Monday, February 20, 2012

Review: "Waiting for Godot" Classic a Month #2

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
3 out of 5 stars

So. I had a really hard time rating this play. I barely understood it, didn't really, so how am I supposed to tell if I liked it or not? I actually just rated it up a star while I was writing this review. Also, I haven't read a play since college, possibly high school and let's just say that's been a while. ;) It took some getting used to, but I think I'd like to mix in some more plays in my future "classic a month" picks. (Comment below if you have a suggestion!)

I'm assuming I was supposed to get some great meaning out of it, but really, it's just a play about nothing. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it though. It definitely had it's moments and strongly reminded me of the art movement, dadaism, which is essentially "art without meaning". I wonder if Beckett was influenced by that at all. Am I getting to be a "grown-up" in the sense that I want to research stuff just for the fun of it and not because I have to write a paper about it? Hmm...

Okay, these two men, Estragon (Gogo) and Vladimir (Didi) are waiting by a tree for a person named Godot. I gave you their nicknames because when they first used them, I thought it was a new character lol. We don't know how or why they came to be waiting for Godot, we don't get much history on the men other than that they seem to be best friends/companions, and we don't really get an ending. It's just...there you go, that's all you get.

Do you like my new Caution Owl? I thought he was better than Wheezy lol...

If you'll recall, the reason I picked this play was because there was a Sesame Street parody of it. Awesome right? I think I understood/enjoyed this more than the actual play hah!


I did not enjoy the bits with Pozza at all. He kind of creeped me out and it took me a loooong time to realize that Lucky was a human! Actually, I don't even know if Pozzo and Lucky were really there or just a figment of their imagination. This is all so confusing!

The bit where Vladimir and Estragon are trading hats was incredibly funny though, especially if pictured on the stage. "...but how do I look in it? He turns his head coquettishly to and fro, minces like a mannequin. Hideous. Yes, but not more so than usual?" They seem to truly care for each other, even trying to figure out how to hang themselves so that both die without leaving the other behind.

Let's go.
We can't.
Why not?
We're waiting for Godot.

Ah!

No comments:

Post a Comment