‘Waiting for Godot: Title’

Subject: The Modernist Literature (Paper-IX)

  

Study: MA

Year: Semester – III

Guided By: Dr. D. Baradsir

Submitted To: Department of English

University: MKBU

‘Waiting for Godot’: Title

Prologue:

            ‘Waiting for Godot’ is a modern play written by Samuel Beckett. It was written or we can called it was first performed on 5^th January, 1953. This play has modern art in it as per critics. It is also known as an absurd play and it was performed under genera of the absurd theater. It was originally written in French language but after that it was translated by its own author, Samuel Beckett himself, so we can say that originally and as translated version it is a genuine play by author only and because of it words can be differ in both versions but basic concept and idea is not changing in it.

            This play contains only five characters and only two of them are most important or protagonist, named Vladimir and Estragon. Three another characters are Pozzo, Lucky, A boy and last but not the list is Godot, for whom they are waiting in entire play.

            The protagonists of this play are waiting for Godot and so this play is named as ‘Waiting for Godot’. So we can understand easily that Godot is something which is something, who comes and who is that much important that two people are constantly talking about it and waiting for it. So it has its existence into the title of this play so here we can see rule of Aristotle about tragedy that, tragedy’s name can be based on some important character’s name. This play’s title itself indicates waiting for something, quest for something, and wishes for something. It plays vital role to create a curiosity among the audience about this play from beginning. This title indicates that something will happen and be ready for it. Title has its important part in this whole play because it is the only reason for this play. This sentence in often use by main character, Vladimir. Estragon use to ask:

“What are we doing here?”

Vladimir replays: “Waiting for Godot.”

This how this title is used in whole play and so it is natural that anyone can understand that Mr. Godot must be very important person and it must occupied extremely chief place in both person’s life and in play and that’s why he is the only person who is remain absent in beginning and he will come later on in this play.

The source of the title:

            The source for the full title of the play caused similar anxiety. It creates some kind of vagueness in the mind of the audience. It is monotones by nature. The most convincing Marcadet’ and it was written by Balzec. In that play, ‘Marcadet’, the return of a person suggestion in this case of title is that, it comes from Eric Bentley, who traces the title of another play, ‘named Godean is restlessly awaited. The frustration of waiting is a part of Balzec’s play and the same frustration we can find in Samuel Beckett’s play. Martin Esslin has heartily endorsed another suggestion and so have several commentators. According to another suggestion, the title of           Beckett’s play comes from Simone Will’s play ‘Waiting for God’. It has been pointed out that Beckett and Simone knew each other well and that Beckett’s play appeared a year after the publication of Simone’s. The influence of will on Beckett is thus a distinct possibility. If this view be accepted, then ‘Waiting for Godot’ can be understood as a religious allegory. According to yet another view, the source of the title for the play was Odets’s ‘waiting for lefty’. It is believed that the name “Odets” might have itself have suggested to Beckett the name ‘Godot’. There is still another possibility Beckett’s title may have its source in Tom Kromer’s book called ‘Waiting for Nothing?’ (Jana)

Meaning of the Title, ‘Waiting for Godot’:

           

            This title, ‘Waiting for Godot’ simple means that this play is about waiting. It just shows that waiting is happening or some story about waiting must be there in play. ‘To wait means to delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence.’ It means this title shows lack of action on the stage. It merely just about waiting for something named Godot nothing else. It is also known as action less plot and because of that it is also known as absurd play and modern play. But main curious part of this title is name Godot. It is very curios. It has no meaning at all as one point of view. But as another point of view it has so many interpretations and meanings, too. So it is depend on viewer’s thoughts and director’s thoughts that how they look at Godot and what are they looking for as Godot. Characters are also can be included in this point. So the same thing but in different vision, it is the basic thing in this title. When Samuel Beckett was asked about Godot’s meaning he replayed very calmly:

“If I know I would say so in the play.”

But basically we can say that in French language Godo means ‘Eau (water)’, means something which is life of our lives and in English language Godo means ‘God’ again powerful factor, which is deeply rooted in our life. In Iris language this word, Godo is usually uses for ‘God’. So these are some basic and meaningful meaning of this play’s title. These are some dotes and as we know that to see literature means to connecting dotes and see what emerges as a picture. But here we also can conclude that nothing clear picture of literature is emerges from this play. Something is visible but it is not clear, it is very vague idea about human life and society. It shows nothingness. This play creates nothingness in human mind. (Jana)

            In Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett produces a truly cryptic work. On first analysis the play, one is not sure of what, if anything, happens or of the title character's significance. In attempting to unravel the themes of the play, interpreters have extracted a wide variety symbolism from the Godot's name. Some, taking an obvious hint, have proposed that Godot represents God and that the play is centered on religious symbolism. Others have taken the name as deriving from the word from French language for a boot, godillot. Still, others have suggested aconnection between Godot and Godeau, a character who never appears in Honore de Balzac's Mercadet; Ou, le faiseur. Through all these efforts, there is still no definitive answer as to whom or what Godot represents, and the writer has denied that Godot represents a specific thing, despite a certain ambiguity in the name. Upon study, however, one realizes that this ambiguity in meaning is the exact meaning of Godot. Though he seems to create greater symbolism and significance in the name Godot, Beckett actually rejects the notion of truth in language through the insignificance of the title character's name. By creating a false impression of religious symbolism in the name Godot Beckett leads the interpreter to a dead end.

           

This play is merely presenting boredom, waiting, ignorance, pain, suffering and that type of things only. This play shows that humans are suffering from this type of things only. Human life is full of alienation, loneliness, in quest of something, mainly in quest of his/ her identity only. If we want and we have such a thought for our self that we can relate our self with the two characters of the play named, Vladimir and Estragon. They are mentioned as just two characters on the stage. They have no past, they have no future, what they are doing in present is not clear. They are just waiting for Godot to come that is true but why?? It is not clear, too. They even don’t know that who is Godot and where is he come from. They just know that he will come and they have to wait for him at any cost. They have no son, no daughter, no wife, no parents, no friends, no followers, nothing. They are just waiting for something to come. So we can also say that in our life the same thing happens. We are just going on waiting and waiting and waiting only. We also have no past, no future just nothing. As we are alone we also haven’t friends, guide, philosophers, husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, relatives in our life. We just alone and we have to play our role of life to just waiting for something which is not even known to use and even which is exist in this world is also not known to us. Samuel Beckett said in the play:

“We wait. We are bored. (He throws up his hand.) No, don't protest, we are bored to death, there's no denying it. Good. A diversion comes along and what do we do? We let it go to waste ... In an instant all will vanish and we'll be alone once more, in the midst of nothingness!” (Beckett)   

Here in these lines, Beckett’s existentialist ideas show through clearly in Vladimir’s comment. For these thinkers, life isn’t pleasant. “…bored to death…” has double meaning. Bored to the point of misery and bored “till death.” “Come, let’s go to work” implies that it doesn’t stop humans from trying find meaning.

            They two are known about all that stuff but they cannot leave that place. They cannot leave their greed to meet Godot. Even at a moment they also decide to leave that place but then even they stuck their self at that place only. Vladimir said:

“Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! Let us do something, while we have the chance! It is not every day that we are needed. Not indeed that we personally are needed. Others would meet the case equally well, if not better. To all mankind they were addressed, those cries for help still ringing in our ears! But at this place, at this moment of time, all mankind is us, whether we like it or not. Let us make the most of it, before it is too late! Let us represent worthily for once the foul brood to which a cruel fate consigned us! What do you say? It is true that when with folded arms we weigh the pros and cons we are no less a credit to our species. The tiger bounds to the help of his congeners without the least reflection, or else he slinks away into the depths of the thickets. But that is not the question. What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in this immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come—” (Beckett)

If we minutely read these words spoken by Vladimir in this play then we can easily understand that he is just going on speaking things but nothing is done on the stage. There are only words, words and words.

            Here I am adding some lines by Shakespeare:

“This world is a large play and every man has its own role in it.”

I think the same thing is happened here in this play. Every person has its own role without any other people nearby them. Every person has his own individuality. He has to perform his role lonely on the stage of world.

            As the insignificance of Godot is established the lack of meaning expands to other names in episodes with Pozzo. Pozzo, himself, affirms the lack of meaning in a name as he periodically refers to "Godin . . . Godet . . . Godot . . . anyhow you see who I mean". He confuses the name with other words and seemingly feels no real need to learn the right one. Regardless of the language he uses, Vladimir and Estragon understand what he means. By correctly naming Godot, Pozzo would give too much significance to the name. In refusing to even regard the name as important, Pozzo communicates the misleading nature of Beckett's language and acts appropriately. In addition, Vladimir and Estragon expand the scope of meaninglessness to other names when Pozzo first meets the pair. Introducing himself, Pozzo exclaims, "I am Pozzo!" and asks "I say does that name mean nothing to you?”. The name does, in fact, mean absolutely nothing. Just as Godot is meaningless, so are the play's other names. Vladimir and Estragon continue to repeat the name Pozzo, while interchanging it with Bozzo, and Vladimir concludes, "I once knew a family called Gozzo". The insignificance of all the words comes to the fore. Pozzo, Bozzo, Gozzo, and Godot are indistinguishable nonsense. When Vladimir and Estragon are referred to with their nicknames, all five names of the play have two syllables and end in a vowel sound. Furthermore, if the silent, final letter is removed from Godot, it appears as a mere variation of Gogo and Didi as Godo. In this way, characters' names are reduced to incomprehensible utterances that an infant might make. Beckett's language is totally separate from knowledge or truth. His names cannot be distinguished from one another and are completely devoid of any real meaning.

Conclusion:

            Godot is conventionally seen as a differential word- play on God with certain kind of French spelling. But it is important to note that Beckett does not use the French synonym of God, which is 'Dieu' but rather plays on its English counterpart. Whether a symbol of divinity or spirituality or not, Godot is a signifier nevertheless a proper noun, even a signature. There is no signified for it. Instead of trying to read Godot symbolically and trying to find out if it represents God or the meaning of life or a political master, or a patronymic, going by Beckett's own notion of the symbol which always emphasizes on the objectness of the object than on its symbolic import, what director Peter Brook calls a "pure symbol", I think we should see Godot as a seductive but hollow symbol which, once investigated, returns to its self-reflexivity. Thus, Godot symbolizes Godot only and nothing more, nothing less.

            Godot, a meaningless word or mere sound, reveals the insignificance of all Beckett's language. While the play contains obvious ambiguities into the word's meaning, they are all for show. There is no real meaning. The interpretation of Godot's religious significance, while this significance is clearly alluded to, leads to interpreter into a long, blind alley of meaninglessness. Just as Estragon's boots contain nothing inside them, there is no central meaning to the word Godot. Furthermore, this meaninglessness can be expanded to all of Beckett's language; full of hints of a greater significance, language hides the triviality of all things described. Only after this revelation can one finally get towards the central meaning of Beckett's play; there is no meaning. His characters engage in ridiculous language to pass the time and to "give [them] the impression [they] exist". Illusions of significance continue throughout the play, but, in truth, the play comes from nothing and ultimately ends in nothing. Beckett exposes the pitfalls of a language that attempts to create meaning when none exists. Waiting for Godot is not a commentary on religion or really anything for that matter. Its meaning comes in its meaninglessness. That is the play's greater truth.

                                                                                                                                                                  (2,563)

Works Cited

Beckett, Samuel. <http://www.top10-best.com/w/top_10_best_waiting_for_godot_quotes.html>.

—. "Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia." 26 09 2014. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot>.

Jana, Dr. Arghya. <http://arghyajanaliteratureguide.blogspot.in/2012/09/write-note-on-title-of-play-waiting-for.html>.