1. By Samuel Beckett Mr. Roddy’s PPT
Waiting for Godot
By Samuel
Beckett
Mr. Roddy’s PPT

2. I. Introduction Beckett’s Life His Irish ness
2. His novels and early writing
His work with Joyce
4. After the War—His Plays

3. B. Beckett’s Ideas The absurd—the illusion of reason
The Void—the illusion of faith
Humor and the dignity of humanity
Loneliness and love

4. C. Philosophical Background to Waiting for Godot
Effects of World War II (62 million people killed [37.5 million in WWI]; 12 million in concentration camps; atomic bomb and the promise of annihilation)
Shock and disillusion
Alienation and anxiety
Loss of faith
Pessimism

5. C. Philosophical Background (con’t)
Existentialism
Loss of the sense of
external meaning
b. Loss of belief in
reason and faith
c. Believes in only that which we can see, that which “exists” (e.g., Plato’s “essence” and Spinoza’s “substance” are out the philosophical window)

6. 2. Existentialism

7. C. Philosophical Background 2. Existentialism
d. Existentialism states:
“There is, therefore, no
preexistent spiritual realm,
no soul…,no cosmic compassion for or interest in human life, no afterlife, no transcendence of worldly existence, no cosmic meta-narrative, no angels and devils…, no divine will, no preset destiny, no inevitable fate.”

8. C. Philosophical Background 2. Existentialism
e. Existentialism believes:
1. life has no preset or
external
meaning of its own
2. Life is (without human creation
of it) meaningless (the myth of
Sisyphus)
3. Humans, therefore, are free
(free will is important)

9. C. Philosophical Background 2. Existentialism
4. Humanity’s only chance at dignity lies in:
the courage to face the truth,
that we are alone in an uncaring
universe
the courage to face the fact / possibility that life is meaningless and yet to still go on
--“I can’t go on; I must go on; I’m going
on.”
-- the courage and dignity of Sisyphus when at the top of the hill he sees the rock roll back and realizes his meaninglessness and yet still goes down to set to work again.

10. 3. The Paradox of Consciousness
There are two possible
interpretations of the
existence of human
consciousness:
a. A divine gift, fire of the gods, part of the divine plan, consciousness brings us all our joy (love, art, etc.)
b. A cosmic joke, consciousness was never intended for humans and brings us only suffering, pain, and the existence of evil.

11. D. Theatre of the Absurd Existentialist Theatre (No Exit by Sartre)
absurd content but
rational form or
presentation
Theatre of the Absurd—
form and content merge
to form a truer art

12. Waiting for Godot Major Themes 1. the void—life is meaningless
2. the hopelessness (and cruelty)
of hope
3. dependence of
one human on
another

13. A. Major Themes (con’t) 4. Passing the time 5. the world as waste-
land
Lack of communication—nothing is
worth communicating or can be communicated, but we can’t stop talking

14. A. Major Themes (continued)
7. The social theme (Pozzo and Lucky=the oppressed and oppressor;
Lucky carries his own whip)
8. Psychological Theme
a. loss of memory=loss of meaning
b. lack of self-awareness
c. our cosmic insignificance
d. the pain and curse of consciousness

15. Major Themes (continued)
The Religious Theme
a. No personal god
b. No Savior
c. No Redemption

16. B. Characters
Vladimer (Didi)
Estrogon
(Gogo)

17. B. Characters (continued)
Pozzo
Lucky

18. B. Characters
5. the boy
6. Godot

19. C. Setting
The place
The time

20. D. Symbols, Style, Literary Techniques1. 2. 3.

21. D. Symbols, Style, and Literary Techniques4. 5. 6.