Important Short Questions : "Waiting For Godot" by Samuel Beckett

Waiting For Godot

1. Vladimir moves with "short, stiff strides, with legs apart” – What does it signify?

 Ans: - Vladimir suffers from the enlargement of the prostate gland- a complaint common in old age. His gait reminds us of the king of comedy, Charlie Chaplin. Again, Vladimir's movement with "short, stiff strides, with legs apart" signifies his physical discomfort and unease. It also suggests a sense of tension and urgency, reflecting his impatience and restlessness as he waits for Godot. This physical portrayal emphasizes the existential themes of the play, conveying the characters' struggle with the human condition and their search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.

2. “Certainly they beat me”- Who is beaten by and by whom?

Ans: - In Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot," the character Estragon says the line "Beat me? Certainly they beat me." This occurs in Act I during a conversation with Vladimir, where they discuss their suffering and hardships. Estragon's statement reflects the recurring themes of pain and endurance that are central to the play. Estragon informs that he had been beaten by some people whom he identifies only as ‘they’. What ‘they’ refers to remain a mystery, much like the malevolent cosmic forces, the tormenters of humanity. ‘They’ are as mysterious as ‘Godot’ is to be later. 

3. Who planned to commit suicide by jumping off the Eiffel Tower?

Ans: - In Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot," the character named Lucky is the one who is said to have planned to commit suicide by jumping off the Eiffel Tower. However, it is unclear whether this is true or if it is just something that Estragon and Vladimir, the other characters in the play, have heard. Estragon and Vladimir had, during their younger days, together also planned to commit suicide by jumping off the Eiffel Tower. But, Vladimir thinks, in their present condition, they would not be allowed to go up the Eiffel Tower and will thus be denied even the most despairing choice (of committing suicide). 

4. What are the nicknames of Estragon and Vladimir?

 Ans:- "Estragon" is nicknamed "Gogo," while "Vladimir" is nicknamed "Didi" in Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot." It is interesting to note that only in the list of characters are the tramps named Estragon and Vladimir. Right through the plays the two address each other by their Gogo and Didi. The play follows the two characters as they wait for the arrival of a character named Godot who never shows up, exploring themes of non existence, no meaning, and the deplorable human condition. Thus their nick names are so trivial.

5. What is ‘mandrakes’? What is its symbolic reference?

 Ans:- In Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot," "mandrakes" refers to a mythical plant that was believed to have magical and healing properties. In the play, Estragon suggests they try to find mandrakes to help cure Vladimir's ailing foot. The two tramps by mentioning ‘mandrakes’ give an evidence of their love for knowledge. The mandrakes symbolize the characters' desire for something that can magically solve their problems, but ultimately it is just another fruitless pursuit. An ancient fertility symbols, mandrake, is believed to grow below the gallows. Notably there, death and birth being two facts of the same coin, Gallows, a symbol of death, is put side by side with mandrakes, fertility symbol.

6. Where were the Vladimir and Estragon Waiting for Godot?

 Ans: - It was a willow tree having scarcely a leave on it or it was a shrub or a bush, under which they were waiting. In fact, Vladimir and Estragon were waiting for Godot on a barren, treeless landscape with only a single tree and a country road. The location of the setting is never explicitly stated, and the play's themes of existentialism and the human condition are explored through the characters' endless waiting.

7. Estragon: I’m asking you it we’re tied:- How are the two tramps tied and to whom?

Ans:- Here Estragon asks Vladimir whether they are tied. The two tramps are not physically tied to anyone or anything. Estragon's question "I'm asking you if we're tied" is a metaphorical expression of their predicament of being stuck in their situation, waiting for someone who may never come. The two tramps are tied to their own existence and the cycle of waiting and hoping. They are tied to waiting for Godot. They can not get away from it was doing so would mean giving up hope, how so ever illusory that hope may be?

8. “Why doesn’t he put down his bags?” – Who is having the bag? Why don’t he put down it?

Ans:- There is complementarity in the master- slave relationship in Pazzo- Lucky relationship. While they enter on the stage lucky has a bag on the back. Pazzo’s treatment of Lucky as a beast of burden underscores human tragedy. ‘Lucky’ in order to impress Pazzo, doesn’t put down his bags. It is not explicitly stated why he does not put them down, but it may be symbolic of the characters' overall sense of waiting and uncertainty. The bags may represent the burdens and baggage that the characters carry with them as they wait for the arrival of Godot.

9. Why is lucky given such a name?

 Ans:-  Lucky is given his name ironically because he is anything but lucky. He is portrayed as a slave who is mistreated and abused by his master Pozzo. The name "Lucky" serves as a cruel joke, highlighting the character's unfortunate and hopeless situation. Again, there might be two suggestions about the source of his name – (i) lucky is ‘Lucky’ because he gets the bones or (ii) he is ‘Lucky’ because he has no expectations, hence he will not be disappointed further in his existence . “Blessed are those who do not hope, for they shall not be disappointed.”

10. What does it symbolize by Pazzo’s baldness?

Ans:- The intellectual barrenness of Pazzo is symbolized by his baldness, in contrast to Lucky’s abundant white hair. Pazzo’s baldness fits well in the scheme of things – as then there is all round barrenness. Pozzo's baldness can also symbolize a loss of power and authority. Without his hair, Pozzo is stripped of his physical dominance and appears vulnerable. This loss of control mirrors the play's themes of uncertainty and the search for meaning in a world that seems chaotic and meaningless.

11. What is thinking hat? Who wears it and why?

 Ans: - It is Lucky who can’t think without his hat on. And in order to terminate Lucky’s thinking someone has to remove his hat, as if an energizer has been removed from a machine. Thinking, thus, becomes mechanical.

12. Why which name the boy address Vladimir?

 Ans: - The boy address Vladimir as Mr. Albert and Vladimir responds to it.

 

13. What is the different do you find the Willow tree in act ii?

Ans:- In act. I we see that the tree, which was leafless in the first act, has four or five leaves.

14. What the tree stands for in the play?

 Ans: - The tree is associated with the central theme of barrenness, nothingness and death. As the two tramps wish to hang themselves on the bough, it reminds us for Christ’s    crucifixion. Further in act ii when few leaves are seen, it stands for spring, hope and renewals also.

15. How did the two tramps pass their line of waiting in act- ii?

 Ans: - The two tramps as a means of passing time propose different things: to sing, to think or to contradict each other, or ask each other questions.

16. What was Lucky carrying in his bag? What is the symbolic in it?

 Ans:- Lucky in his bag carries sand, a symbol of burden and of time (in hour glass) , in his bag.

17. What is the profit of Pazzo’s blindness?

Ans:- Owning  to Pazzo’s blindness, he has acquired a new might into the meaning of life. Life is a mere serious of meaningless repetitions activities. Journey from womb to tomb is full of miseries. 

18. What does the song about the dog signify in Waiting for Godot?

 Ans:- In the beginning of act ii Vladimir moves about feverishly on the stage and suddenly begins to sing a dog song – an old German Balled. It is a circular song. It is emblematic of the circularity and repetitiveness of the play as a whole.

19. What does Lucky’s ‘Dance in a Net’ symbolize?

 Ans:- Lucky’s dance amplifies the agony, strain and entanglement in life to magnify the ultimate suffering of human existence.

20. What does the bare landscape in Waiting for Godot signify?

 Ans:- The bare landscape in Waiting for Godot signifies the meaninglessness of life. It is a place of exile and despair, where nothing ever happens and nothing ever changes. The characters are trapped in a cycle of waiting, and they are unable to escape their own emptiness.

The bare landscape is also a symbol of the human condition. We are all born into a world that is ultimately meaningless, and we are all doomed to die. The only thing we can do is to try to find meaning in the meaninglessness, and to find ways to cope with our own mortality.

20. There’s man all over for you, blaming on his boot the faults of his feet – refer to the speaker and elucidate the statement.

 Ans:- The speaker of the line "There's man all over for you, blaming on his boot the faults of his feet" is Vladimir. He is talking about the human tendency to blame others for our own problems. We often refuse to take responsibility for our own actions, and we prefer to blame others instead. This is a way of avoiding the truth about ourselves, and it prevents us from growing and changing.

20. Mention the speakers who Visualize life as a moment between the womb and the tomb, in Waiting for Godot.

 Ans:- The speakers who visualize life as a moment between the womb and the tomb are Vladimir and Estragon. They both see life as a brief and meaningless interlude between two eternities of nothingness. This is a bleak and pessimistic view of life, but it is also one that is shared by many people.

20. Give two examples of the stage images of waiting as enacted in Waiting for Godot?

 Ans:- The two tramps sitting on a rock, waiting for Godot.

The tree, which is always there, but never changes.

These images suggest the futility of waiting. The tramps have been waiting for Godot for a long time, and it is clear that he is not coming. The tree is a symbol of hope, but it is also a reminder of the passage of time. It is clear that the tramps are not getting any younger, and that their chances of meeting Godot are diminishing.

20. It’s a remarkable percentage – mention the speaker and explain the concept.

 Ans:- The speaker of the line "It's a remarkable percentage" is Pozzo. He is talking about the number of people who are born and die every day. He finds this number to be remarkable, because it suggests that life is a very brief and insignificant thing.

Pozzo's statement is a reflection of the absurdist philosophy that underlies Waiting for Godot. The absurdists believe that life is meaningless and that there is no point in trying to find meaning. They also believe that the human condition is essentially futile and hopeless.

 Ardhendu De