Existential Crisis In Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot

Waiting for Godot is a study on the human condition in a state of existential crisis and is part of the theatre of the absurd. Through Samuel Beckett’s use of language, structure, set and characterization, Beckett demonstrates chaos, desolation and hopelessness of man in a world without God. The characterization of mankind’s struggle to survive in a world without meaning (myth of Sisyphus). The canvas of the play is rooted in the aftermath of World War 2; Holocaust; atomic bombs; the philosophies of Darwin; and the uncertainty of a world with no spiritual anchor. The act of Waiting for Godot is cyclical, repetitive and introduces the theme; we are born to die, “Nothing to be done.”

In Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, it is evident that the existential hero is one who is persistent in carrying on in a meaningless

Speech gives proof of existence but also presents problems between human beings through a lack of communication. In Waiting for Godot, there is incoherent babbling, puns and gags thus language loses it’s meaning. The characters do not speak to communicate but rather to keep themselves going and sane. Through the pauses, miming and silences it allows the audience to adjust to the absurdness of the human condition and allows the audience a breath. However what happens on stage is often contradicted by the words spoken of the protagonist. This can be seen when Estragon says, “I’m going” but the stage directions state “he does not move.” Nothing changes thus the language and action does not correlate. Nonetheless, Samuel Beckett writes in a language that points out how chaotic and absurd the world is. Man is in despair and man is alone. Beckett reduces language to show that mankind cannot just rely on language, thus his characters cannot resolve the delusion of the perceived world with the reality of the