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Production of Waiting for Godot

Plays are one of the most impactful forms of entertainment as well as educative and informative platforms. There are a variety of types of performance plays across the globe that targets different audiences and for different purposes. On the same subject matter, Samuel Becket is a name that easily pops up when it comes to conversations about performance plays. Notably, Waiting for Godot is one of his impressive works. The play is about two characters namely Estragon and Vladimir who seem to wait for a person named Godot but never arrives and while at it, the two characters engage in discussions and the process encounter other characters. It is one of the most intriguing performances that incorporate a variety of styles and components of art deliberately incorporated into the play by its original creator.

A full review of the performance of the play, one notices that Waiting for Godot has two acts in its plotting. The theatrical aspect of the play introduces a viewer to the first act of the performance; an outdoor scene with two disheveled companions, that is, the weary Estragon, who appears to find it difficult removing his boots from his feet that are severely aching and a philosophical Vladimir. However, Estragon decides he wants to leave, and his companion tells him they need to wait for someone named Godot. While having a conversation with the person they are supposed to wait for; the two characters seem to disagree on some issues as it pertains to the said Godot. Apparently, they are not sure where and when they are expected to meet Godot – the only information they are equipped with about the person they are waiting for is that they need to wait at a certain tree, and a leafless one can be spotted in the scene. 

While holding a series of conversations waiting for Godot, two other men appear who are identified as Pozzo and his slave – Lucky – who are both heading for the market where Pozzo is to sell his slave. Pozzo notices Vladimir and Estragon under a tree and pauses his journey to g and talk to them. While at it, Lucky, Pozzo’s slave, dramatically entertains the three gentlemen by dancing until Pozzo decides to continue his journey to the market. Almost immediately after Pozzo and his slave leave the scene, a character comes in, a boy who introduces himself as a messenger and it transpires that the boy is Godot’s messenger. The message the boy delivers is that Godot, despite Vladimir and Estragon waiting for hours, he would not be availing himself that particular night. However, Godot, according to the messenger, would be coming the next morning. Curious to no more, Vladimir asks more questions about Godot and his avail, and after some time, the boy leaves the scene. The end of the first act of the play sees Vladimir and Estragon leaving the spot as the curtains fall. (Beckett et al.)

Act two of the play introduces one to the meeting between Vladimir and Estragon that takes place the following night at the same place. Coincidentally, Pozzo and Lucky reappear again, but this time there are some noticeable changes in their physical being; Pozzo is blind, and on the other hand Lucky is dumb. In addition to this, Pozzo is unable to remember meeting both Estragon and Vladimir the previous day. Pozzo and Lucky continue their journey and the messenger, once again, reappears with the news that Godot will not be showing up. The scene ends with Vladimir and Estragon leaving the place as the curtains fall. 

Waiting for Godot is one of the most famous plays of the 20th century that is still being used for various purposes including influencing other studies, writings, and plays. One of the interesting features of the play is the theme of patience. The approximately over one-hour play revolves around two characters waiting for someone they are not sure when and where the person will appear for two consecutive days. As the play begins, the two are very weary and tired, seemingly from a long walk and they are made to wait for two consecutive days for someone who does not appear regardless. This is a good example of patience portrayed by the play writer. 

The other interesting feature of the play is characterization – how the writer creates and constructs the fictional characters in the play. There is diversity in representation of characters in the dramatic performance which incorporates characters which differ in personality traits and points of view. In the play, Vladimir is portrayed as a mature, and a responsible person of the two main characters with Estragon depicted as a weak character and always seeking the protection of Vladimir. Another interesting character in the play is Godot who actually never appears in the play but communicates through a messenger, a boy. Godot’s character and name, to some extent, is often thought to refer to god. 

There are two characters that are difficult to understand, Pozzo and Lucky. In act one, these two characters appear as a slave and his master on a journey to the market but in act two, Pozzo is blind and unable to recall events from the previous night, and Lucky appears dumb. However, the concept of slavery portrayed by the writer plays an important role in depicting the existence of slavery at the time the play was written and created. 

The play is massively interesting, but at the same time mysterious, weird and open-ended which prompts someone to ask what the purpose of the play is, for what reasons were it created and so on. It has a background in philosophy thus making it a theater of absurd. The play was written after the world war two making it part of the literary movement in drama and art. The play is greatly influenced by the philosophy of absurdism. The concept of absurdism, in this case, refers to the contradiction between the desires of humanity to find meaning in the universe and the whole universe itself. 

Usually, the plays influenced by this concept are characterized by representing humanity as nonsensical and chaotic. These characteristics can be observed in the play itself where the scene the play takes place is dry (appears arid or semi-arid), and the entire play appears chaotic. As an absurdist, Samuel Beckett does not seem to adhere to a clear plot and basis his perspective on the sense that humans are just mere victims of the unknown, occurrences of forces that are beyond their control (Li-Juan). For instance, Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot, a person they do not know and have clear information of when, where and how to meet him but still wait for two consecutive days for him to appear. This context alone questions the existence of God who is perceived, throughout the play, as Godot. 

  

Work Cited

Beckett, Samuel, Rosemary Pountney, and Nicholas Zurbrugg. Waiting for Godot [by] Samuel Beckett. Longman, 1991.

Li-Juan, C. H. E. N. "An Analysis of the Deep-seated Characteristics of the Theater of the Absurd." Journal of Shanxi Datong University (Social Science Edition) 2 (2010): 020.

YouTube. Waiting For Godot Full Play. 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2017.

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