Worksheet: Screening Movie Waiting for Godot

After viewing the movie adaptation (Waiting for Godot) of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot (Beckett, Waiting for Godot), students are supposed to give their responses in the comments below this blogpost. The points to ponder are given to give direction to their thoughts. It is expected they give honest responses on the points given below.

The movie is directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. In this 2001 movie, Barry McGovern and Johnny Murphy played Vladimir and Estragon, where as Lucky and Pozzo were performed by Alan Sandford and Stephen Brennan, respectively.

Attempt this online quiz to check your understanding of the play

Points to Ponder:

·       What is Existentialism?

o   Read Existentialism (Burnham and Papandreopoulos)  

o   Read Existentialism (C. Wikipedia, Existentialism)

o   Watch this video on the Introduction of Existentialism

·       What is the theme of The Myth of Sisyphus?

o   Read The Myth of Sisyphus. Translated from the French by Justin O'Brien, 1955 (Camus)

o   Read brief on The Myth of Sisyphus (C. Wikipedia)

o   Read brief on Alber Camus Society website (Schrahé)

·       Do you agree that Existentialism is Humanism?

o   Read original lecture (1946) in English translated by Philip Mairet (Sartre)

o   Read brief note on Existentialism is Humanism (C. Wikipedia, Existentialism and Humanism)

o   A Student’s guide to Existentialism and Humanism (Warburton)

·       What is Übermensch?

o   Nietzsche had his character Zarathustra posit the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself in his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra

o   Read brief on Übermensch? (C. Wikipedia, Ubermensch)

o   Nietzsche’s idea of an overman and life from his point of view (Stanford)

o   Nietzsche’s Übermensch: A Hero of Our Time? (Cybulska)

·       What is Theater of Absurd?

o   Read Absurd Drama - Martin Esslin: Introduction to "Absurd Drama" (Penguin Books, 1965) (Esslin, Absurd Drama)

o   Read brief on The Theater of Absurd (C. Wikipedia, Theater of Absurd)

• Language: The surprise of the play is its language. It is incredible to see the complex philosophical thoughts of Existentialism captured with this sort of simplicity in language.
• 
  

With reference to these topics of background reading, you have viewed the movie ‘Waiting for Godot’ (Beckett, Waiting for Godot). Please give your responses to these points:

·       What connection do you see in the setting (“A country road. A tree.Evening.”) of the play and these paintings?

·       The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of tree in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves - ?

Leaves on Tree - Waiting for Godot

·         In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot?

Night and Moon - Waiting for Godot

·       The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?

·       The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?

·       Do you agree: “The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what— atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life." (E.G. Marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950s)?

·       How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolical significance of these props?

·       Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?

Pozzo - Lucky: Master-Slave

·       Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? Or  . . .

·       “The subject of the play is not Godot but ‘Waiting’” (Esslin, A Search for the Self). Do you agree? How can you justify your answer?

·        Do you think that plays like this can better be ‘read’ than ‘viewed’ as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to ‘think’? Or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?

·       Which of the following sequence you liked the most:

o   Vladimir – Estragon killing time in questions and conversations while waiting

Vladimir and Estragon: The Had and the Boot

o   Pozzo – Lucky episode in both acts

o   Converstion of Vladimir with the boy

·       Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt, if ever it was?

·       Vladimir and Estragon talks about ‘hanging’ themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide in Existentialism?

• Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'?

So far as Pozzo and Lucky [master and slave] are concerned, we have to remember that Beckett was a disciple of Joyce and that Joyce hated England. Beckett meant Pozzo to be England, and Lucky to be Ireland." (Bert Lahr who played Estragon in Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?

The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy;s question, Vladimir says: 

"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?

VLADIMIR:

Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?

How does this conversation go in Act II? Is there any change in seeming similar situation and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?

Online QUIZ: Click here to open in new browser

Click here to view some videos of the movie:

Works Cited

• Beckett, Samuel. "Waiting for Godot." Samuel Becket.Net. 22 Sept 2014 <http://samuel-beckett.net/Waiting_for_Godot_Part1.html>.
• Burnham, Douglas and George Papandreopoulos. "Existentialism." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 22 September 2014 <http://www.iep.utm.edu/existent/>.
• Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus. Trans. Justin O'Brien. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975.
• Cybulska, Eva. https://philosophynow.org/issues/93/Nietzsches_Ubermensch_A_Hero_of_Our_Time. 22 Sept 2014 <https://philosophynow.org/issues/93/Nietzsches_Ubermensch_A_Hero_of_Our_Time>.
• Esslin, Martin. "A Search for the Self." Bloom, Harold. Waiting for Godot: Critical Interpretations. New Delhi: Viva Books, 2001.
• —. Absurd Drama. 7 May 2003. 22 Sept 2014 <http://www.samuel-beckett.net/AbsurdEsslin.html>.
• Sartre, Jean-Paul. Existentialism Is a Humanism. Ed. Andy Blunden. 1998. 22 Sept 2014 <https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/sartre/works/exist/sartre.htm>.
• Schrahé, Svenja. Albert Camus and The Myth of Sisyphus. 2011. 22 Sept 2014 <http://www.camus-society.com/myth-of-sisyphus.html>.
• Stanford, CCRMA. https://ccrma.stanford.edu/. 22 Sept 2014 <https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~pj97/Nietzsche.htm>.
• Waiting for Godot. By Samuel Beckett. Dir. Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Perf. Barry McGovern and Johny Murphy. Blue Angels Films, Dublin Gate Theatre, Parallel Film Productions. 2001.
• Warburton, Nigel. A student’s guide to Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existentialism and Humanism. 22 Sept 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism_and_Humanism>.
• Wikipedia, Contributor. The Myth of Sisyphus. 22 Sept 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Sisyphus>.
• Wikipedia, Contributors. Existentialism. 22 Sept 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism>.
• —. Existentialism and Humanism. 22 Sept 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism_and_Humanism>.
• —. Theater of Absurd. 22 Sept 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_the_Absurd>.
• —. Ubermensch. 22 Sept 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Cbermensch>.

Human Perspective vs Divine Perspective: Milton's Paradise Lost Book IX

The Human Perspective and the Divine Perspective: The Human-Centric Lens: Rethinking 'Genesis' and 'Paradise Lost' in Renaissance Literature

~ Dilip Barad

Cite this: Click to open this on ResearchGate

Introduction:

The Renaissance and Reformation eras brought about a profound transformation in the socio-cultural landscape of Europe by shifting the focus from a God-centric worldview to one centered around humanity. This shift had a far-reaching impact on various aspects of life, including literature. This research article delves into the intriguing phenomenon of how these shifts manifested in the retelling of biblical narratives, specifically in 'Genesis' from The Holy Bible and Book IX from John Milton's 'Paradise Lost.'

'Genesis' presents the story of the Fall from God's perspective, where characters like Adam and Eve appear as flat, emotionless figures. However, critical questions arise regarding the fairness of God's judgments. Why is the serpent, an instrument used by Satan, cursed instead of Satan? Why are Eve's descendants punished for her disobedience? Adam's culpability, too, seems inadequately addressed. 'Genesis' predominantly remains a God-centric narrative, overlooking the perspectives of Adam, Eve, or even the serpent.

In contrast, John Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' particularly in Book IX, offers a human-centric reinterpretation of the same story. Milton's portrayal grants intentionality to Eve's actions, emphasizing her pursuit of knowledge, equality, and free will. This human perspective reframes Eve's character, potentially redeeming her intentions. Furthermore, the portrayal of Adam's actions as driven by human emotions such as ambition, envy, revenge, and spite aligns the narrative with a distinctly human viewpoint. Satan, too, takes on human qualities, making the narrative more relatable.

This article argues that literary works inevitably align with the human perspective, as authors cannot forsake human emotions and experiences in favor of religious or divine perspectives. Literature thrives on the rich tapestry of human virtues and vices, serving as a mirror to human existence. In literature, the human perspective stands as the primary and indispensable vantage point, with all other viewpoints converging upon it. Ultimately, the core of literature resides in its portrayal of human beings and their experiences.

Paradigm Shift from God-centric to Human-centric:

One of the major changes Renaissance and Reformation brought in socio-cultural life of Europe was the paradigm shift from God-centric world to human-centric one. The renewed interest in Humanism decentered God and replaced (Hu)Man at the center of the Universe. If all the walks of life were affected, how can literature remain aloof? All those 'stories' in scriptures (mainly The Holy Bible) which were said from the Divine perspective were retold from Human perspective. Some of the narratives seemed telling the stories from the Divine perspective, but, actually, they were not.

Let us try to explore this hypothesis. We will take bird's eye view of 'Genesis' from The Holy Bible and Book IX from Paradise Lost. John Milton proposed in 'Argument' to 'justify the ways of God to men'. In fact, he moves on the justify '(Hu)Man's ways in this world'.

In 'Genesis', the 'Fall' is narrated from God's perspective. Obviously, God is the center of Bible. The characters of Adam and Eve are flat, lifeless and mere puppet. They do not have any emotion or feeling or voice. The Satan-Serpent tempted Eve, Eve tempted Adam and the Fall happened. God emerged and punished all three. Many questions remained unanswered in the God's Justice.

The Angry God

• If Satan used serpent's body to harm Adam, Eve and Eden, why should it be punished instead of Satan:

"Because you have done this, cursed are you above

all cattle, and above all wild animals upon your belly you shall

go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put

enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed

and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise

his heel." (God in Genesis)

• If Eve is to be punished for her 'disobedience', why should her children also be cursed: "I will put enmity between... your seed and her seed". (God). To curse Eve to multiply her pain in childbearing is not fair way to punish her.

"I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." (God)

• If Adam shares the guilt, he is not fairly well judged and punished. He seems to be in God's good book:

"And to Adam he said, "Because you

have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the

tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,'

cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it

all the days of your life;thorns and thistles it shall bring forth

to you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat

of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you

shall return." (God)

Regretful Adam and Eve - God's Wrath on the act of Disobedience (Natoire)

Well, the entire story of Genesis is quite obviously, God centric. It is narrated from Divine perspective. It does not take care of Adam or Eve or Serpent's perspective.

When we come to John Milton's Paradise Lost (esp. Book IX), we realise that the same story is told from Human perspective. Seemingly, it tries to justify ways of God to man, whereas, in reality, it retells the story from Human perspective. Let us see, how it happens.

There are two major instances where we find the human perspective governing the plot of Book IX.

If inferior, Who is Free?

• Firstly, Eve is responsible for disobedience and thus Fall of man. Her wily act is that of touching and tasting the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Nevertheless, she is presented with an intention to act. This giving an intention to act is where Milton brings in human perspective. Eve intention to taste the fruit was to gain 'knowledge', to be equal to Adam, to know good and evil as God seems to know it all, to be superior to Adam 'for, to be inferior, who is free'? She wanted to be 'free'. She wanted to exercise her free will and reason which is gifted by God. With this clarity in mind, she does what she does. She is human being and thus, acts like human being. Milton is a poet. The poet stands in favour of humans rather than God. Unknowingly, perhaps, Milton redeems Eve by giving her intentions which are quite noble and unproblematic.

• Secondly, the act of Adam. Adam is  also driven by human emotion: 

Adam's love for Eve was genuine and selfless (Stovring)

"Should God create another Eve, and I

Another rib afford, yet loss of thee

Would never from my heart. No, no! I feel

The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh,

Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state

Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe." 

(Book IX, Paradise Lost)

His intentions are not tempted or forced upon him. He, after deep thinking, decides to be on the side of Eve rather than God. It is 'Love' - the human emotion - which drives him. 

• We can read the character of Satan also being driven by human emotion.

Satan and found The Serpent subtlest beast of all the field (Doré)

 

But what will not ambition and revenge

Descend to? Who aspires must down as low

As high he soared, obnoxious, first or last,

To basest things. Revenge, at first though sweet,

Bitter ere long back on itself recoils.

Let it; I reck not, so it light well aimed,

Since higher I fall short, on him who next

Provokes my envy, this new favourite

Of Heaven, this Man of Clay, son of despite,

Whom, us the more to spite, his Maker raised

From dust: spite then with spite is best repaid."

(Book IX, Paradise Lost)

These so called deadly sins like 'ambition', 'envy'. 'revenge' and 'spiteful' which Satan represents are quite human. No human can deny absence of these rather negative emotions in the breast of this Man of Clay. Therefore, Satan is also presented with human perspective. 

Conclusion

Literary writers, however hard they try, can't be on the side of God or religion at the cost of humans. Human beings, with all their virtues and vices, are the raw material of literature. Literature can't exist if it does anything sacrificing human emotions and feelings at the altar of religion / God. It is made by, made for and made of human beings. The human perspective is not one of the perspectives of literature it is the 'only' perspective of literature.  It may have been used a as prism to reflect rainbow of perspectives. In literature, all other perspectives zero down to Human perspective. The center of literature is human beings.

Humanity reaching out to Divinity (Michelangelo, Creation of Adam) 

References:

Doré, Gustav. “Him, fast sleeping, soon he found in labyrinth of many a round, self-rolled” (IX. 182,183),1866, for John Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” Engraving. (Public Domain)

Holy Bible, King James Bible. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Genesis-Chapter-1/>

Michelangelo. Creation of Adam (c. 1511). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Milton, John. Paradise Lost. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.bartleby.com/4/401.html>

Natoire, Charles Joseph. The Rebuke of Adam and Eve. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437180. Accessed 11 Sept. 2023.

Stovring, Kim. Adam and Eve. Flickr. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kimstovring/15487266947/in/photostream/ . Accessed 11 Sept. 2023.

Online Test:Check your understanding of Book IX of The Paradise Lost.Click here to open online test.

Interpretation Challenge: Breath: The Shortest Play by Samuel Beckett

Breath - a Play

While discussing ‘The Theatre of the Absurd’ and Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’, we viewed film version of his shortest play ‘Breath’ - a thirty-seconds play. Would you like to take challenge to give interpretation of this shortest play? Give your interpretation after reading the play and a few video versions (scroll down to read-view), in the comment section below this blog-post.

A still from the version of the play - Breath

The script of the play:

CURTAIN Up

1. Faint light on stage littered with miscellaneous rubbish. Hold about five seconds.
2. Faint brief cry and immediately inspiration and slow increase of light together reaching maximum - together in about ten seconds. Silence and hold for about five seconds.
3. Expiration and slow decrease of light together reaching minimum together (light as in 1) in about ten seconds and immediately cry as before. Silence and hold about five seconds. 

CURTAIN Down

Clue to interpret the play:

• Absurd: philosophy meaningless: lacking any meaning that would give purpose to life  the notion that existence is absurd

  
  

  meaninglessness: the condition of living in a meaningless universe where life has no purpose, especially as a concept in some 20th-century philosophical movements. Existentialism: philosophical movement centred on individual existence: a philosophical movement begun in the 19th century that denies that the universe has any intrinsic meaning or purpose. It requires people to take responsibility for their own actions and shape their own destinies.

  Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

You can view videos of the play:

1.  Breath by Damien Hirst

2.  Breath - Samuel Beckett by Liana De Jourdan

3.  National Theatre School First Year Technical Production Class project, production of Samuel Beckett's play Breath.

4.  Samuel Beckett Breath (Modern Interpretation)

You are requested to give your opinion / interpretation / review after viewing above mentioned video & below given reading resources.

The picturization of the play by students: Click on the names to read their interpretations of the play:

Aditi

Bhavyang

Bhumika

Chandani

Daya

Jignesh

Khushbu

Kishan

Latta

Nandita

Nidhi

Niyati

Riddhi

Sneha

Asha

 

  Bharati

 

Dhara

 

Hina

 

Kavisha

 

Kinnari

 

Mehal

 

Nirali and Rita

  Nishtha

Payal

 

Ravina

 

Rohit

 

Samiya

 

Sima

 

Dharti 

 

Tamsa 

 

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breath_(play)
2. http://www.openculture.com/2015/03/take-a-breath-and-watch-samuel-becketts-one-minute-play.html
3. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/eng_dept_bu/YH_MJPsY9_c (Read views of students of previous batch - 2012-14)

Presentations on William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'

A few presentations on various topics on William Shakespeare's revenge play - tragedy are embedded on this blog post.
After viewing the presentations, would you like to check your understanding of the play 'Hamlet'?
Please appear in this QUIZ to check your understanding:

The Presentation on the Introduction of the play and Renaissance Humanism

Introduction to the Play: Hamlet from Dilip Barad

• The Presentation on the Greatness of the play

Reasons for the Greatness of Hamlet from Dilip Barad

• The Presentation on 'Hamlet' as a Revenge Play

Hamlet as a Revenge Play from Dilip Barad

• The Presentation on the structure of the play - Is 'Hamlet' an artistic failure?

Is Hamlet Artistic Failure? Structure of the Play from Dilip Barad