrays human life as a meaningless and futile existence resulting in one’s inevitable death. Similar to the Lost Generation movement created as a result of the death and destruction of World War I, the Theatre of the Absurd is a reaction to World War II in which the war survivors felt as though death was inevitable and therefore nothing in one’s existence mattered since material possessions would not travel with one after death. Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot exemplifies the characteristics of the Theatre of the Absurd, not only through its content and dialogue, but also through its language and structure. The structure of dialogue chosen by Beckett, mixes short and concise sentences with meaningful ideas and opinions about the human condition. Although the dialogue appears to be an illogical banter, it would be a mistake to make the assumption that it has no meaning. For instance, throughout the play, Estragon and Vladimir repeat the lines “nothing to be done” and “nothing happens.” Such references along with the cyclical nature of the dialogue, suggest Beckett’s vision that human existence is bleak and that nothing significant ever really happens in our lifetimes, but instead the same situations are repeated throughout life. Beckett’s style revolutionizes the traditional play as he deviates from the orthodox playwright by creating a play with no central plot or storyline. There is no progression of the characters in the play. They simply wait for a man named Godot. Although nothing changes in the lives of the two main characters, Estragon and Vladimir, signs of progression of time are revealed throughout the play. For example, the tree on the set of the play grows leaves between act one and act two, suggesting that some period of time has passed. Furthermore, Beckett’s style

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