In fact, one might go as far as to affirm that the play is devoid of ideas entirely and represents a mere collection of spontaneously improvised dialogues: as if Vladimir and Estragon were one unit (one being a man There is no logical structure to it, nor is there a sense of fluidity in the ideas expressed by the characters. From this point of view, the play does, indeed, seem drained of any rational and common sense. In this case Estragon’s phrase: “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes. This immobility of the characters, the lack of action and the perpetual exchange of insignificant dialogue may seem tedious to an audience. They grope blindly for a meaning in existence, yearning for a sign, some sign, any sign – just like Pozzo, blind and helpless, cries for help in Act. Hence it is an extract from a monotonous and impassive life of two vagabonds, who do nothing and go nowhere. The unity of time is two days, however, it may represent any time period – be it several days or years. The play itself has no prologue or epilogue, no twist or unexpected change of circumstances. ” This intentional lack of detail focuses the audience’s attention on the characters. Beckett avoids any precision or characterization of the setting, stating only: “A country road. This is effectively the place where Godot is not. The setting of the play is even plainer: an unknown muddy plateau with a tree, which could represent any space of land on Earth, just like the characters (with their unfortunately chosen names) could embody any soul of the human society.
Hopefully and at the same time despairingly, the tramps resume their vigil by the tree, waiting for Godot, as the curtain veils the stage. The ‘process’ of expectation is sometimes interrupted by intruders, such as Pozzo and Lucky – two highly grotesque and metaphorical personas, and an indistinct figure, a Boy, who announces to the tramps in person that Godot will not be arriving until the next day. Each Act represents a day, hence two days are spent wallowing about, waiting. Estragon and Vladimir (the tramps) entertain themselves with a seemingly improvised, somewhat meaningless and never-ending dialogue. Principally, the story includes two tramps waiting – at first hopefully, but in time with decreasing optimism – for an indefinite, anonymous figure called Godot. Its description is rather ambiguous, for while one may think that no action whatsoever takes place throughout the play, another might suppose otherwise. The plot of the play is fairly simple and is, in fact, purely a development of its title. It represents one of the most important movements of the twentieth century and is an example of the so-called “Theatre of the Absurd”, which had subsequently inspired numerous plays that were based on the idea of an illogical universe.
” How far do you agree? Initially written in French in 1948 as “En Attendant Godot”, Samuel Beckett’s play was first staged in 1952, in Paris. Waiting For Godot By Samuel Beckett “Nothing happens.