Literary Devices In Waiting For Godot - 770 Words

It seems that the daily life of Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot simply consists of trying to pass time while waiting for a stranger named Godot to arrive. There seems to be a lack of major meaning and purpose to their lives, and unfortunately it does contain endless suffering. Samuel Beckett portrays the solution for their problem as making their own choices and taking action in life. However, neither Vladimir nor Estragon are able to comprehend this solution. These characters rarely manage to make a conscious decision; finally when one is made they cannot join a physical action to their choice. For instance, at the end of both acts the two men agree they will leave, but rather take action they do not move. Under these†¦show more content†¦Pozzo and Lucky also have repeated days, even though they do not remember the past events. For them, they end up running into Vladimir and Estragon on both days. Lucky also suffers similarly to how the two main characters suffer in life. The choice of staying with Pozzo makes Lucky’s life unpleasant. Pozzo treats Lucky like a slave, overworks him, and uses vulgar language towards him. One may wonder why Lucky puts up with this treatment and why he does not just quit. According to Pozzo, Lucky’s existence is based upon pleasing Pozzo, which is Lucky’s meaning in life. He also says that if Lucky were to ever be freed it would make Lucky’s life insignificant. Pozzo would go as far as to say, â€Å"old dogs have more dignity† (31.) Most people would not find Lucky’s situation lucky at all. The fact that his name is Lucky and his state of existence is so unlucky is ironic. Beckett uses this irony in a dark, humorous way while also conveying his message that one should let the actions taken in life stem from a conscious choice of one’s own rather than blindly following others. In the play Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett uses the literary techniques of repetition and irony to paint a portrait of how the choices made and the actions taken can significantly affect one’s lives. Most of the characters in the play have lives that consist of an endless cycle of anguishShow MoreRelatedThe Significance of Language in Dramatic Productions Essay examples1307 Words   |  6 Pagesstructure, so that it becomes less of an explanatory accompaniment to the action portrayed, and more of a secondary aspect, to be scrutinized and considered in its own right. The term â€Å"Absurd†, when used to describe such works as Waiting for Godot, refers to the originally musical term, ‘discordant’, or ‘out of harmony’. 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