“Waiting for Godot and
Birthday party as an Absurd play”
Name: Rinkal D. Jani
Roll No: 22
Batch: 2016-18
SEM: 3
Enrollment no: 2069108420170012
Email Id: rinkaljani1807@gmail.com
Paper No: 9 the Modernist Literature
Topic: “Waiting for Godot and Birthday party as an Absurd play”
Submitted to: Dr Dillip Barad
Department
of English,
Smt. S. B. Gardi
Maharaja Krshnkumarsinhji
Bhavnagar Universit
To Evaluate my Assignment click here
Introduction:
The modern age in
literature was grounded in achievements that are amazing in their potential for
both emancipation and destruction. The modern age was highly affected by world
war first and second. The era where the extent of human sufferings and the
power of mindless technology. The entire literature of the 20th
century can be read as an attempt to deal with the discovery of the
hopelessness of courage and the fallibility of mankind in the face of war. The
modern age is also an age where new genres in literature are found for example
“Stream of consciousness”, “Absurdity”, “Dadaism”, etc. there have been don lots
of experiment in the literary genre’s. Like in Drama, novel, poem etc. There
are many writer come during this age who contribute in English literature by
their writing, writer like jams Joyce, Samuel Buckett, Harold Pinter, Virginia
Woolf, T.s Eliot, Etc.
The literary world was shocked by the appearance of a drama so
different and yet so intriguing that it virtually created the term
"Theater of the Absurd," and the entire group of dramas which
developed out of this type of theater is always associated with the name of
Samuel Beckett. His contribution to this particular genre allows us to refer to
him as the grand master, or father, of the genre. While other dramatists have also contributed
significantly to this genre, Beckett remains its single, most towering figure.
The playwrights most often associated with the movement are Samuel
Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, Jean Genet, and Arthur Adamov. The early plays of
Edward Albee and Harold Pinter fit into this classification, but these
dramatists have also written plays that move far away from the Theater of the Absurd
basic elements. There
are two major dramatist Samuel buckett’ Waiting for Godot” and Harold Pinter’s
Birthday Party, have been considered as an absurd play. Let’s have glance on
that how the theme of absurdity will come in these two plays. First of all lets
see what is absurdity and absurd movement?
Ø About theatre of absurd:-
“Theatre of Absurd” = “Expression in art of the meaninglessness of human existence.”
The Theatre of the Absurd (
French: Theater de l'Absurde) is a
designation for particular plays of absurdist
fiction written by a number of
primarily European playwrights in the late 1950s,
as well as one for the style of theatre which has evolved from their work.
Their work expressed what happens when human existence has no meaning or
purpose and therefore all communication breaks down, in fact alerting their
audiences to pursue the opposite. Logical construction and argument gives way
to irrational and illogical speech and to its ultimate conclusion, silence.
“Absurd theatre is associated with existentialism.”
Critic Martin Esslin coined
the term in his 1960 essay "Theatre of the Absurd." He related
these plays based on a broad theme of the Absurd, similar to the way Albert
Camus uses the term in his 1942 essay, "The Myth
of Sisyphus ". The Absurd in
these plays takes the form of man’s reaction to a world apparently without
meaning, and/or man as a puppet controlled or menaced by invisible outside
forces. Though the term is applied to a wide range of plays, some
characteristics coincide in many of the plays: broad comedy, often similar
to Vaudeville, mixed with horrific or
tragic images; characters caught in hopeless situations forced to do repetitive
or meaningless actions; dialogue full of clichés, wordplay, and nonsense; plots
that are cyclical or absurdly expansive; either a parody or dismissal of
realism and the concept of the "well-made play".
What is absurd?
“The condition of state in which human
exist in a meaningless irrational universe where in people live have no
purposes or meaning.”
Characteristics of the “Theater of Absurd:-
1.Broad
comedy
2.Menacing
and tragic effect
3.Alienation
effect
4.Hopelessness
in characters
5.Fragmentations
6.Parody
of the concept of ‘well maid play’
7.Unconventional
writing
8.Irrationality
9.At
some extent similar to the characteristics of Postmodernism.
Ø “Waiting for Godot”
Samuel
Beckett is a renowned Irish dramatist and novelist. “Waiting for Godot” is his
well-known play. The play is one of the classic works of theatre of absurd. Beckett
also deals with nothingness in waiting for Godot it shows some deep meaning in
life in different way. Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for
Godot’ belongs to the tradition of the Theatre of Absurd. It is
unconventional in not depicting any dramatic conflicts. In the play,
practically nothing happened, no development is to be found, there is no
beginning and no end. The entire action boils down in an absurd setting of a
country side road with two tramps Vladimir and Estragon who simply idle away
their time waiting for Godot about whom they have only vague
ideas. (Hussain)
In fact this play comes
under “Theater of Absurd”. It is a kind of tragic comedy and unlikable truth
about life and world is described here. There are only five characters in this
play. They are Vladimir, Estragon, Pozzo, Lucky and a boy. The effect of
existentialism can be found very much here. The play itself is a symbol of
hopelessness and nothingness. In “Theater of Absurd”, there is no plot, no
story, no beginning and no end. In short, it challenges the tradition of well
maid play. This play has same ‘nothing’. The language is simple and vague.
Main features of the Theater of the Absurd in Waiting for Godot
Meaningless of Life:
Theatre of the Absurd
presented the life as meaningless and one that could simply end in casual
slaughter. This was reflected in the society of the time. It was because of the
following reasons:
ü Mechanical nature of Man
of the Life
ü Alien worlds
ü Time
ü Isolation
A play is expected to
entertain the audience with logically built, witty dialogue. But in this play,
like any other absurd play, the dialogue seems to have degenerated into
meaningless babble. ‘Nothing to be done’ is the words that are repeated
frequently. The dialogues the characters exchange are meaningless banalities.
· Lack of the Plot
Absurd plays have lack of
the plot. There is the great deal of the repetition in action and language
Ex. It lacks the traditional standards of
drama, no causal chain of effects and events, no Aristotle’s structure of
drama.
· Non Conventional Story:
Theatre of the absurd
have not the conventional story which can convince the readers or viewers. Ex.
In this play Estragon & Vladimir always waiting for the man namely Godot
who never come.
· Contradiction and
repetition of the dialogues
For example Vladimir
yells to Estragon: “Come on . . . return the ball can’t you, once in
a way?” Vladimir’s complaint is descriptive of much of the
dialogue in the remainder of the play; it is very much like two people playing
a game with one another and one is unable to keep the ball in play. One more
Ex.,
We’re waiting for Godot (pg-51)
Boy: I don’t know sir:
Repetition of the objects
Ex.
In the play props like
hat and boot also symbolizes something in the play. While in first we see Hat
and Boots use as props in the play. Both props are means for their time pass.
They changing hat passing their boring time. But in deeper connotation Boots is
a symbol of lower order of thinking or related with body only and Hat it
symbolize higher thinking and mind that Vladimir is doing.
· Devaluation of The
Language:
The absurd dramatist felt
that conventional language had failed man and it was inadequate means of
communication. The uselessness of language was used by the characters
constantly; they speak in clichés, overused, tired expressions. They use
language to feel the emptiness between them, to conceal the fact that they have
'nothing' to talk about to each other.
Ex. Lucky’s speech in Act-1
(quaquaquaquaqua)
· Cyclical Structure:
In fact, everything is
structured by this revenge motive. But in Waiting for Godot, where there is no
motivated action, the sense of nothingness play the pivotal role in determining
the every aspect of the play. Absurd play has a repetitive cyclical structure.
ü Similar setting- Debris
ü Timing- day to moon rise
ü Actions- hat Swapping
scene
ü Similar Acts structure
ü Same acts ending
· Element of
Existentialism:
Ø Absurd theatre questions
the existence of man.
Absurdist believes in the godless world.
(World war-2)
Ø Human existence has no
meaning and purpose.
“The mystery of human existence lies not in
just staying alive, but in finding something to live
for”
Waiting for Godot” is an
existentialist play because it has clear tints of existentialism in it.
Vladimir represents the portion of humanity who trusts in religion and
spiritual beliefs to guide them, and that Estragon represents the more ideal
existentialist portion of humanity who chooses to stop waiting and construct
the meaning of life based on experience in the tangible and physical world
around them. The following is an example of dialogue which supports this
concept:
Vladimir: Let’s wait and see what he says.
Estragon: Who?
Vladimir: Godot.
Estragon: Good idea.
Vladimir: Let’s wait till we know exactly
how we stand.
Estragon: On the other hand it might be
better to strike the iron before it freezes. (Beckett)
· Cut off from religion:
Society of that time was
cut off from religion. It was presented in absurd play. Ex. In this play
Vladimir& Estragon talks about the thieves that were crucified with Christ
just for passing time. The tree is symbol of Christianity.
Christian myth described
in the dialogues between the boy and Vladimir. The boy, who looks after the
goats is not beaten but, his brother who looks after Mr. Godot’s ships is
beaten.
Christian ideas, it is
also related with many biblical elements and symbols. At the beginning of the
play, Vladimir asks Estragon, have he read the Bibleor not.
Throughout the play, biblical, Christian elements are very much presented with
the symbols.
‘’ Religion enables us to ignore
nothingness and to get with the jobs of life’’’(john Updike)
· Absurd Ending:
Absurd play has
unexplained ending Hope, religion, nothingness, forgetfulness, purposelessness'
of man, ending is not Conclusion. Another example is at the end of both acts,
they talks about going but no one goes:
Ø “ESTRAGON: Well, shall we
go?
VLADIMIR: Yes, let's go.
(They do not move).”
Ø (End of second act)
“VLADIMIR: Well? Shall we
go?
ESTRAGON: Yes, let's go.
(They do not move).”
In
short every aspect of the play structure, theme, setting, character, dialogue
or some other behavioral silent activities is motivated by one thing that is
nothingness now clear that Absurdity or we can say Nothingness tells us
something and gives us deep meaning about life and it also shows the reality of
life and it is clearly shown in this play with the help of these five
characters.
“The Birthday Party”
The
Birthday Party (1957) is the second full-length play by HaroldPinter and one of Pinter's best-known and
most-frequently performed plays. After its hostile London reception almost
ended Pinter's playwriting career, it went on to be considered "a
classic".
The
Birthday Party is about Stanley Webber, an erstwhile piano player
in his 30s, who lives in a rundown boarding house, run by Meg and Petey Boles,
in an English seaside town, "probably on the south coast, not too far from
London". Two sinister strangers, Goldberg and McCann, who arrive supposedly
on his birthday and who appear to have come looking for him, turn Stanley's
apparently innocuous birthday party organized by Meg into a nightmare
Harold Pinter, according to Esslin, is one
of the defining playwrights of the movement and like other playwrights at this
time, such as Samuel Beckett, Pinter wants to communicate the enigmatic and
problematic nature of human existence. Esslin states that however realistic the
situations which arise appear to be, Pinter’s plays are essentially reflections
on, and allegories of, the human condition. (Esslin,1963). Pinter emphasises
the instability and comfortlessness of the human condition.
Ø Effect of ‘Theatre of Absurd’ in
“The Birthday Party”:-
· Broad comedy
· Menacing and tragic
effect
· Shifting Identies
· Ambiguity and Mystery
· Hopelessness and
Fragmentation characters
To shake audiences from their more
conventional viewing habits, the playwrights of the Absurdist Theater used
traditional settings to ease the audience into their plays, and then shocked
them with surreal imagery, uncommon circumstances, or fragmented language.
Language within the Absurdist Theater often transcended its base meaning. As in
The Birthday Party, nothing is as it seems and no one speaks the whole truth.
Also, the use of silence as language was often utilized in these plays.
The writer of the Birthday Party , Harold
Pinter explained this absurdist concept best in his 1962 speech “Writing for
the Theater,” which was presented at the National Student Drama Festival in
Bristol. He said, “I suggest there can be no hard distinctions between what is
real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false.” The thin
line between truth and lies is perhaps the defining characteristic of the
Theater of the Absurd.
Broad Comedy
Mainly it is found in the characters of
Meg, Stanley and Lulu.
“Meg: Stan! I'm coming up to fetch
you if you don't come down! I'm coming up! I'm going to count three! One! Two!
Three! I'm coming to get you! (She exits and goes upstairs. In a moment, shouts
from STANLEY, wild laughter from
MEG)”
“Meg: What are the cornflakes like, Stanley?
Stanley: Horrible.”
Menacing and tragic effect
·
· Frightening effect we
find very much as it is “Comedy of Menace” also.
·
·
·
In movie background sounds play vital role for it.
·
·
· In movie we have many
dialogues and scenes such as Blindmen’s Buff scene( Menace) and Interrogation
scene (tragic element).
·
·
·
Very much use of screaming and shouting in the play.
Hopelessness and fragmentation in
characters
·
· In almost every character
we find a kind of disappointment and complain from life.
·
·
· Meg keeps on running
meaningless conversations like “how is cornflakes ?” or “didn’t you enjoy
your breakfast ?”etc. It is perhaps to fill the emptiness within her.
·
·
And Petey’s indifferent silence.
·
·
Lulu’s
frustration comes out when the dialogue between her and Goldberg occurs.
Ambiguity and Mystery
·
Stanley’s past is so Mysterious
·
Goldberg and McCann way of asking questions to
Stanley
·
Kafka’s
work intensifies the dreadful angst experienced by the protagonist
To conclude:
We may say that both the play has contain the theme of
Absurdity but there is different kind of absurdity is there. In In “Waiting for Godot” there was
“Nobody comes, nobody goes, its awful”
And in this play we can say that,
“Something
happens, someone comes, and someone goes but who we don’t know.”
In waiting for Godot nobody comes not any
sound is there, nothing can be happened, the whole situation is awful and
meaningless and in the Birthday party, there is something happened, but yet
nothing can be happened.
Work cited:
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