Movie screening :Waiting for Godot

 

    Hello readers welcome to my blog 

 

     This blog is related with amazing play by Samuel Beckett; Waiting for Godot.

   This play is written by Samuel Beckett. was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. A resident of Paris for most of his adult life, he wrote in both French and English.

Some notable works by him 

 Murphy Watt Molloy     Malone Dies

 The Unnamable 

 Waiting for Godot 

 Endgame

 Krapp's Last Tape

 How It Is Happy Days

 Here I'm going to discuss on  Waiting for Godot. A very  famous work by Samuel Beckett. 

1) What cannection do we   see in the setting (“A country road. A tree.Evening.”) of the play and these paintings?

In the above picture we can find the picture drawn by Caspar David Friedrich in 5th September ,1774.In the pic we can find the Setting. This picture is related with the play Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett. Here we can take idea in A country road and A tree Evening this concept in Waiting for Godot.

In this picture we can find some romantic notions but not in play. There are two characters who waiting for Godot without any change, except day and night with the hope .one day Godot will come.

But this picture has some fog, mist and darkness.

(2) The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of tree in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves - ? 

We can say that the symbol of tree is symbol of nature. Which is surrounded us or can say  we surrounded by it. 

    Tree is a symbol of nature. In both act we can see the country road side and nothing thing any. 

   We can see that in second act  three or five  leaves on the tree. So we can interpret it as Hope and Desire. 

    Another interpretation is that  nature is not waiting for anyone. It can show the season. 

3)  In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot ?

         

       In both acts evening falls into night and moon rises that may be connected with hope or desire of Vladimir and Estragone. At night they  became sad or dissapointed with god that he didn't come but they have a wish or hope for day tomorrow. Tomorrow Godot will come. That way time is passing. 

      

4 ) The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?

                              In the background we can see the the rock pieces .It is a symbol of meaninglessness.But things has many interpretation of  try to find and Think .so the scene of backgrounds with stones or empty road it is symbolic and it means darkness or hopelessness.

(5) The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?

        "Nothing to be done "

 As we know that everything is for while. Now in play  both characters  waiting for Godot but  he will never come. So there is a meaning to  still waiting for Godot? Or not? 

 

      So when you got anything it will be not for permanent or for forever. Once you  will not  value that things. Absurd thing can be necessary  and necessary thing can be absurd.  

6) Do you agree: “The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what— atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life." (E.G. Marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950s)?

Yes, I'm agree with the statement. This play is positive and  pessimistic as well. First take how it is positive, see when they have Hope that Godot will come. Messenger came still they have been be happy but not after that.  Hope is the powerful think to  get something. The boy said Godot will come tomorrow that gave them positive vibe and they wait again for a day. 

Pessimistic because of after knowing the thing that Godot will not come, that sentence make them sad. So they have to wait for Godot one more day. But start to end Godot never come. They  still waiting For Godot. 

 

7) How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolical significance of these props?

   

       The props like hat and boots are very well symbolically used in this present play. Estragone  is a character who like volatile character. Apart from that  Vladimir is a rational character. They played game like childish  with  hat and boots. 

         Symbol of hat is related with intellectuality of man, in this manner We can  see  Vladimir was putting his hat over head. 

    After that  the hat over Lucky, is  also symbolic. His master said or gave command to think he think. But hat of  Estragone it  some way not related with intellectuality. He has some attraction of world even he is near to God. Godot is God is also mere  illusion.

8)   Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?

          Yes, according to me it is nauseatic. Because lucky is human not animal. He can think and if he can then after the master become blind he can do whatever he wants but still he is be slave.

        Second thing it is also possible that  if he want obey his master forever then he can do it without being slave. As a good person he can help pozzo. But he doesn't choose that but still behave like a slave and it is unbelievable. 

9)  Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? or...

According to me Godot is just desire or Hope. Not God and success.

Now when we assume Godot is God then we have questions where he/she lives?, what is look? Can he/she listen us ?so there are many questions for god and if they are waiting for Godot then for what ? What will Godot give them?

This question answer is might be death. If they want death it is a ultimate truth of life. Without waiting of Godot they will get it one day.

Now if they want the death, it is their wish, desire of death. So this way we can see that Godot is desire not God. Desire is never die.

  10) Do you think that plays like this can better be ‘read’ than ‘viewed’ as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to ‘think’? Or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?

     

Yes, according to me the play waiting for Godot is required to read rather then viewed. Beacuse it has many dialog which has very deep meaning. So when you watch it it gives you meaning but which has deep meaning that watching will not give that meaning but it's give shallow meaning.

The play is related with psychology also ,so One's thinking is necessary to understand that words. So only watching the play it will serve everything.

      11) Which of the following sequence you liked the most:

~Vladimir -Estragone killing in question and conversation - while waiting.

~Pozzo - Lucky episode in both acts

~ conversation of Vladimir with the boy.

 

I like the Pozzo and Lucky episode in both acts.

Not because of the slave and master relationship.but they doing something at list but Vladimir and Estragone is passing the time only. We can take it also that they are still moving one to other place. But Vladimir and Estragone is still waiting at one place. Now they don't now which tomorrow Godot will come. So they have that message about the progress. If you want to do then you should do something for that.

May be the master as Pozzo is the symbol of that we have that interpretation as well. So I like that episode because they also related with phycology.

    

    

12)  Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt, if ever it was?

     Yes I fill  the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie. It could be felt at the ending of both acts.In both acts  the messenger  ,a boy came and say that  Godot will come tomorrow. There is a small conversation  between the boy and Vladimir. Estragon and Vladimir asked him 

     When Mr.  Godot will come ?

But the boy answered that 

Godot would not able to come today, but surely he will come tomorrow. 

13)  Vladimir and Estragon talks about ‘hanging’ themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide in Existentialism?

       As a human being we always tries to find a meaning of our life. When  life become meaninglessness Do there anything leaves for living ? It is a question for existance. Vladimir and Estragon  act for waiting for Godot it is also a meaningless and after realising that or out of getting disappointment at last they decided to suicide. It is the act of waiting which leads them to ward this idea of suicide. They didn't do this because they would not have equipment, but my believe is that this act of not dying  that show, existence at least. Idea suicide is not a solution of any problem; if the life is meaningless yet it is for living because meaningless has also a meaning

 14 ) Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'? 

      Pozzo and Lucky  the relationship itself gives idea of post colonial. And also the superiority and inferiority. So here  Pozzo is as England because  England ruled on many countries. 

   While  Lucky is represent as Ireland. Ireland was also a colonial country. 

 15) So far as Pozzo and Lucky [master and slave] are concerned, we have to remember that Beckett was a disciple of Joyce and that Joyce hated England. Beckett meant Pozzo to be England, and Lucky to be Ireland." (Bert Lahr who played Estragon in Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?

       Lucky as slave Ireland , pozzo as England , Vladimir as Russia and Estragon as France. Godot stand as Hitlar ( Germany ) or a psychopathic God. As pozzo controlled Lucky same way England trying to control Ireland and Italy. 

16) The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy;s question, Vladimir says:

Boy what MI to tell Mr. Gotod sir ?

Tell him he has its tell him you so us boss you did see us didn't you? How does this conversation go in Act ii? Is there any change in swimming similar situation in conversation? If so what is it ? what does it signify?

 Though the  conversation merely  seems the same, there are   very much significant change in the conversation of act first and second and ending of very first Act when The Boy as a messenger of God/ Godot arrives and Vladimir said to him that   Tell the god that we (Vladimir  himself and Estragon) are waiting for Godot. Here he used the word we but in another part he used Me. 

Boy : what am I to tell  Mr. Godot sir?

Vladimir : Tell him....  (He hesitate)  ... tell him you saw me and....(he hesitate)... that you saw me

In the second ACT Vladimir  turns out as  selfish man , He used the  word I. From this we also can get idea of thief was saved and the other was dumped. Vladimir  want to live his life, may be because of this he says that tells the God you see me. so that he could be saved