Theme Of Repetition In Waiting For Godot

Waiting for Godot is a tragicomedy written by Samuel Beckett in 1948 which first premiered in 1953 at the Left Bank Theatre in Paris. The play follows the circular life of Vladimir and Estragon in two acts; everything the characters do in a day often repeats the following day in a similar manner. Estragon and Vladimir fight, make up, contemplate suicide, encounter other characters, and converse with each other in order to pass the time while they wait for Godot. At the end of each act, Godot fails to meet with the characters. Vladimir and Estragon are unsure as to why they have an appointment with Godot and despite the fact that he never shows up, they insist that they must wait for his appearance. Samuel Beckett once commented that habit and routine were the cancer of time and left his routines to travel. Vladimir comes to a similar insight at the end of Act Two; however, he does not leave his duty and continues to wait for Godot. The use of repetition throughout Waiting for Godot, ranging from the dialogue to …show more content…
Though the specific actions and events that take place throughout the script are slightly different, Vladimir and Estragon fall in a tight routine. The acts are structured as a parallel and mirror each other in the way the character presentation is set up. Beckett uses the repetition in the play to call attention to the routines that people get caught up in. Like Vladimir and Estragon, people fall into a pattern that they fall into on a day to day basis. Not only does Beckett emphasize the routines that people become prisoner of, but he also presents the human condition of hoping for something they greatly desire. In this case, Vladimir and Estragon desire the arrival of Godot. Their desire is so great that they continue to wait for him even after he fails to show up. Similarly, people will wait their entire lives for something or someone that they want even if, like Godot, it never shows up for