Juxtaposition_of_Elements_of_Tragedy_and_Comedy_in_'Waiting_for_Godot'

To what extent is the juxtaposition of elements of tragedy and comedy in this extract typical of the interplay of these forms in the rest of ‘Waiting for Godot’' ‘Waiting for Godot’, written by Samuel Beckett, is a play which has no subtext, leaving the audience to make up their own mind about the direction of the play. Its subtitle is ‘A tragic comedy in two Acts’, which is clearly presented throughout the whole of the play. The constant juxtaposition of tragedy and comedy makes the play almost meaningless, yet is still entertaining for the audience. Aristotle said that a tragedy should move the audience by depicting suffering and pain. Beckett achieves this, yet contrasts the suffering with comedy, which is made amuse the audience and to make them laugh. ‘Waiting for Godot’ is a key text of the absurdist movement, as it shows that tragedy, in the play, is not an isolated, specific event, but it is everywhere, a condition of being alive. The structure of ‘Waiting for Godot’ has a large part in the juxtaposition of tragedy and comedy. The opening of the play portrays a gloomy situation, in not only the stage directions, but also the first line: ‘A country road. A tree. Evening… Estragon: (giving up again) Nothing to be done.’ The simple setting suggests bleak surroundings, which mirror their bleak situation. Estragon’s first line shows that there is ‘nothing to be done’, making his situation appear tragic, yet also slightly humorous, as he is not referring to his life, or ‘Waiting for Godot’, yet he is referring to his boot. It is such a motivating and significant part of the dialogue, as the subject of boots to the audience is unimportant, yet to Estragon and Vladimir it is what their conversation revolves around, and shows that the play is more of a tragedy for the audience than it is for the characters. Here, the juxtaposition of tragedy and comedy in the first line of the play, establishes a tragic tone for the rest of Act one and Act two, as well as a comedic tone. It allows the audience to see Estragon and Vladimir’s life as tragic, but their inability to realise how tragic it is makes it humorous. Repetition is also used to depict Vladimir and Estragon’s tragic situation, yet adds a comedic effect: ‘What about hanging ourselves' … I hadn’t thought of that’ Here, Beckett provokes the reader to feel sympathy for Vladimir and Estragon, by showing the hopelessness of their situation, and their feelings to commit suicide. This relates back to Aristotle’s idea of tragedy, that it should move the audience by depicting suffering and pain. However, Vladimir and Estragon discuss it with a careless attitude, which contrasts their suffering with comedic ideas towards their gloomy situation. This is repeated twice more in ‘Waiting for Godot’, once at the end of Act one, and again at the end of Act two. They discuss it both times with a careless attitude, yet do not act upon it. This comedic repetition relates back to the fact there is ‘nothing to be done’, and the possibility of hanging themselves as a conversation topic makes the audience sympathise with Estragon and Vladimir, as the audience realise that the characters’ position in life will never change. The idea of ‘”Waiting” for Godot’ is shown to be that they will always be waiting for him. The use of words such as ‘saying’, ‘falling’, and ‘wriggling’ and ‘asking’ all have an ‘ing’ ending, showing that it is an ongoing process, which seems to be never ending. Therefore, this creates a constant tragic element in the play for the audience, as they are the only people who realise that it is never ending for the characters. The way Estragon and Vladimir interact with each other is also used to juxtapose elements of comedy and tragedy throughout the play. They often finish each others sentences, or guess what the other one is about to say: ‘Estragon: What exactly did we ask him for' … We’ve no rights any more'’ The short exchanges they have about Godot shows the closeness of the two characters, and that they spend a lot of time together. They are reassuring themselves about Godot coming, yet still remain uncertain about what he wants. Their uncertainty reflects the play, as nothing is definite at any point of the play. This amuses the audience, as Vladimir and Estragon seem clueless about the situation they are in, and what Godot said. Yet it is also tragic for the audience because the characters are being completely serious, and highlights that their situation is hopeless. Beckett uses the stage directions to not only depict the characters’ movements, but to also amuse and evoke sympathy from the audience: ‘Vladimir uses his intelligence’ This sarcastic stage direction is comedic, because Vladimir thinks of himself as intelligent, yet when he does use his intelligence, he still appears to ‘remain in the dark’. It also juxtaposes the subject Vladimir and Estragon are discussing, which is hanging themselves. This highlights the tragedy of their circumstances; as these dim-witted characters almost seem vulnerable to the hopeless predicament they are in. The language used conveys the comedic side of the play, whilst showing the tragedy of Estragon and Vladimir ‘Waiting for Godot’. The stage directions and dialogue between the two protagonists shows their relationship and also juxtaposes the tragedy and comedy of it: ‘Vladimir: STOP IT! … What do we do now'’ When Vladimir is angry at Estragon, is it for a very short period of time, but it is also very dramatic, created by the use of ‘Silence’ and ‘Step forward’. However, due to Vladimir’s nature, the audience knows that he is making it seem worse than it is. This childish behaviour amuses the audience, and also provokes sympathy, because they have such little to do, that an argument considered unimportant, is extremely serious to them. It is also considered tragic, as we as an audience think they should sense this ‘lack of progression’ but they don’t. This shows how hopeless the situation is that Estragon and Vladimir have to endure, and relates back to the first line, that there is ‘nothing to be done’. The juxtaposition of elements of tragedy and comedy is used throughout the play, in the structure, language and form. All of which contribute to the overall tragic tone of ‘Waiting for Godot’, which is lightened by the repetitive comic routines of Vladimir and Estragon to simply pass the time in their meaningless existence. Word count: 1,090