StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Symbolism in Waiting For Godot - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
In the play "Waiting for Godot," analyze the use of symbolism and comment on how the author uses either individual symbols or patterns of symbolic imagery to create a sense of deeper meaning in the work. Written by Samuel Beckett originally in French in 1948, the translated English version was first enacted on stage in 1953…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93% of users find it useful
Symbolism in Waiting For Godot
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Symbolism in Waiting For Godot"

Download file to see previous pages

Although Godot does not arrive during the course of the play, his anticipation sets up the context for the musings and conversations of Estragon and Vladimir. Author Samuel Beckett creatively exploits this open ended plot structure to ponder over important questions about the human condition. Given that it was published in the aftermath of the Holocaust, it asks deep and compelling questions of the state of human civilization and the nature of our species. Such utterances from the two lead characters as “to hold the terrible silence at bay”, “Nothing to be done”, “We are saved!

”, etc offer profound interpretive scope for the reflective reader. (Beckett, 1956) The most ostensible symbolisms in the play pertain to the existentialist philosophical framework. The first quote alludes to the acute existential crisis shadowing the period after the Second World War. Written as it was in the aftermath of the most devastating war in history, Beckett's preoccupations with the purpose of human life and how best to go about fulfilling it are in tune with the concerns and sentiments of the time.

In this, the play is full of symbolisms of existence and its opposite state death - a pattern found in the works of other post-war intellectuals such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Waiting for Godot is a product of the author's affectations during the war and hence contains in it psychological and philosophical questions treated in the existentialist framework. It is for this reason that notions such as 'death', 'nothingness' and momentary crises of human existence are all symbolically expressed.

The play can also be read with theological symbolisms in mind, especially that of the Christian doctrine. The choice of the name Godot (that contains 'God' in it) is perceived by critics to have religious connotations. This claim is vindicated by dialogues in the play that resonate with Christian concepts of salvation, rising from the dead, etc. For example, “We are saved!”, which is frequently uttered by Vladimir or Estragon can be taken as a reference to the notion of salvation. These two characters can also be seen as the two thieves crucified alongside Jesus Christ.

Out of their boredom, every now and then Estragon and Vladimir contemplate committing suicide by hanging themselves from the only prominent tree in the setting. This is again a reference to the crucifixion, but albeit in a sense of parody. Vladimir's casual remark to Estragon in Act I, “Hope deferred maketh the something sick, who said that?" is again a parody of a Christian proverb of the same rhyme - “Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." (Beckett, 1956) Hence, the religious symbolism is quite strong, but the tone is one of mockery and not reverence.

Ontological questions are focused upon in the play, with the author giving special treatment to the concept of time, which links this work to another path-breaking existentialist thesis, namely that of Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time. For example, the deliberate similarity between the first and second acts in the play and elements of repetition seen in them is symbolic of the rhythmic and periodic nature of human existence, with each passing day a mirror of the day gone by and so forth. Because the play is essentially devoid of a describable plot and narrative, it operates at a very high level of abstraction.

At this level, it lends itself to

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Symbolism in Waiting For Godot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1411295-symbolism-in-waiting-for-godot
(Symbolism in Waiting For Godot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1411295-symbolism-in-waiting-for-godot.
“Symbolism in Waiting For Godot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1411295-symbolism-in-waiting-for-godot.
  • Cited: 4 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Symbolism in Waiting For Godot

Waiting For GODOT Play

in waiting for godot, Estragon (Gogo) and Vladimir (Didi) are the two tramps who are waiting for Godot, the landowner.... Name Instructor Course Date waiting for godot The play “waiting for godot” centers at complete disenchantment.... Therefore, our life has become a constant waiting.... The play depicts some seriousness which is conveyed by the layered symbolism which we all hear and see extended philosophical monologues....
4 Pages (1000 words) Admission/Application Essay

The Theme of Religion in Waiting for Godot

This book review "The Theme of Religion in waiting for godot" tries to understand what religion is all about.... nbsp;The dramatic nature of important publications of waiting for godot is very important.... The dramatic nature of important publications of waiting for godot is very important.... At the same time, it is also seen that imprecation and the procedural waiting for salvation also form religion.... The attributes of godot are explored through relationships that exist between man's understandings of the will of God....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Waiting for Godot by Samual Beckett

The author analyzes the play "waiting for godot" by Samuel Beckett which is about two tramps trapped in a situation in which they have to wait for Godot, an acquaintance they probably would not recognize.... In literary tradition, waiting for godot belongs to the theater of the absurd, in which the plots are not based on realistic events.... waiting for godot, Beckett's most famous work is today considered not only ground-breaking and universal but also timeless....
4 Pages (1000 words) Book Report/Review

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

waiting for godot by Samuel Beckett is about two tramps trapped in a situation in which they have to wait for Godot, an acquaintance they probably would not recognize.... In literary tradition, waiting for godot belongs to the theater of the absurd, in which the plots consist of seemingly disjointed absurd situations that represent real life.... To date, waiting for godot is considered groundbreaking work about a universal and timeless subject: hope....
9 Pages (2250 words) Book Report/Review

Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Conrad's Heart of Darkness, published at the close the nineteenth century (1899), is an important step in the development of the modern.... It is an early important example of the Western intellectual elite in reaction against Western culture, in this case in denouncing colonialism, then an integral part of European and American civilization....
12 Pages (3000 words) Book Report/Review

A Literary Response to Waiting for Godot

This essay presents waiting for godot by Samuel Beckett which is about two tramps trapped in a situation in which they have to wait for Godot, an acquaintance they probably would not recognize.... In literary tradition, waiting for godot belongs to the theater of the absurd, in which the plots consist of seemingly disjointed absurd situations that represent real life.... To date, waiting for godot is considered groundbreaking work about a universal and timeless subject: hope....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

What existentialist artists attempt to communicate through their respective work

in waiting for godot, the story revolves around the life of Vladimir and Estragon who undergo strange experiences as they seek to wait for entity identified by the name Godot whose arrival is long awaited, but not forthcoming....   In… the book waiting for godot, the author, Samuel Beckett, uses symbolism to send the message to readers how people have to be more aware for themselves instead of letting the outside influences take control over their lives....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Existentialist Ideas in Kafkas Metamorphosis

In the paper “Existentialist Ideas in Kafka's Metamorphosis,” the author discusses a new dimension to writing and narrating a tale in the works of Kafka's Metamorphoses and Becket's waiting for godot.... The works were unique at the time of writing for the rather existentialist ideas....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us