Worksheet: Screening Movie Waiting for Godot

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     This blog is related with amazing play by Samuel Beckett:- Waiting for Godot. So let's see what is my interpretation on this play. This task given by Dr Dilip Barad sir. Click here to visit our sir's blog link.

In this movie starting part of the act one we can know that structure are very well we have seen that there is no such plot there is nothing like a plot in the Play. Where something significant happens there is a beginning, there is a climax,there is a downfall, that toss things we are not able to find in this play. but still we look at what is the structure of the play how it unfolding so there are two acts.

Act one and two, there are no scenes within the act there  are the act only act both the acts has similar structure it has similar structure. So here I discussed my view based on below mentioned questions. 

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

In this play that is the connection do we see in the setting, as we read when we were reading the initial part. We know that there it is a country road, tere is a tree barren tree and there are two people Vladimir and estragon they are sitting there and they are doing playing with the boots and the hat and the kind of things that is going on that is how the play begins. 

Then after some time of the gimmicks that play do two more characters enter as we know they are Pozzo and Lucky initially we throught that it's a Godot, who has come but then we realised that is not Godot. He says, I am Pozzo. Now whether Godot is telling lie it is Pozzo Godot or not. We don't know so there is lots of uncertainty ambiguity that lies in the Play. And then when they go after this characters exits they go and then boy enters a little boy enters and he is a massanger.

(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 - ? 

The tree is reflected is absurdity that's why that two apt is the background and that is why in the setting tree is the very important. Vladimir and Estragon try to thought that make suicide and they used that thought but not done that.

In second act we find that there is 2,3, leaves come it's reflect that nature has no connection with humanity or there is no connection between nature and human being just because nature has grown on itself nature never wait for anything and when time come nature will change that is the reflection of second act.

Beckett has used one single tree in both the acts and makes slight changes by showing two three leaves in the second act. Even the day falls into night and moon rises, but their waiting for Godot never stops.

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 ?

Beckett  wants to highlight the indifference nature. As Nature never waits for anyone, it doesn't matter whether a person was sad or happy, nature never cares for them. The natural process of environment never stops for anyone. 

Same thing happened in this play Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot, and in this process of waiting they do various things to pass their time, sometimes they feel totally disappointment and sometime feel like going to suicide But these all things makes no change in the nature, the day begins as it used to be and night came as it is, without any change, there are the two separate scene in the act one and act two.

Beckett very cleverly highlights the indifference nature of human being through this tree, as in real world also, when someone is suffering, then the other will be happy or celebrating their happy days, enjoy his or her life with nature, it can be good wives of nature.  Some situations like no one cares about the suffering, eighty percent people not care about what kind of our situation and may be five percent people enjoying what ever we suffer so human always remains indifference towards the suffering of other.

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?

When we look at the setting with some debris, at that time we understand that it was like life showing situation in the second war. Everything was destroyed and land was Barren, so it's creating a gloomy situation. It can be not permanent kind of situation but wh have to work not just wait and this is also like waiting but it is better to the contours of debris in the setting of the play.

(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" reflects the Existentialism. This theory shows that life is meaningless, whatever you do it has no ultimate meaning. This play starts with this idea of nothingness.  Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot without knowing that he will come or not, is he exist or not, who is he?. Their incoherent babblings, changing of hats, unclear theme these all show the Nothingness of the play.

'Waiting for Godot' does not tell a story, it explores a static situation. "Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful." Only rubbish thought are scene that in this play.

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)?

In this play we find both said positive and negative side of this play. we come to know about the reality of human life. So we find our ownself in character of vladimir and Estragon. It questions  existence of our life. It make us free from idea of God. It make us aware about our own importance in our life more than God. People can do anything without fear of God. It shows the nature of Nature that isn't affected by anything. It keep be going on. These things also reflect human life that if someone dies it doesn't affect others  life. Human life continuously going on.

This play also some affects people's minds in a negative way. If a person finds his life meaningless it leads  his life towards depression.

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

Because the play has so few props, the props that do appear onstage take on an exaggerated significance. As one example, Vladimir, Estragon, Lucky, and Pozzo all wear hats and at times seem oddly preoccupied with them. Lucky, for instance, needs his hat to think, and stops his long monologue once his hat is knocked off. In act two Estragon and Vladimir exchange their hats and Lucky's hat back and forth, trying different ones on.

The props like hat and boots are a symbol of 'Timeline' in this play. The timeline below shows where the symbol Hats appears in Waiting for Godot. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

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?

In the play Lucky’s character plays a vital role because He presented many things like slave, intelligence, dumbness but he doesn’t betray his master. Lucky thinks he has a whip and runs away from there. So that may be Lucky enjoy his life freely but there's nothing happening there. Moreover after Pozzo’s blindness, he remains free but he continues as a slave for his master. We also connected this idea with our life that we all are living within so many particular chains which leads to us. We can’t escape from that chain and are always waiting for their order.

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

This play is a very interesting way to interpret, we can see that in this play Godot is used to be God and objects of desire, death and success….. That kind of view we can see that in this play Godot is the God, because as per my point of view Godot is used to when we look at the dialogue between boy and Vladimir in this original text. That time Vladimir asked some questions to the boy which kind of look of God which colour is good white? That time boys gave that answer not perfectly but we understand that is the talk about Christ.

 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 I 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. We can also understand better in viewed scene because of text is not visual thought in our mind.

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

    Conversation between Vladimir and the boy. I like it the most. just because in Act 1 when boy come at that time Vladimir some conversation going on with boy and finally come to know that the boy is messenger of Godot and ask lots of questions and boy try to give answer and at the end Vladimir say to boy that

" Tell Godot we are waiting for him ".

But when next time in next act we find that one more time boy come and same conversation going on and Vladimir asking same question and boy still give him same answer second time and finally Vladimir tell to the boy

" tell Godot that I am waiting here ".....

The boy knew everything but nou say that to Vladimir. So I like that conversation in this play.

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?

There is the effect of existential crisis & meaninglessness. In this play we see that Vladimir & Estragon waiting for Godot but at the end of the both Acts boy said that he will come tomorrow not today so waiting for Godot is meaningless. We all are waiting for Death so our life is Absurd & meaningless.

Nothingness in this play, all scene like nothing can be done. Some part of the movie, like timeline of hat and boot. That is a meaningless in this scene and one scene is urines scene are worse scene and not useful scene. So some of scene are meaninglessness of human existence.

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?

In this play and movie, we can read this idea of suicide in Existansalism. Some of situation facing people, that time in his mind come some negativity and think about suicide. Some time struggle is goes to be suicide thinking. When we read Escapism and Existansalism, that time anybody try to escape from day to day life but don't think idea of suicide.

So in this play we can seen that characters of Vladimir and Estragon talks about 'Hanging' themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. Because of they are thought that Godot is come so they have hope to Godot is come and do not do suicide.

 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 
•  Lucky - England
• Godot - Germany ( Hitler )

What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'? 

This play is written after World War II. So the effect of world war was reflected in play. If we go by the names Vladimir stands for Russia, Estragon for France, Pozzo for Italy and Lucky for England then Godot will stand for Germany. Hitler is the one who is waited on by everyone.

When he came he destroyed everything. If we want to see Pozzo and Lucky, master and slave, Pozzo stands for England and Lucky for Ireland. Though Pozzo becomes blind Lucky doesn't free himself. Same because Ireland is a small country and for its own goods it sticks with England.

 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?

So far as Pozzo and Lucky ( master and slave relationship) 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). Lucky was happy with a piece of bones after the blindness of Pozzo .Lucky was doing still work as a slave may be he doesn't want to make free himself,  As Ireland depends on England for many purpose.

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 am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?

VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?

How does this conversation go in Act II? Is there any change in seeming similar situation and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?

Almost conversation are same in act I and Act II with boy and Vladimir, but when we seen that Act II that time one minor difference like,

"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?

VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . . . . tell him you saw us.

You did see me, didn't you?

This is different of the act I and Act II .

Thank you....