Sartre’s Existentialism in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for...

Sartre’s Existentialism in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot Critics often misunderstand the quintessence of Sartre’s philosophy. Jean-Paul Sartre, in his lecture â€Å"Existentialism is Humanism,† remarks that â€Å"existence precedes essence† (2), that is, man first materializes and then searches for a purpose – an essence. Samuel Beckett, through his play Waiting for Godot, affirms Sartre’s core argument. Misinterpreting Godot, critic Edith contends that it differs fundamentally from Sartre’s philosophy; Kern acknowledges the existential elements within Godot, but argues – incorrectly – that the play is primarily about the absurdity of the human condition (Kern 47). Despite Beckett’s minimalist approach to†¦show more content†¦Lucky blurts: â€Å"Given the existence [†¦] of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard [†¦] who from the heights of [†¦] divine aphasia loves us dearly† (148). The â€Å"quaquaqua† in Lucky’s speech may have more meaning when seen in the context of the original French version of Godot – quoi in French means â€Å"what.† As subtle as the reference is, by repeating â€Å"what† Becket questions the existence of God. Mentioning the â€Å"white beard† is of most importance; Vladimir later learns, by way of the messenger boy, that Godot has a white beard. In a play that revolves around the nuance of language, such an apparent link must mean that Beckett intends for Godot to be a metaphor for God. The â€Å"divine aphasia† comment relates to the medical state of aphasia, in which an individual cannot speak coherently. Claiming that God has aphasia is Beckett’s way of mocking monotheism – a path that is very popular among existential philosophers and authors. Bert States argues that Beckett is â€Å"less interested in endorsing a God, or in denying his existence, than in ‘imitating’ the enigma of the God-idea† (States 55). States claims that Beckett attempts to illustrate the paradoxical question of the existence of God, and does not seek an answer. Although partially accurate – in that Beckett does endeavor to â€Å"imitate† the idea of God through the metaphorShow MoreRelatedBeckett vs Satre2361 Words   |  10 PagesCompare and contrast Sartre’s No Exit with Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Samuel Beckett’s vision of two lowly tramps in the middle of a derelict environment can be placed in direct contrast to the claustrophobic and eternal nightmare presented by Jean-Paul Sartre , but each playwright possessed objectives for their respective audiences and each shared a valued opinion on the theories of existentialism which can be established in the plays Waiting for Godot and No Exit. Beckett introduces the audienceRead More Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow and Samuel Beckett Essay1845 Words   |  8 PagesBrendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow and Samuel Beckett Existential works are difficult to describe because the definition of existentialism covers a wide range of ideas and influences almost to the point of ambiguity. An easy, if not basic, approach to existentialism is to view it as a culmination of attitudes from the oppressed people of industrialization, writers and philosophers during the modern literary period, and people who were personally involved as civilians, soldiers, or rebels duringRead More Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot as an Existentialist Play4416 Words   |  18 PagesWaiting for Godot as an Existentialist Play   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The play, Waiting For Godot, is centred around two men, Estragon and Vladimir, who are waiting for a Mr. Godot, of whom they know little. Estragon admits himself that he may never recognize Mr. Godot, Personally I wouldnt know him if I ever saw him. (p.23). Estragon also remarks, †¦ we hardly know him. (p.23), which illustrates to an audience that the identity of Mr. Godot is irrelevant, as little information is ever given throughoutRead MoreAbsurdity in Beckett, Pinter and Shakespeare4998 Words   |  20 Pagesthat covers Shakespeares Hamlet, Becketts Endgame and Pinters The Birthday Party. Absurdity in these works is at two levels which are characters absurdity and languages absurdity. Bradbrook (1986) analyzes Shakespeares works deeply that his analysis of Hamlet in Shakespeares Hamlet is excellent that he talks about the absurdity of Hamlets utterances with his uncle and with his mother. Styan (1981) devotes a complete section for Becketts and Pinters plays which can be considered