elements of absurdity in waiting for godot
It is theatre that deals with the illogical and irrational aspects of life, to emphasize its innate pointlessness. It's time and identity of characters that are usually vague or ambiguous in such plays. It's dreamy and scary and much of the dialogue is repetitive and, well, absurd.
Waiting for Godot is the very epitome of this. Two guys are waiting for this other dude, Godot, whoever he may be. Their conversation is strained. The play takes place over two days (and they have already been waiting). The characters flow into one another and sometimes seem to shift characteristics (or hats). Moreover, the play is indeed very repetitive. The second day is a lot like the first, but absurdly enough the characters don't seem to remember that day before (creating the suggestion of an endless string of days of waiting for this Godot).
The beginning of the play establishes Vladimir and Estragon's relationship. Vladimir clearly realizes that Estragon is dependent on him when he tells Estragon that he would be "nothing more than a little heap of bones" without him. Vladimir also insists that Estragon would not go far if they parted. This dependency extends even to minute, everyday things, as Estragon cannot even take off his boot without help from Vladimir.
The beginning of the play makes Vladimir and Estragon seem interchangeable. For example, one of the characters often repeats a line that the other has previously said. This happens in the very beginning when the two characters switch lines in the dialogue, with each asking the other, "It hurts?" and responding, "Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts!" In addition to demonstrating the way that the two characters can be seen as interchangeable, this textual repetition will be found throughout the play as an indicator of the repetitiveness of life in general for Vladimir and Estragon.
Vladimir's discussion of the story of the two thieves brings up the question of textual uncertainty. He points out that the four gospels
Waiting for Godot is the very epitome of this. Two guys are waiting for this other dude, Godot, whoever he may be. Their conversation is strained. The play takes place over two days (and they have already been waiting). The characters flow into one another and sometimes seem to shift characteristics (or hats). Moreover, the play is indeed very repetitive. The second day is a lot like the first, but absurdly enough the characters don't seem to remember that day before (creating the suggestion of an endless string of days of waiting for this Godot).
The beginning of the play establishes Vladimir and Estragon's relationship. Vladimir clearly realizes that Estragon is dependent on him when he tells Estragon that he would be "nothing more than a little heap of bones" without him. Vladimir also insists that Estragon would not go far if they parted. This dependency extends even to minute, everyday things, as Estragon cannot even take off his boot without help from Vladimir.
The beginning of the play makes Vladimir and Estragon seem interchangeable. For example, one of the characters often repeats a line that the other has previously said. This happens in the very beginning when the two characters switch lines in the dialogue, with each asking the other, "It hurts?" and responding, "Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts!" In addition to demonstrating the way that the two characters can be seen as interchangeable, this textual repetition will be found throughout the play as an indicator of the repetitiveness of life in general for Vladimir and Estragon.
Vladimir's discussion of the story of the two thieves brings up the question of textual uncertainty. He points out that the four gospels