Waiting of Godot as an Absurd Play  

The word "Absurd" means "a literary and philosophical term that expresses the irrational or pointlessness of the human condition from an existential point of view." The word "absurd" is derived from the French word "absurdum" which means "Out of harmony".

 

The Theater of Absurd depicts a mood, and a tone towards life, where human existence is a dilemma of purposeless, meaningless, and pointless activity. This is a complete denial of the old values. It has no plot, no characterization, no logical setting, and no extreme. This is completely unconventional. Theatre of the Absurd is one of the ways in which the universe has lost its meaning and purpose. Theatre of the Absurd transmits the irrationality of life to the stage. The words and deeds of the characters do not give any meaning. In fact, there is no plot in the play.

 

Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" fall into the conventional Theater of the Absurd. It is unusual that a play is not really showing any dramatic conflicts. In the play Waiting for Godot, nothing happened basically it has no story, showing no development, no proper beginning nor any particular ending. The entire action of the Drama takes Place in an absurd setting of the roadside where two-man Vladimir and Estragon idly Wait for Godot, both of them unclear about Godot. They have nothing to do: as Vladimir says “Nothing to do" and they do not have any significant things to tell each other Still, they have to spend time because they have to wait. Finally, a boy comes with a message that Godot will come the next day. The two tramps decide to move but they do not move, nothing happened eventually and the curtain falls. Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot continue desperately.

The absurd Theater presents the deep layer of absurdity, the absurd life conditions of humans in a world where man has been deprived of certainties due decline of man's religious faith. Waiting for Godot’, is also about an absurd wait. Through the two Trump characters, Becket shows the clear reality of human existence.

 As a result of Beckett's deliberate efforts, the presence of Vladimir and Estragon is stripped bare from any social place or historical context. The barren stage symbolizes the universe where two Trumps are thrown to face the basic conditions of their existence and to go through the dilemma of choice and expectation. And this situation ultimately makes Vladimir and Estragon inactive and impotent. In this way, they surrender themselves to "Waiting for Godot’s” Constantly they get tired of waiting and decide to go but they fail. They say:

Estragon: - I’m tired! Let’s go.

Vladimir: - We can’t

Estragon: - why not

Vladimir: - We are waiting for Godot.

(Act 1 )

For Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), waiting is a "fixed" process, as Didi said in Act II of the play. "We have time to grow old,” Their wait is full of misery and suffering as they constantly wander between hope and despair. This suffering is heightened by the fact that there is no divine intervention to get them out of their suffering. Religion, as a matter of fact, has become an obsolete metaphor, with no metaphysical response to relieve man. This is an incomplete and obscure great story open to debate, in which both Tramps are busy spending time.

 Estragon and Vladimir "Waiting for Godot," who is supposed to be their salvation agent, but the wait is absurd. They have vague ideas about Godot's identity and are not sure if they are waiting for the right place and the right day. Godot also delays his tour and is absent throughout the play. As such, Tramp's wait is meaningless, and the experience is shared equally by the audience, who try to find meaning by the end of the play.

 

After the terrifying wars, Human beings have been pushed into a meaningless universe, they search for a way to relieve themselves. It seems that the universe has lost its center and it has become disconnected and purposeless. It provided people with a dignified way to face the universe that was once deprived of its center and its living purpose God and faith. Man tries to rule this absurd universe but to no avail. They try to find a living goal, but all their efforts are in vain. The Tramps have also been placed in a 'nowhere' situation that is beyond their control. This makes them inactive and helpless, and they surrender themselves to the "Waiting for Godot".

As Tramps bounces on the bandwagon with helplessness, they are forced to take time out from small moves so that he does not have to face reality. These Tramps are engaged in pointless and clown activities. Their actions vary from standing up, bending, and wrapping, to staggering and falling. In the play, Gogo's pants fall off his ankles. It's both hilarious and tragic, in the vein of the Theater of the Absurd, where laughter is mixed with tragedy.

The Tramp's tragic situation, while appealing to spectators, makes them so impotent that at the end of each act, "They don't move." This instability emphasizes the idea of living in an existential trap where there is "Nothing to do." His life is full of boredom because it is monotonous. Their only recourse is a habit, the "Great deadener ".

It is because of this habit that these tramps are involved in various activities - exchanging politeness, abusing each other, and making philosophies. They have nothing to say to each other, yet they should keep talking to avoid the passage of time. Estragon's comment, taking off his shoes, shows the impossibility of action “Nothing to do". There is another important dialogue that reflects human actions:

“All my life, I have tried to put it from me, saying, Vladimir, be reasonable, you have not tried everything yet.” The impossibility and futility of the process are also present in the dialogue here:  Vladimir: Show!

Estragon: There’s nothing to show.

This drama shows the delicacy of human life in this vast universe. Life is a moment between birth and death and it passes at once. Any human effort is useless compared to the slaughter of time, which is seen here as an agent that distorts human life. Thus, we see modern humans cut off from their outer comfort in Waiting for Godot, which makes it an absurd play.

 

"Waiting for Godot" is a comedy-drama that mocks the futility of human life and its meaninglessness. The whole background of the play is reminiscent of loneliness and alienation. There is sorrow, anguish, anxiety, waiting, futility, and all kinds of nonsense. Therefore, from the point of view of the structure, subject, purpose, character, environment, setting, and language, we find "Waiting for the Godot" an Absurd play.