Introduction
Samuel Beckett himself subtitled Waiting for Godot as a Tragicomedy in Two Acts. While some critics argue that the play is entirely a tragedy or a comedy. Before discussing at length whether this play is a tragedy or a comedy, first, we have to introduce ourselves with the story of this play. The story of this play revolves around two tramps who are, well, waiting for a mysterious being called Godot. The play begins on waiting, ends on waiting. We also see another pair comprising of Pozzo and Lucky. The latter is controlled by the former. Let's dive deeper into the comic and tragic elements in Waiting for Godot.
Comic Elements in the Play
Comedy, in general, refers to something that arouses laughter among the audience. However, Comedy in literature means a tale that ends happily. Waiting for Godot seems to fulfil the first and general condition of comedy due to some pure comic as well as farcical elements:
Cross-Talk of Music-Hall
Waiting for Godot follows the Cross-talk tradition commonly observed in music-halls. Music-halls are a source of public entertainment that use music, comedic acts and dancing to amuse the masses. In Cross-talk, a pair of two comedians involves in a rapid exchange of small dialogues. Those are often reminiscent of the ones found in circuses. Even Estragon and Vladimir confirm the parallel:
Vladimir. It's worse than being at the theatre.
Estragon. The circus.
Vladimir. The music-hall.
Estragon. The circus.
But physical humour is a noticeable program in a circus. And Waiting for Godot is not exempted from it. There are many examples of physical humour like the shuffling of hats, the dance of Lucky, Estragon losing his trousers and their abrupt falling. These elements are enough for the audience to laugh loudly.
Comic Misunderstandings
Comic misunderstanding is that type of misunderstanding that takes place when the answer or response to a statement or question is not what is expected from the situation. The same technique is also utilized in Waiting for Godot. For instance, when Pozzo intends to give Estragon a reward of ten francs for the monologue of Lucky, Vladimir's response "We are not beggars" adds a burst of slight laughter. Another occasion can be quoted as below:
Vladimir. Where are your boots?
Estragon. I must have thrown them away.
Vladimir. When?
Estragon I don't know.
Vladimir. Why?
Estragon (Exasperated). I don't know why I don't know!
Vladimir. No, I mean why did you throw them away?
Thus, such an unexpected response adds a comic pleasure to the play.
Tragic Elements in the Play
Waiting for Godot surely has some comic elements but it is a serious and even a tragic play. The play is certainly far from the Aristotelian and Shakespearean concept of tragedy. We find no direct catharsis of the emotions of pity and fear. However, the play is rightfully tragic because it shows human suffering and sheer despair. Let's discuss some of the tragic elements found within the play:
The Agony of Waiting
Waiting is a chief motif of the play. But the uncertain duration of waiting is tragic in itself. In the beginning, Tramps try to see a rewarding promise in the ordeal of waiting. But soon, Estragon gets fed up with the idea of waiting and implores Vladimir that why do not they give up the waiting. The only answer that comes in refrain scattered throughout the text is,
We can't. We are waiting for Godot.
Neither tramps, nor the Pozzo Lucky pair, nor the audience and nor the author are aware about the true identity of Godot. The agony of waiting can also be felt by the audience as well as the readers. The tramps are promised of their redemption on the arrival of Godot and Godot does not arrive and there is no hope of his arrival. Such futile waiting creates a true tragic effect for the dismal fate of the tramps.
Tragic Dialogues
A tragedy is almost incomplete without tragic dialogues in it. We find them in Oedipus, Othello, Tess and even in this play. Such serious dialogues leave an immense tragic impression upon the audience. The first utterance that leaves a tragic effect on us when Estragon complains about futile waiting:
Nothing happens. Nobody comes. Nobody goes. It's awful.
At another point, his tone grows more serious:
All my lousy life I've crawled about in the mud! And you talk to me about scenery! You and your landscapes! Tell me about the worms!
But the most tragic line of the bunch is uttered by Pozzo:
One day like any other day, one day he (Lucky) went dumb, one day I went blind, one day we'll go deaf, one day we were born and one day we shall die.
Thus, through such hopeless remarks, the play achieves its tragic quality.
Other elements
Pozzo Luchy Relationship is a minor yet a significant example of tragedy in the play. Pozzo treats Lucky below the level of humanity: as merely a beast of burden. Pozzo has no regard for the feelings of Lucky as he considers that such creatures should be killed. Another tragic keynote in this play is the rule of despair which is vividly portrayed through the characters of tramps, especially Estragon. They repeatedly say, "Nothing to be done" a staple sentence of this play. The suggestion of Estragon to hang themselves is an intense show of their despair. Thus, adding a tragic flavour to the particular play.
Final Thoughts
Consequently, it is difficult to consider this play a tragedy or a comedy as a whole. As Beckett has himself chosen the genre of tragicomedy for this play, Waiting for Godot is rightfully a tragicomedy, a mixture of both.
Sources and Suggested Readings
- Waiting for Godot - Critical Studies by Famous Products - Page 364 and 420
- Lectures of Sir Hassan Akbar
- http://www.askliterature.com/drama/waiting-for-godot-as-a-tragicomedy/
- https://literaturetimes.com/waiting-for-godot-as-tragicomedy/
- http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-optional-subjects/group-v/english-literature/7163-waiting-godot-tragi-comedy.html
- http://englishhonoursguide.blogspot.com/2017/04/waiting-for-godot-as-tragicomedy_90.html
