Hello Monks,
I am Riddhi Bhatt. You know...what is today's blog ?This blog is about On 8th June 2021 we had a movie screening of the movie "Waiting For Godot" written by Samuel Beckett in which students' task is to watch a movie and write their understanding of the movie of the given points by the professor Dr. Dilip Barad sir.This play ‘ waiting For Godot’ is originally written in French with the title ‘En Attendant Godot’..In the play we find various character but two character is very important.Vladimir and Estragon.They both are famous as didi and Gogo.They both doing discussion about the Godot and both conversation is very interesting.
Here is the link of professor's blog CLICK HERE
Waiting! Waiting! Waiting!
To wait is awful!
Nothing happens, Nobody comes, Nobody goes, it's awful!"
The movie "Waiting for Godot" is directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. In this 2001 movie, Barry McGovern and Johnny Murphy played Vladimir and Estragon, whereas Lucky and Pozzo were performed by Alan Standford and Stephan Brennan, respectively.This blog studies some of the interesting discussions from Bucket’s play “Waiting for Godot”.
Here I am puting full movie of "WAITING FOR GODOT""
1) What connection do you see in the setting (A country road, A tree, Evening) of the play and these paintings?
2) The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of trees in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves - ?
ESTRAGON: What is it?
VLADIMIR: I don't know. A willow.
ESTRAGON: Where are the leaves?
VLADIMIR: It must be dead.
ESTRAGON: No more weeping.
VLADIMIR: Or perhaps it's not the season.
ESTRAGON: Looks to me more like a bush.
VLADIMIR: A shrub.
ESTRAGON: A bush.
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.
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?
And when the moon rises it reflects that there is one hope that The Dark night will be end with this beautiful moon and there life darkness is also and just like night will end and morning comes so the moon is reflection of hope in Dark night.
The director used debris in the setting. So, it can be the influence of the World war-2 in the material world. Therefore, we can say that the meaninglessness of material world that keep on destroying, nothing is permanent in the life.These settings designed to detect image quality problems that may be caused by dirt, dust, or debris on the scanner read head.
5) The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?
"Waiting for Godot' does not tell a story; it explores a static situation. "Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful." On a country road by a tree two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon are waiting." (Esslin)
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. Marshall who played Vladimir in the original Broadway production 1950s)?
Yes just because its representation of absurdity and philosophy an existentialism, that's why display is not negative or Pessimistic just because it's a reflection of hope that at the end of the life there is good thing happened up till and of the last breath we have to wait for something which give us success peace honour or some kind of social important anything which we are waiting for. play waiting for Godot is positive play in the sense of life is goes on we can not stop or kill the time. If we commit suicide or stop our breath it doesn't matter for life. We kill ourselves not the life, it must go on. So, we can say that life is meaningless though we have to live life, this lesson make us positive.
Samuel Beckett used many symbols in this play in which Hat and Boot are interesting symbols. We can say that hat represented the intellectual, mental ability and thinking and boot represent lower and physical appearance.Hat represent the intellectuality , when boot represent the some physical or outside world Dzire, when Hat represent mentally or thinking philosophical touch that person who remember history and then facing so much problem just because he know the things which happened or what next come that's why so in that way we can interpret at that hat represent intellectuality and boots represent outside world Desire.
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 for slavishness is unbelievable?
Yes ,the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic . Because this slavish behaviour suggest that you are binded or habituated with this thing.
Here I want to give some post colonial point of you just like this play come after Second World War so I want to give interpretation like pozzo was European countries and lucky represent third world which become free after Second World War they get independence but still the facing problem now they are habituated or the like the master that's why we see that after they become independent but somehow there is some sense or essence of colonization we still find after they become independent or we can say that the more love to their Masters after becoming Independents still they want their master to rule them.
9) Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? Or . . .
This play has many way of interpretation. We can interpret this play with every given points. But, according to me Godot is God because when we read the dialogue between boy and Vladimir that time Vladimir asked to the boy that Godot is white? then the boy said yes, so we can say that they talk about Christ. Another interpretation is based on political reading in which we can say that Godot means Hitler because when Vladimir asked to the boy that he is beating or not? then boy replied yes. So, we can connect with the Hitler that he was beating many countries in world war-2.
We all occasionally feel that something is missing in our lives, and Godot possesses traits of God in both the Old and New Testaments. There are many who 'wait' for God to change their lives and do nothing to change them on their own. Beckett uses parables from the Bible.
10) “The subject of the play is not Godot but ‘Waiting’” (Esslin, A Search for the Self). Do you agree? How can you justify your answer?
Yes I think the play like this can be better understandable if it wil be read first than viewed. Reading of the play helps to understand the things in the better way. The play has small dialogue but each and every word has its own importance. In movie you can't find time to think deeply upon it. So reading will be better before viewing the play.
11) 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?
According to me the reading and viewing both can be beneficial and required of the play. Because if you only watch the movie then it can be bore. Because it has the continous dialogues and less action. For the understanding of the deeper philosophy one has to read the play. Only reading also makes you boring because you will not be able to imagine Vladimir and Estragon and their useless action. We have to done both the things in the class which enriched our understanding of the play.For many, reading a play is more preferable than to watch it. But, plays are actually performed in the mind of the playwright. Then it gets penned on the paper. So basically its a matter of performance. Theatrical performance makes the written play more lively and meaningful. So far as Waiting for Godot is concerned.
12) Which of the following sequence you liked the most:
- Vladimir – Estragon killing time in questions and conversations while waiting
- Vladimir and Estragon: The Hat and the Boot
- Pozzo – Lucky episode in both acts
- Conversion of Vladimir with the boy
In this I liked the most is conversation of Vladimir with the boy . That Vladimir asked him whether they are happy or not.I liked the most the conversation of Vladimir with the boy because except this all are boring and meaningless in some extent, while the conversation with the feel the energy and curiosity in the play because that boy was the messenger of Godot and also that boy frightened Vladimir for telling about Godot. So, first conversation with the boy was the hope for Vladimir and second conversation somewhat despair and revealed Vladimir's selfishness.
" tell to 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 to Godot that I am waiting here ".....
13) 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 effect of existential crisis and meaninglessness , we find when nothing happens by the time. Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot but boy said that he will come tomorrow not today. Ultimately waiting is the meaningless act. It will not be fruitful at all. Life itself is nothing our existence is absurd and our waiting for death. So in play theme of nothingness creates effect of existential crisis.
14) 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?
We can find the suicide is an art in existentialism. We watched one of the video it talks about the philosophical suicide but in the play Vladimir is a strong believer of Christianity and suicide is the sin in Christianity and we also can say that Estragon and Vladimir avoid suicide because they have hope for Godot.In existentialism suicide is best art ever done. After happens everything, there is a need of national thinking, that is suicide. It is a favourite solution when feeling of absurdity came in life. Vladimir and Estragon ' s Waiting is significant of their steadfast hope and faith. They thought about suicide but not commit , because of hope of salvation that Godot will come.
15) 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'?
- Vladimir - Russia;
- Estragon - France;
- Pozzo - Italy and
- Lucky - England
- Godot - Germany ( Hitler )
Yes, we can interpret the political reading in which Vladimir stand for Russia, Pozzo stand for Italy, Lucky stand for England and Estragon stand for France. So, we can connect this to the world war in which these all countries destroyed by Godot means Germany that is why Vladimir asked to the boy that is Godot beating? Then boy replied yes. So we connect Godot with Germany means Hitler, who destroyed many countries and killed thousands of people. And other interpretation of Pozzo and Lucky master and slave in which we connect Pozzo with England and Lucky with Ireland, so in this matter Ireland struggling a lot with England and recently we have seen Brexit pact.
16) 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 a Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?
"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?
Yes, there is change in both acts. In act1 Vladimir told to the boy that tell Godot that you saw us. So, here Vladimir taked about both Vladimir and Estragon while in second act Vladimir told the boy that tell Godot that you saw me, so here Vkadimir talked about his self he does not mention the name of Estragon. So, in act 2 Vladimir seems selfish.
17) 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?
Yes, there is change in both acts. In act1 Vladimir told to the boy that tell Godot that you saw us. So, here Vladimir taked about both Vladimir and Estragon while in second act Vladimir told the boy that tell Godot that you saw me, so here Vkadimir talked about his self he does not mention the name of Estragon. So, in act 2 Vladimir seems selfish.It mean became self centred and selfish person. He now no more want Estragon with him bacause he thought he deserve more then him at every aspect. So he became selfish.
THANK YOU....
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