En Attendant Godot Flashcards
Name the six key elements of Aristotelian tragedy, in order of importance
mythos (plot) ethos (character) dianoia (thought) lexis (diction) melos (melody) opsis (spectacle)
describe how EAG relates to the most important aspect of aristotelian tragedy
(mythos) lack of a beginning, middle and end,
no significant change in fortune,
not much fear or pity aroused in the audience to create catharsis,
confusion about timeline
describe how EAG relates to the 2nd most important aspect of aristotelian tragedy
(ethos) there is no clear tragic hero,
the characters are both consistent (keep repeating thr same actions) and inconsistent in their actions (continuously forgetting what happened). None are particularly good or likeable. Do not seem overly realistic, Gogo often acts younger than he is
describe how EAG relates to the 3rd most important aspect of aristotelian tragedy
(dianoia) characters do express their thoughts but they are often random, disconnected or repetitive-> do not explain their actions. Eg. Lucky’s speech
how does EAG imitate or not imitate action?
Godot represents the opoosite of action, much of the dialogue revolves around the lack of action,
discussion of the meaningless of actions
the impossibility of action
but the actions they do carry seem to be nothing but imitation
how does EAG have a beginning middle and end or not?
no coherent set of plausible events- characters enter and leave without explanation of how they arrived, circular and infinite plot.
yet, it does start with little action, become more active and return to little action
is EAG enacted by agents possessing character and thought
no clear background info, lack of control over circumstances, little personal identity other than repeated phrases, tied to each other and cannot exist alone, answer to who they are= nous sommes des hommes
give seven ways that the characters perform imitation during the play
liturgy and religious figures (tries to pray, self-comparison to Jesus)
ordinary conversation (they highlight the types of conversation they have… c’est ça, posons-nous des questions)
everyday and life-threatening activities (suicide, sleep, standing up …et si on…?)
poetry and melodramatic performance (gogo pretends to be catulle, pozzo performing)
boxing scene,
other characters (V and E as Lucky and Pozzo)
each other
the entire second act imitates the first
Is there catharsis in EAG? Why, why not?
no, it doesnt provoke fear or much pity except maybe collective pity for the fate of the human race. We are frustrated by their lack of action which prevents true catharsis
what is praxis?
action
give two sets of quotes from EAG to show the impossibility of action
Alors, adieu. Adieu. Adieu. Adieu. Silence. Personne ne bouge.
Alors, on y va?
Allons-y.
Ils ne bougent pas.
give 3 examples of stage directions that show the lack of action in the play
Silence. Long silence. Un temps.
a quote that demonstrates how Godot is not really a character
il ne fait rien, monsieur
quote to demonstrates the pain of thinking
Ce qui est terrible, c’est d’avoir pensé
how does EAG treat chaos
it accomodates it into the play and doesnt try to hide it with a strict form. shows all sides of the characters and doesnt abide by rules- eg. Lucky’s speech goes on an uncomfortably long time, as do the silences
