Waiting for Godot a tragicomedy Free Essay Example, 1000 words

The idea of despair prevails in the work and at several places; both the characters talk about their situation and say that there is nothing which can be done about it. However, soon after a declaration of despair or a long passage about how everything is meaningless, they launch into a game or a comic routine which makes the play seem lively and funny. While Vladimir and Estragon come onto the scene with no other purpose in life than to wait for Godot, Lucky’s seems to function as a slave to Pozzo. He has no independent abilities and one of the strangest passages in the play come where his master asks him to think (Beckett, 1952). He launches into a long speech which sounds like someone trying to push out random thoughts out of a blender. The speech can be seen as the comic ranting of a madman or the tragic wandering thoughts of a genius and given that the audience already knows the play to be a tragicomedy, it can be seen as both simultaneously. There is also the essentiall y tragic realization that Lucky is a complete slave to his master’s wishes but before the audience has time to dwell on the thought and see what a miserable and hopeless life Lucky has, they are presented with the image of both Vladimir and Estragon trying to find Pozzo’s watch and comparing the stench of their breath and feet. We will write a custom essay sample on Waiting for Godot: a tragicomedy or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now An emotional switch from the life of lucky to the present plight of the heroes does not the audience time to consider the situation until the second Act where Lucky and Pozzo reappear in completely different circumstances. The simple tragic statement given by Pozzo in the second Act which declares that he has gone blind is immediately followed by a comic statement from Estragon who suggests that perhaps Pozzo can see in the future (Beckett, 1952). This simple exchange beautifully mixes two elements from tragedy and comedy, the tragic frustration and despair of Pozzo at going blind and the comic naivety and hope of Estragon. In fact, hope comes across as a central theme in both the acts since the characters never loose hope of seeing Godot. It is this hope of seeing Godot that keeps them rooted to their spots even when they decide to quit waiting and just go on with their lives. Even though some critics have thought that Godot represents God, Becket t himself denied it. I think that Godot represents a purpose and a desire to have a purpose. Godot is (as management gurus would call it) motivation. In the play the act of waiting for Godot can possibly be seen by audiences as a search for meaning in life and the characters are waiting for some meaning to come in their otherwise empty life.