Name:________________________________________
Advanced English, Pd. 6
Date:____________________
Play Elements & Symbolism in Waiting For Godot
Existentialism & Absurdism
Aim: What are elements of a play? How does Sameul Beckett use symbolism to portray themes of Absurdism and Existentialism in
the play, Waiting For Godot? How can making inferences and connections, and asking questions, about symbols help us understand
the text?
Link: Finish Anticipation Guide/Exit Ticket Questions from Yesterday
Agenda:
Link (10 min)
Anticipation guide debate (10 min)
Symbolism & Play Elements Minilesson (10 min)
Guided practice: Analyze symbolism on the first page (10 min)
Independent practice: Analyze symbolism on the second page (10 minutes)
Share out (5 minutes)
Play Elements:
Plot: the main events of the play. A typical play is usually 5 acts, with each act being a different part to the story. Since this is an
Absurdist play, there are only two acts, and it does not follow the typical play structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling
action and resolution.
Characters: Dialogue & Action
Setting: time and place
Conflict: external and internal
Theme: main message of the story
Tone: the attitude of the story (happy, sad, angry, sarcastic, etc)
Narrator: a third person narrator. In this case, he’s third person omniscient. The narrator knows and tells us what the characters are
doing and thinking.
Name:________________________________________
Advanced English, Pd. 6
Date:____________________
What are elements of a play? How is a play similar/different from a story?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Minilesson: Literary Element:
Symbolism: A symbol is something that represents something else
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

A person, place or object which has a meaning in itself but suggests other meanings as well
Things, characters, actions, and dialogue can be symbols
Anything that suggests a meaning beyond the obvious can be a symbol
Want more clarity? Okay, how about this: a symbol is a word, an image, or anything that somehow represents a larger idea. In other
words, what you see is not just what you get. Symbols are more than meets the eye. They're loaded with meaning.
Example? In America, eagles are a symbol of freedom. In punk rock, the safety pin is a symbol of rebellion. In Western literature, the
apple is often a symbol for sin. See how that works?
But when talking about symbols, it's also important to remember that the symbol is still itself, in addition to what it symbolizes. So
when you see an apple in a book and immediately think of sin, don't forget that it's also just an apple. And someone's probably going
to eat it. Or at least bake it into a pie.Symbols carry great power in literature.
Waiting For Godot is loaded with symbolism. As you are reading, make sure to pay attention to what the characters say and do, and
the symbolic meaning behind them.
Name:________________________________________
Advanced English, Pd. 6
Date:____________________
Examples of Symbolism in Books, Plays & Screenplays
Text
Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s The
Scarlet Letter
Shakespeare’s As You
Like It
Example of Symbolism
The letter “A” (Object)
Inference: What does it symbolize?
Adultery
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and
women merely players; they have their exits and
their entrances; And one man in his time plays many
parts.” (Dialogue/object)
“Stage” symbolizes the world and “players” symbolize
men and women. “Exits” and “entrances” means
people come and go from each other’s lives. People
have “many parts” means they take on many roles and
responsibilities all throughout their lives.
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump: Those must be comfortable shoes, I
bet you could walk all day in shoes like those and
not feel a thing.
Nurse at Park Bench: My feet hurt.
Forrest Gump: My momma always said you can
tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where they
go, where they've been. I've worn lots of shoes, I bet
if I think about it real hard I can remember my first
pair of shoes.
Name:________________________________________
Advanced English, Pd. 6
Date:____________________
Vocabulary:
Resume: (verb) begin to do or pursue (something) again after a pause or interruption.
"A day later normal service was resumed"
synonyms: restart, recommence, begin again, start again, reopen;
Create your own
sentence:___________________________________________________________________________________________
Brood: verb; think deeply about something that makes one unhappy.
"He brooded over his need to find a wife"
synonyms: worry, fret, agonize, mope, sulk;
Create your own
sentence:___________________________________________________________________________________________
Name:________________________________________
Advanced English, Pd. 6
Date:____________________
Waiting For Godot, PAGES 1-2
Symbolism Chart
Directions: As you read, please fill out the following chart.
Page
1
I DO
Symbol (object, action,
event, dialogue)
Inference: What does it
symbolize? What might it suggest
about life?
Connection: How does this
symbol connect to the
theme of existentialism
and/or absurdism?
Question: What are you
wondering about so far? This
can be about plot, theme,
character, etc
Name:________________________________________
Advanced English, Pd. 6
Page
1
WE DO
2
YOU DO
Symbol (object, action,
event, dialogue)
Date:____________________
Inference: What does it
symbolize? What might it suggest
about life?
Connection: How does this
symbol connect to the
theme of existentialism
and/or absurdism?
Question: What are you
wondering about so far? This
can be about plot, theme,
character, etc
Name:________________________________________
Advanced English, Pd. 6
Symbol (object, action,
event, dialogue)
2
YOU DO
2
YOU DO
Date:____________________
Inference: What does it
symbolize? What might it suggest
about life?
Connection: How does this
symbol connect to the
theme of existentialism
and/or absurdism?
Question: What are you
wondering about so far? This
can be about plot, theme,
character, etc