The theatres of the twentieth century witnessed a great number of peculiar experiments. It was, needless to reiterate, an age of avant-garde. Out of many, however, the one that still shakes and thrills me is "Waiting For Godot". A masterpiece from Beckett, it revolutionized the literary world with a number of unusual(s) that it carried with the 'mute' dialogues. I would like to recall the aspects about the play that might interest and benefit the readers.
The Pun - Do you remember the words of Voltaire? He said, "Si Dieu n'existait pas, il faudrait l'inventer." Rendering the words into The English language will elicit, "if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him." Beckett played all the four aces from his allotted share. He named his play - Waiting For God(ot). God is everywhere! Talking about God, be it in any sense, has always attracted the readership of the masses. However, Beckett leaves the delicate hopes of his audience by giving no glimpse of God throughout the play. He tries, nevertheless, to display a society where there is no faith, a society without God.
The Philosophy - Do you think the play carries out any philosophy? At least for Beckett, the answer is no! At one place, Beckett admitted that this play is for sheer pleasure. However, to the scholars, this play appears as an instance full of the examples of rootlessness, existential philosophy and dilemma of humanity. What ends do you want to extract from the play?
The Message - The message of the play is ambiguous. There may be a thousand interpretations or even more than that! More interesting is the fact that there is no happiness to take out from the play. You can compel your mind to move in any direction, you will see hopelessness, sadness, confusion and all other negative aspects of the humanity. The play moves... but what it displays is unmoving! You must remember:
"And they do not move."
The Godot - What does keep the audience and readers curious? It is the identity of Godot. Once you go through the play, as a reader or as someone watching the play in action, you are throughout curious to uncover the truth of Godot. Who is Godot? What is Godot? People keep their minds engaged. In other words, Beckett becomes successful in instigating the connection of audience and the play. However, this connection is juxtaposed with the lost connection of the play's development!
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