When Samuel Beckett’s play with this title arrived on the London stage in the 1950s it was received with bewilderment. Several theatre critics confessed that they had no idea what it meant. The actor Peter Bull, who had a very important role as Pozzo, was quite rude about it. Despite his incomprehension he gave a very strong performance which enhanced the emotional impact of the play. Nevertheless, the general opinion was that the play was meaningless. Continue reading Waiting for Godot
Tag Archives: Samuel Beckett
Hunting for Godot
Peter Batten muses on the age of Romanticism…
“Nothing to be done” says one of the tramps in Samuel Beckett’s play ‘Waiting for Godot’. Day after day they wait and hope that Godot will appear. (As I type this, my computer underlines Godot in red to tell me that it does not recognise this name. Am I sure this is correct?)
Over 200 years ago European culture entered the age of Romanticism. Despite many developments and changes, I believe it remains in that era. In Literature and Art one of the fundamental themes of Romanticism is the quest for meaning. When will Godot turn up to give meaning to our lives, to explain what our human experience has been about?
Continue reading Hunting for Godot
The Whistler 