EXAM-2.pdf
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LENGUAJES TEATRALES Y CINEMATOGRÁFICOS
2º Grado en Estudios Ingleses
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
Universidad de Córdoba
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QUESTION 1: TEXT A
a) (Text A)
Waiting for Godot, written by Samuel Beckett, was performed for the first time in 1953.
Beckett (1906-1989) is one of the most important authors in the English language. Even
though he was Irish, the majority of his works were written in French (later he
translated them to English), since he moved to Paris in 1927. He was awarded a Nobel
Prize for Literature in 1969 and is one of the most representative figures of the “Theatre
of the Absurd”.
Regarding the historical context, the First World War (1914-1918), the Second World
War (1939-1945) and the consequent crises are going to determine not only the
literature in England but also every aspect of the society throughout the world. In the
case of Beckett, he joined the French Resistance during the Second World War.
If we focus on the literary context, the first half of the twentieth century in England can
be defined as an eclectic period, as there are several trends coexisting. The lack of
temporal perspective makes it even more difficult to establish clear distinctions between
trends and schools than in former periods. It is important to mention that drama is affected
during this period by the emergence of other “competitors”, such as the cinema and the
sound film (1930s), the television or the music-hall. In addition, there was a distinction
between commercial and non-commercial (or experimental) drama, due to the rise of
amateur theatre. As for the literary trends, many of them were developed: realism,
escapism and comedy. We cannot forget about poetic drama, despite being a minority
current. Irish theatre rose as a result of their struggle for independence. Furthermore,
expressive realism, based on naturalism, gained a lot of importance. Finally, European
avant-garde movements (above all the “Theatre of Cruelty”) played a really important
role. The “Theatre of Cruelty” as well as Dadaism and Surrealism are going to break with
the former conventions of drama and to inspire the “Theatre of the Absurd”, of which
Beckett is a representative figure. In Waiting for Godot we can see the existentialist
approach (represented by Albert Camus, Jean Paul Sartre among others), which
dominated among the absurdist playwrights. In the literary influence of Beckett, we can
find Dante, Racine, and modernist writers like Proust or Joyce.
b) (Text A)
The Theatre of the Absurd reflects the meaninglessness of the human condition and the
absurdity of existence. Consequently, Beckett’s intention when representing reality was
not to be realistic (he was against mimesis), but to subvert the dramatic conventions
governing and to contradict our expectations of what is supposed to happen in a play.
This play has nothing in common with the Aristotelian structure of drama, as the units
of action (nothing happens, the situation is static) and time are abolished (even though
time references are not really specific, but we can infer that it lasts about 48 hours). In
addition, the play presents a circular structure (it begins just as it ends). The model of
the Freytag’s Pyramid is not followed, there is neither climax nor resolution, in spite of
being composed by two acts. All the characters (Estragon, Vladimir, Pozzo, Lucky and
the boy) are flat, they experiment no changes. The setting is minimalistic and remains
the same in both acts. It is also important to mention that the language is bare and the
dialogues are pointless. For Beckett, attention must be paid to the visual and kinetic, not
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As V. Mercier says, this is “a play in which nothing happens, twice”. The whole play is
a repetition that may confuse the audience. Estragon and Vladimir are trying to kill time
while they are waiting for someone named “Godot”. They are waiting next to a road, in
a deserted place, where they meet Pozzo and Lucky. Even Estragon says in this extract:
“Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful!”, while they try to entertain
themselves by watching Lucky “think”.
If we focus on the character’s relationships, Estragon and Vladimir are a mismatched
couple that reminds of a brother relationship (they are very close). They seem to be
dependent, and even though their personalities are opposed, Vladimir is always looking
after Estragon. In contrast, Pozzo and Lucky represent the antithesis of a friendship.
Their relationship is also based on the dependence, but it is also of servitude and
domination. Pozzo is the cruel master and Lucky his servant, as we can notice in this
extract, in which Lucky is dehumanised: “POZZO: Stand back! ([…] Pozzo jerks the
rope. Lucky looks at Pozzo.) Think, pig! (Pause. Lucky begins to dance.) Stop! (Lucky
stops.) Forward!”. We can also see how the servant is tied with a rope “(Pozzo jumps
up, pulls on the rope)” However, in the second act, Pozzo becomes blind and Lucky
guides him. In that case, the purpose of the rope changes.
c) (Text A)
As we have already mentioned, this work belongs to the current of the “Theatre of the
Absurd”. This play is a tragicomedy, which combines both tragic and comic elements.
With respect to the tragic ones, although in the end none of the characters die, suicide
(hanging themselves) is mentioned several times by Estragon and in the end, the act of
waiting is presented as something worse than dying “Vladimir: We are bored to death”
(page 73). They will always be waiting for Godot and they cannot change the situation.
In addition, the cruel humiliation of Lucky could be considered as a tragic element. The
name of this character is ironical, for he is the unluckiest one.
On the other hand, we can also find several comic devices, used to suggest that
language is not a reliable instrument or vehicle for communication. We can see
nonsensical dialogues full of repetitions, especially in Lucky’s soliloquy (stream of
consciousness) “personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua […] of
divine apathia divine athambia”. Repetitions can be seen as absurd, provoking laughter
in the audience “VLADIMIR: Damn it haven't you already told us? POZZO: I've
already told you? ESTRAGON: He's already told us?”. As to physical humour, it is
drawn from clowns, silent movies…(Laurel & Hardy, Chaplin, Buster Keaton). It is
important to pay attention to the stage directions and to body language, since they
indicate us the characters’ movement and the objects’ exchanges that they perform
“(General outcry. Lucky pulls on the rope, staggers, shouts his text. All three throw
themselves on Lucky who struggles and shouts his text)”. In this case, the action is
focused on the rope and the dance, but in other situations they play with the boots or the
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so much to language but to silence and pauses. We can affirm that all the realistic
conventions are broken.
hats. Moreover, dark humour is present by creating comedy out of the tragic. For
instance, in this extract the spectators may laugh at Lucky’s disgrace.
As Beckett stated in an interview with Alan Schneider, he does not know “who” or
“what” is Godot. He says: “The key word in my plays is ‘perhaps”, meaning that the
play is open for multiple interpretations, as long as they are justified. There is neither a
fixed or a correct approach for this play. If we focus on the existentialist philosophical
interpretation, the play suggests that life has no meaning and that we are not heading in
any direction (implying a lack of teleology). This can be justified by the repetitions and
doublings appearing in the play, as well as by the despair of the characters: “We should
have thought of it a million years ago, in the nineties […] Hand in hand from the top of
the Eiffel Tower, among the first” (Act I). This nihilism can also be justified as a
consequence of the Second World War, since there are references to the post world-war
period. A very different explanation could be the religious one, in which the action of
waiting for Godot can be interpreted as a symbol of the religious faith and hope for
redemption. There are several religious references and allusions in this play such as the
bible, the Gospels, heaven, hell, the Holy Land, the four Evangelists, God…
“ESTRAGON: Do you think God sees me?” (Page 69). There is also a quotation from
the Proverbs (13:12) “Hope deferred maketh the something sick...”. Furthermore, the
tree that appears can be considered to have religious connotations (tree of life). In
addition, the Marxist scheme and the capitalism may also be present in the characters of
Pozzo and Lucky, representing Pozzo the exploiters, whereas Lucky represents
symbolises the workers. A more mundane approach could suggest that Estragon and
Vladimir portray humankind, as in the morality plays (this is why their identity and
memory is so blurred) and that Godot represents the expectations that we spend our
whole life waiting for. On the whole, the play is so rich that allows a multitude of
interpretations.
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d) (Text A)