Vladimir And Estragon In Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot
The relationship between Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot. Why do they stay together, despite frequent suggestions that they part? The dramatist and poet Samuel Beckett, born in 1906 in Ireland, can definitely be addressed as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. Samuel Beckett has been attributed the label of the last modernist as well as the first post-modernist. His plays are filled with dark humour and absurdities, Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot 1, which he composed between 1948-1949, is a good example of his minimalistic style and stage setting. Godot is one of Beckett’s most controversial plays and well-known in the international literary world. The play received much criticism in conjunction with praise from within the literary community and numerous articles as well as critical essays have been written about it. The most …show more content…
Samuel Beckett explored existential and philosophical ideas in his work, in Godot existentialism is present since it explains the complete existence of Vladimir and Estragon. The seemingly absurd and comical conversations between the two can be perceived as an existential metaphor, their inveterate lives are an existential inspection of waiting and meaning. The dialogues between Vladimir and Estragon in the play are often governed by existential concerns, such as why they are there, whether or not they should commit suicide, and whether or not it would be better to continue further alone or to go around as part of the pair. However Dubois has stated that; “as soon as any of these meaningful discussions starts to come close to giving an account of their existential dilemma, they turn to various avoidance strategies, such as slapstick, or engage in speculation over trivia.” (124). Bennett stated in his critical essay that “waiting brings up the existential theme
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1773 Words | 8 PagesIntroduction Existentialists forcefully believe that one defines their own meaning in life, and that by lack of there being an upper power one must espouse their own existence in order to contradict this essence of ‘nothing-ness’. Absurdist fiction is a genre of literature which concerns characters performing seemingly meaningless actions and experiences due to no found meaning or purpose in their lives, and this prospect of uncertainty is key in both plays Waiting for Godot as well as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Writers Samuel Beckett and Edward Albee use different perspectives on truth and illusion in order to communicate a message to their audience and to make them question the society in which they live in. Truths and Illusions sub-introduction
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1884 Words | 8 PagesWaiting for Godot centers around humanism as it inquires into the minds of human beings, their relationships, the sufferings they face and the difficulties of the life they are living through. Vladimir and Estragon are representatives of human race. They are fighting with life as disappointed, helpless creatures and destined to wait for the unknown. A humanistic view suggests that human beings have always tries to improve their lives and follow their dreams. Vladimir and Estragon spent their time waiting for Godot helplessly to save them from their physical and mental pains.
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