The play Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett, tells the story of two wanderers (Estragon and Vladimir) who wait for a mysterious man named Godot. Waiting for Godot is an unconventional story, not only are its events random and sporadic, but also the two acts of the opera are almost completely identical to each other. Beckett's work portrays the philosophical ideal of absurdism, or the belief that humans exist in a purposeless universe. It is through the language of the play, the ambiguity of time throughout the play and the disappointing wait for Godot that Beckett introduces the theater of the absurd and the idea that human struggles are useless in the senseless and chaotic world in which they live. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe theater of the absurd is evident in Beckett's language, particularly in the play's dialogue. Language, a way of showing communication, traditionally provokes understanding and understanding in the audience. In Waiting for Godot, however, the language is intended to confuse readers and viewers. This is because absurdists believe that language is as flawed as communication. Beckett uses the cyclical nature of the novel and the characters' conversations to show this belief. This is exemplified through the conversations of the two protagonists. Vladimir and Estragon often engage in large, open conversations that have little meaning and in which no conclusions are reached. Although they do most of the talking, their conversations are superficial. While they have the potential to be meaningful, the characters never reach a level of deep understanding. This is best exemplified in the first act, when Vladimir and Estragon discuss the story of Jesus saving a thief who was crucified next to him. They discuss the absurdity of people believing this version of the story, even though “…all four [disciples] were there. And only one talks about a thief being saved.” (Act 1, Beckett). They then conclude that "...people are damned ignorant apes..." (Act, 1 Beckett). While this is a profound and philosophical thought, Vladimir and Estragon barely scratch the surface of the topic and quickly come to the conclusion that the people are ignorant. Their misunderstanding coincides with the absurd belief that everything is meaningless. Even though the two discuss the crucifixion and come to a rather wise conclusion, in the end it doesn't matter because everything is meaningless, no matter what level of understanding one has of the topic. Beckett also breaks conventional linguistic rules to convey absurdities. In the show, pauses, or lack thereof, are just as important as the words spoken by the characters. Many characters ramble without punctuation pauses to finish sentences. This is most evident in Lucky's outburst in the first act, when he proclaims: "...it is established beyond all doubt that, in view of the labors of Fartov and Belcher left unfinished for reasons unknown, of Testew and Cunard left unfinished. .." (Act 1, Beckett). It is a stream of consciousness that lasts almost two pages without any form of punctuation at the end of the sentence. Digressions like this further the idea in absurdist works that language is not used as a tool to provoke understanding, but rather prohibits understanding. The ambiguity of time in Waiting for Godot is a contradiction to traditional theater and represents the meaninglessness of the structure of life. In traditional dramaturgy, events are shown during a defined period of time, and the amount of time that has passed from the beginning to the end of the play is very clear. That's not the case.