Elaborate the concept of time and place in “Waiting for Godot.”

Answer

 Elaborate the concept of time and place in “Waiting for Godot.” [NU: 2015, 18, 20] ★★★

In “Waiting for Godot” (1952), Samuel Beckett (1906-89) shows time and place in a strange way. Time is unclear. The place never changes. The story feels like a dream. Time moves slowly. The place feels empty. This creates the feeling of endless waiting. Both time and place help to show the meaninglessness in the play.

Unclear Time: There is no date in the play. We never know the year. We never know the season exactly. Sometimes it feels cold. Sometimes the tree has leaves. Vladimir and Estragon cannot remember the past clearly. Estragon asks, 

“What did we do yesterday?” 

Vladimir is not sure. They do not know how long they have been waiting. The audience feels lost in time.

Repeated Days: Both acts are almost the same. Act One: The men meet near the tree. They wait for Godot. Pozzo and Lucky arrive. They talk. They leave. A boy comes. He says Godot will not come today, but tomorrow. Act Two: The same thing happens again. The same talk. The same message. Vladimir says, 

“We’re waiting for Godot.” 

Days repeat. Nothing changes.

Slow and Empty Time: The men wait all day. Time passes very slowly. They have nothing important to do. They joke. They fight. They make peace. Estragon tries to take off his boots. Vladimir plays with his hat. They talk about the Bible. They think of hanging themselves from the tree. Estragon says, 

“Nothing to be done.” 

This shows the boredom of slow time.

No Real Change in Time: Between Act One and Act Two, one night passes. In the morning, the tree has a few leaves. This is the only change. But everything else is the same. The men are still waiting. Pozzo and Lucky come again. This time, Pozzo is blind. Lucky is dumb. These changes do not change the main situation.