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1. What connection do you see in the setting (“A country road. A tree.Evening.”) of the play and these paintings?
This painting by Casper David Friedrich, suggest the hope with the symbols of country road and tree evening. “Longing” can be connected with “waiting”.The road and tree present the idea of barrenness. And the symbol of the country road indicates the absurdity, nothingness there is all absurdity.
2. The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of tree in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves - ?
In act 1 barren tree suggest absurdity in life. It also shows the impact of world war ll. Society turns into ditch. In the second act tree with five leaves suggest hope of something good. Hope of Godot will come. So the play moving from hopelessness to hope. Also it swings between Hope and despire. Nature doesn't effected by human emotions. Cycle of Nature keep on moving. Nature is not effect by human happiness and sorrow.
3. In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot?
Night can be signifies as death and moon signifies as hope. In both act same sequence and repetition of scene . Each scene ends with rising of moon. It suggests night which is symbol of darkness and death. Night symbolize that day is gone and Godot not come so its means that nothing happens, they are keep waiting for Godot.
4.The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?
The play is written around first world war so we can also see the effect of world war ll. here debris used in the sense of destruction how war destroy human life,emotions,happiness.
5. The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?
human life itself nothing but we are constantaliy craving something and wait for this. in this play we find two character vladimir and estragon they both are waiting for godot but during waiting for godot they have nothing to be done so by this two character we find very deep massage about life.
6. Do you agree: “The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what— atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life." (E.G. Marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950s)?
In this play we find both said positive and negative one side by this play we come to know about the reality of human life. we find our self in character of vladimir and estragon. It questions existence of our life. It make us free from idea of God. It make us aware about our own importance in our life more than God. People can do anything without fear of God. It shows nature of Nature that doesn't effected by anything. It keep going on. This things also reflect human life that if some one died it doesn't effect others life. Human life keep going on.
This play is also somehow effect on people's mind negative way. If person finds his life meaning less it leads his life towards depression.
Q7) How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolical significance of these props?
Here boots represent as materialistic things and hat represent as intellectual sense but person focus on only one things.Estragon wears boots it represents materialistic things. It represents artificiality of life , Estragon not satisfied with his boots it hurts him. It shows unsatisfied nature of human. Vladimir focuses on his hat . it shows his intellectual power in the play waiting for godot we find that he constantly think about godot.
8. Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and Nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?
Yes ,the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic . Because this slavish behaviour suggest that you are binded or habituated with this thing. Even if you try to make them free out of bad treatment , they will reacted negatively because they don't want to be free. Same way like Vladimir and Estragon we waiting for Godot , even if we know he will not come , no answer , we waits and become slave of God.
9. Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? or...
According to me, Godot is death . After doing all the things , we waiting for death. After all success and happiness , all desires in life nothing left. What to do ? What purpose of life ? N
othing . Then we waits for end , that is Godot that is death.
“ The subject of the play is not Godot but ‘Waiting’” (Esslin, A Search for the Self) . Do you agree? How can you justify your answer?
The play deals with ' waiting ' because throughout our life we only do that is waiting of something or someone or events. The act of waiting as essential and characteristics aspect of human life. Same way Vladimir and Estragon not meet Godot but waits and do nothing . That shown by Beckett that Godot will never come and still we are waiting .
11. Do you think that plays like this can better be ‘read’ than ‘viewed’ as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to ‘think’? Or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?
Yes I think the play like this can be better understandable if it wil be read first than viewed. Reading of the play helps to understand the things in the better way. If you first viewed play without reading you can't understand it properly. The core meaning of the play not be understandable only by viewing it. It also requires reading and thinking. After that viewing that play helps to understand it. The play has small dialogue but each and every word has its own importance. In movie you can't find time to think deeply upon it. So reading will be better before viewing the play.
12) Which of the following sequence you liked the most:
- Vladimir-Estragon killing time in questions and conversationa while waiting
- Pozzo-Lucky episode in both acts
- Conversation of Vladimir with the boy
In this I liked the most is conversation of Vladimir with the boy . That Vladimir asked him whether they are happy or not. God beat them . What is he doing ? Such questions asked by him. This conversation is more interesting.
13. Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt, if ever it was?
There is effect of existential crisis and meaninglessness , we find when nothing happens by the time. Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot but boy said that he will come tomorrow not today. Ultimately waiting is the meaningless act. It will not be fruitful at all. Life itself is nothing our existence is absurd and our waiting for death. So in play theme of nothingness creates effect of existential crisis.
14) Vladimir and Estragon talks about ‘hanging’ themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide in Existentialism?
In existentialism suicide is best art ever done. After happens everything, there is a need of national thinking, that is suicide. It is a favourite solution when feeling of absurdity came in life. Vladimir and Estragon ' s Waiting is significant of their steadfast hope and faith. They thought about suicide but not commit , because of hope of salvation that Godot will come.
15 )Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'?
If we do the politically reading of the play Vladimir - Russia ,Estragon - France, Pozzo - Italy and Lucky – England then Godot can be considered as Germany and Hitler. It also suggest it's capitalism. Like Godot Germany also ruled over the world. All the country inferior under the rule of Hitler.
Lucky as slave Ireland , pozzo as England , Vladimir as Russia and Estragon as France. Godot stand as Hitlar ( Germany ) or a psychopathic God. As pozzo controlled Lucky same way England trying to control Ireland and Italy.
17. The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy;s question, Vladimir says:
"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?
VLADIMIR:
How does this conversation go in Act II? Is there any change in seeming similar situation and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?
In act 1 Vladimir said to boy that tell Godot that He Had seen both them and they are waiting for him. In act 2 Vladimir said that tell Godot that , " You saw me ." He not mention Estragon in the dialogue . It means he became self centred and selfish person. He now no more want Estragon with him bacause he thought he deserve more then him at every aspect. So he became selfish.
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