Essay: Waiting for Godot- A Narrative of Nothingness in Nothingness by Isha Sharma

In this essay, Isha Sharma takes us through Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot (Published in 1954) observing how it explores the absurdity of human existence and hope.

Absurd narratives, unlike regular dramas and plays, highlight the question of the point and purpose of human existence using irrational and static situations. Samuel Beckett’s absurd play, Waiting for Godot published in 1954 in English, explores the absurdity of human existence and hope in a world where ‘nothing changes.’

The play with no concrete beginning, middle, or end sees two vagabonds, Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot, the belief that defines the explanation of life. The play offers steadiness on two levels: the unwavering despair that the characters experience because “they are rootless; experienced but disillusioned” and the stability of hope because of which “they remain stationary.”