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Essay / The psychological aspect of waiting for Godot
Beckett condemns humanity suffering from positive schizophrenic disorder, the symptoms of which are hallucinations and delusions. The protagonists have the perfidious illusion that their “personal god” (30) can resolve their existential crisis and engage in complex metaphysical arguments by resorting to the tormenting expectation of “Godot”. Pozzo is entangled in his complex web of timelessness. On the contrary, Lucky is not in a state of spiritual poverty since he has accepted the absurd revelations of life despite his grotesque living conditions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The plot circulates in a cyclical time loop in which time does not flow linearly but is a recurring continuum. There is no end to this dark time loop, but with each cycle, humans become even more degenerate. Another relevant idea explores how time has been manipulated throughout the plot, from its cyclical structure in the play to its delirious and endless nature. A fascinating idea to consider is this: when we ecstatically wait for something; then even a few hours seem like days. This may explain the human condition of constantly wanting Godot to resolve their existential crisis. Then he doesn't show up, but the humans continue to wait. Therefore, an abrupt lifespan seems eternal in our conceptual reality. Beckett criticizes the ridiculous perspectives of the protagonists who continually formulate prejudiced notions about an external being to reignite their curiosity about the meaning of life. When humanity views its existence through a distorted lens, it essentially finds itself in a destitute condition. This philosophical idea can also be explored in Lucky's epiphanic monologue as he contemplates God outside of an ever-present extension of time. It ridicules religious perspectives, formats the “personal God,” and attempts to make us “ignorant apes” (10) create images of gods and manipulate religion to gain power in societal spaces. A more effective perspective for dissecting life is to be a spiritual person who accepts the ridiculous nature of life. Thus, humans are like spiritual beggars, constantly searching for existential theory and purpose. Modernity is a grotesque illusion. Ultimately, men have lost their security and are dictated by their personal gods. If this euphemism “progress” continues, the earth will eventually become a home of stones and humans, a grain of emptiness, always dictated by religion. Our physical dimension, continually degenerated and humans, slaves of their subconscious. Living in ignorance, waiting to die. "Nothing to do." (12) “Waiting for Godot” is an absurdist commentary that delves into the dimensions of the psychological mind; specifically regarding how it is used by humans to formulate prejudiced notions of a personal god that helps resolve the grotesque existential crisis that consumes them. The setting reproduces a null, empty and empty structure of our subconscious, which engages in a ridiculous metaphysical and conjectural discourse to inflict meaning on life. The play is erected on a cyclical time loop with a distinct and absurd repetition of events creating conceptions of a brain prison. Beckett reflects on how we must transcend this prison of our subconscious and truly access the physical dimension of our reality; time by accepting the absurdity of life or decomposition into nothingness. By providingour epiphanic reality that we were born astride the grave, it would be futile to live in the illusion that time has stopped. Examination of form asserts that repetition is an important motif throughout the plot and contributes to the cyclical structure of the play. The stylistic features of metaphors, symbolism and absent voices are used to expose the abundance of imagery creating dramatic effects contributing to the tragicomedy genre. The dark, apocalyptic setting (A country road. A tree. Evening .) reinforces the notion of the subconscious and the gloomy and banal atmosphere present throughout the piece. Beckett uses the character of Lucky to harshly criticize the grotesque notion that humans form prejudiced religious gods to save a nihilistic goal. Examining life by manipulating the subconscious to construct "personal gods" is illustrated when the protagonists have a vague concept of time. Humans create “personal gods” (29) and transmit an image to them by giving him a “white beard” (29). Lucky goes on to criticize religious gods who suffer “divine heights” (29) to resolve our sins. The endless wait for our “personal god” (29) who is “outside of time” (29) has caused the “waste and decay” of humanity (30). Repetition plays a key role in the development of cyclic structure. The ideas of "eating and defecation" (29) form a monotonous, recurring continuum, in which each generation engages in ingestion and excretion, and our "personal gods" (29) dictate to us as we live in ignorance. This incessant wasting away and languishing; “Waiting for Godot” has distorted our concept of time, stretching it and making it feel endless. This is illustrated in Lucky's prediction of humanity's dystopian future "in the year 600 something" (30). As if the piece had been composed in 1946, how could “600” (29) be the future? The ridiculous, endless wait makes time pass slowly, making the human lifespan seem eternal. Beckett establishes that life will eventually degenerate into nothingness, “a land of stones… a great cold” (30). This destruction began with the “subjective idealism” of “Bishop Berkeley” (30), relating to physical reality which is only a projection of our subconscious leading humans to consciously conjugate with their unconscious mind instead of their reality. The protagonists continually contemplate the arrival of Godot by proposing vague alternatives: “…. SATURDAY? …is it Saturday? Isn't it... Sunday? (Pause.) …Monday? (Pause.) Or Friday? (11) and have “faulty” memory. If considered logically, most religions (Godots) would span millennials. However, as time has virtually stopped in our subconscious, this process condenses into weeks because our unconscious is not trapped by the physical dimensions of space and time. The stylistic features of repetition are further emphasized when Vladimir continually repeats: “we are waiting for Godot” (10). This monotonous “waiting” makes time virtually infinite and life a tormenting quest for a nihilistic goal. Humanity has lost all sense of security and humans have become a meaningless “void point” that strives to give meaning to life despite the fact that it has none. Beckett formulates the motif of Vladimir and Estragon “bound to Godot” (15), making life a tormenting, constipated torture. Beckett appeals to the idea that humans are a tragic comedy, essentially “ignorant apes” (10). Ironically, the rope that binds Vladimir and Estragon to Godot is the same ropewhich they may have used to hang themselves. Beckett plans to annihilate the brain prison by recognizing the absurd notion of life. By giving up ignorant analytical lenses to dissect life, life would not be a bleak expectation. In modern society, “time has stopped” (25) and has become superfluous, which is a treacherous illusion. By constantly waiting, time has become non-existent for humans, trapped in a void and meaningless void. Beckett draws on Pozzo's speech to explain the notion of humans constantly living in spaces of self-inflicted (subconscious) torture, with "cursed time" (58). He uses punctuation and repetition to create dramatic effects affirming that this is the moment of epiphanic realization. Excessive incorporation of exclamation points and commas creates long pauses causing theatrical effects. The distinct repetition of “When!” “(58), “one day” (58), “the same” (58) further enhance this moment of introspection on the fact that life is tiny and that death is abrupt. Pozzo, in this distinct and exhilarating moment, examines memory. His revelations about time explain that time passes instantly and that memory is essentially useless. Thus, when questioned, Pozzo does not give a factual answer, but something more abstract: “One day” (58), “The same second” (58). The abruptness of time is further illustrated when humans are born “…straddling a grave” (58) and “…the light shines for a moment” (58). Then, inevitably, we degenerate into nothingness and “it’s night again” (58). Beckett speculates on how we must accept the absurdity of life like the "willow" (10) camouflaging itself in its immediate vicinity and abandon the tumultuous expectation that Godot will return hope in the form of a tree having " … leaves” (43). Therefore, Beckett constructs a notion of a stagnant human condition, expounded in the quote: “…. not to speak ill of our generation… no more unhappy than its predecessors” (22). If you think about it, generation after generation, the same things happen again. Beckett argues that everything in this world is fixed, "laughter" (22) and "tears" (22) are in constant quantity while time has practically stood still due to the grim waiting. Time is the distinct quantity that simultaneously asserts order and chaos in our lives. The protagonists continue to live thanks to their wait for Godot but are tormented by the same wait. Lucky constantly carries the burden of his bags despite Estragon's questions: “…why doesn't he put down his bags” (17). Beckett uses this motif to show that one must hold on to the burden of life in order to have a concept of time. The sand in Lucky's bag (57) metaphorically highlights an hourglass. Therefore, if Lucky puts down the bags; the sand will not flow. But if Lucky holds the bags and moves continuously; it will be released to us as time passes and will not be distorted in its conceptual reality. This concept is very similar to the myth of Sisyphus; Who accepted the meaning of his reality rather than experiencing life as a grotesque torture. Beckett appeals to the tragicomedy genre of humans by constructing the play in a cyclical time loop, consciously repeating plot points as the play progresses. Analyzing Vladimir's soliloquy, we see a clear repetition of events. The dog “came running…. kitchen” (37) and “stole a crust of bread” (37). Despite this violent act, this action was repeated, establishing that humanity will never abandon the expectation of “personal gods” (29). The rhymes of (bread, death) and (tomb, come) create a strangely lively tone emphasizing repetition. The decor is totally.