PLOT STRUCTURE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA The structure of a typical absurdist drama is like a spaceship orbiting earth or a Ferris Wheel revolving on an axle: The spaceship and the Ferris [r]
(1)DRAMA II
MODERN DRAMA
Lecture 17
(2)SYNOPSIS
Absurdist Drama
Dialogue and Language/Humor
of Absurdist Drama
Plot & Structure of Absurdist Drama THEMES in Waiting for Godot
Aspects to Consider
(3)(4)ABSURDIST DRAMA
Waiting for Godot is a twoact stage drama
classified as a tragicomedy. In 1965, critic Martin Eslin coined the term theater of the absurd to
describe Godot and other plays like it
As a result, these plays also became known as
absurdist dramas.
(5)ABSURDIST DRAMA
A group of dramatists in 1940's Paris believed life is
without apparent meaning or purpose; it is, in short, absurd, as French playwright and novelist
Albert Camus (19131960) wrote in a 1942 essay, "The Myth of Sisyphus." Paradoxically, the only certainty in life is uncertainty, the absurdists believed.
An absurdist drama is a play that depicts life as
meaningless, senseless, uncertain.
For example, an absurdist's story generally ends
up where it started; nothing has been accomplished and nothing gained.
The characters may be uncertain of time and
place, and they are virtually the same at the end of
(6)DIALOGUE AND
LANGUAGE/HUMOR
OF ABSURDIST DRAMA
(7)DIALOGUE AND LANGUAGE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA
The language in an absurdist drama often goes
nowhere.
Characters misunderstand or misinterpret
one another, frequently responding to a
statement or a question with a non sequitur or
(8)DIALOGUE AND LANGUAGE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA
Estragon, who has a sore foot, is attempting to remove his
boot. Though he tugs hard, it won't come off. In frustration, he says, "Nothing to be done."
Vladimir replies, "I'm beginning to come round to that
(9)DIALOGUE AND LANGUAGE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA
The absurdity of the dialogue is the author’s way
of calling attention to the seeming absurdity
of life.
For Samuel Beckett, the world wobbles on its
axis, and the people who inhabit it do not
(10)HUMOR
Waiting for Godot contains the deadpan humor
of the down and out, the destitute, who cope by making sport of their circumstances—and
themselves.
They are like Sisyphus and Tantalus, each
doomed forever to seeking a goal that he cannot reach.
(11) But while trying to reach their goal, Vladimir
and Estragon remain cheerful and jocular.
Their hapless drollery calls to mind the
buffoonery of film comedians Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton.
A full appreciation of the humor requires a close
(12)PLOT & STRUCTURE OF ABSURDIST DRAMA
(13)(14)THEMES IN WAITING FOR GODOT
(15)THEME OF CHOICES
Waiting for Godot consists of two men unable to act,
move, or think in any significant way while they kill time waiting for a mysterious man, Godot.
The characters fail to realize that this very act of
waiting is a choice; instead, they view it as a mandatory part of their daily routine.
Even when these men manage to make a conscious
decision, they can’t translate that mental choice into a physical act. They often "decide" to leave the stage, only to find that they are unable to move.
Such inaction leads to stagnancy and repetition in the
(16)THEME OF CHOICES: QUESTIONS
What is the barrier between the decision to act
and action itself in Waiting for Godot? Why are the men unable to move after they’ve decided to do so?
Are Vladimir and Estragon condemned to wait
for Godot, or is the act of waiting a choice itself?
Does Lucky’s position as a servant seem to be a
choice on his part?
(17)THEME OF CHOICES: THINKING CALL
If Vladimir and Estragon realized they had the
freedom of choice, they could break their daily cycle of habit and inaction. The problem is one of consciousness
Vladimir and Estragon are fully aware of their
situation and of their ability to choose, but the uncertainty surrounding the result of any
(18)DRAMATIC REFERENCES: CHOICES
Quote #1VLADIMIR
(19) Quote #2ESTRAGON
I'm going.
He does not move. (1.67)
The ability to choose is rendered useless when a
(20) Quote #3ESTRAGON
Who believes him? VLADIMIR
Everybody. It's the only version they know. ESTRAGON
People are bloody ignorant apes. (1.8789)
Waiting for Godot argues that people are driven
to beliefs by habit, popularity, and ignorance, rather than by conscious choice