AO1 Points

Question 1

Sense of Futility

Answer 1

1. Beckett created a sense of futility through the setting, reminiscent of a war-torn landscape and the bleak, basic props.
2. Beckett holds a mirror up to the audience’s futile search for meaning through the character’s nonsensical language and cyclical plot structure. Beckett uses the absurdist plot to highlight the futility of human existence.
3. Beckett uses the theme of futility to highlight the hopeless wait for salvation and comment on human’s hope in religion rather than living life.

Question 2

Use of Setting

Answer 2

1. Beckett uses the setting, reminiscent of a war-torn landscape to highlight the destruction of war on individual identities and relationships.
2. The unspecified historical and cultural context surrounding the setting allows Beckett to hold a mirror up to the audience and comment on the timeless human tendency to look for meaning where there is none.
3. The emptiness and lack of change in the setting reflects the purgatorial state to which the characters are subjected. Highlighting the futility of hope in religion.

Question 3

Use of Humour

Answer 3

1. The absurdity caused by the mismatch between the comedic tone and the dark content can be seen as a reaction to a world emptied of meaning and significance.
2. Use of physical comedy and allusion to comedy double acts aims to display a tragic search for identity with ironic comedic overtones.
3. The absurdity of Beckett’s comedy is particularly evident in the presentation of Pozzo and Lucky’s relationship. Beckett subverts the traditional clown character to highlight lucky’s violent oppression.

Question 4

Use of the Absurd

Answer 4

1. The absurdity of the circular dialogue and play structure highlights Vladimir and Estragon’s humorous yet tragic situation. It creates a sense of wasted life and futile hope for change.
2. Presented through the character’s interactions with the set pieces. Physical comedy with the hats, boots, rope and baggage highlights darker undertones of oppression, loss of identity and meaninglessness.
3. Also presented through the character’s relationships reminiscent of traditional comedic duos. Both Lucky and Pozzo’s and Estragon and Vladimir’s relationship present ideas of miscommunication and oppression.

Question 5

Relationship between Vladimir and Estragon

Answer 5

1. Highlight key tragic themes of a lack of progress resulting from miscommunication.
2. Vladimir’s imitation of Pozzo and Lucky’s relationship highlights the fluidity of identity and how abusive tendencies are passed on.
3. The baron setting and basic props allow the audience to focus on their relationship. Also elevates themes of futility and suffering.

Question 6

Presentation of human suffering

Answer 6

1. Presented through the baron setting which highlights the emptiness of human existence and suffering caused by their waiting.
2. Presented through Lucky and Pozzo’s relationship. Lucky suffers most throughout the play and can only express himself once he is wearing the bowler hat.
3. Symbols of oppression and futility throughout the play- hats, the rope, lucky’s baggage, turnips and bones.

Question 7

Theme of survival

Answer 7

1. Through the poor symbols of depravity, Beckett presents the characters as surviving in the most basic way rather than living their lives.
2. Beckett uses religious allusions to comment on the human tendency to wait for salvation to give meaning to their survival.
3. The basic human instinct of survival seems to be lacking in Vladimir and Estragon. They directly counteract it, contemplating suicide and choosing to wait rather than live.

Question 8

Theme of frustration

Answer 8

1. A feeling of frustration is evoked in the audience through the repetitive structure, conversation and events.
2. A tone of frustration is presented through Pozzo’s constant oppression of Lucky and a release of frustration with his speech.
3. Frustration is also presented through Beckett’s use of physical comedy.

Question 9

Presentation of communication

Answer 9

1. The lack of communication between characters is presented through a disconnect between their language and actions- a typical trope of the absurd.
2. The lack of communication with Godot is presented through the lack of plot development and change as well as the figure of the boy (unreliable communicator between Godot and Vladimir).
3. Lucky’s character represents the destruction of communication when he goes dumb in the second part. This is also present with his continued oppression and non-sensical language during his speech.