Who or what is Godot and shall he, she or it ever arrive and where to start with? Why are Estragon and Vladimir waiting so patiently and what is the metaphorical level of Godot? I guess the fascinating thing about the whole ordeal is that we’ll never find out. Waiting for Godot let’s us into the realm of speculation. Naturally tragi-comedy exists but there should be more magical nonsense to boost the interesting nature of the world. There is never too much of laughter and sense of humor on this planet. Beckett’s play with imagination and nonsensical conversations are to remind us that one should not take things too seriously. Waiting for Godot is an example of the latter category. The funny thing about our world is that sometimes there isn’t enough of nonsense and at times there seems to be an abundance of it. His work became increasingly minimalist in his later career.īeckett was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature ‘for his writing, which-in new forms for the novel and drama-in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation’.” More on Goodreads Key concepts He is one of the key writers in what Martin Esslin called the “Theatre of the Absurd”. As an inspiration to many later writers, he is also sometimes considered one of the first postmodernists. Strongly influenced by James Joyce, he is considered one of the last modernists. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.īeckett is widely regarded as among the most influential writers of the 20th century.

“Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet, who lived in France for most of his adult life. His play remains one of the most magical and beautiful allegories of our time.” More on Goodreads On Samuel Beckett

Beckett’s language pioneered an expressionistic minimalism that captured the existentialism of post-World War II Europe. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as a somber summation of mankind’s inexhaustible search for meaning. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree on a barren stretch of road, inhabiting a drama spun from their own consciousness. The story line revolves around two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone or something named Godot. Staging of “Waiting for Godot” with Ian McKellan & Patrick Stewart. It opened in Paris in 1953 at the tiny Left Bank Theatre de Babylone, and has since become a cornerstone of twentieth-century theater.

“A seminal work of twentieth century drama, Waiting for Godot was Samuel Beckett’s first professionally produced play. ~Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot Plot summary Let us not then speak ill of our generation, it is not any unhappier than its predecessors.” For each one who begins to weep somewhere else another stops. “The tears of the world are a constant quantity.

Waiting for godot published