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Waiting for Godot

by Samuel Beckett

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How does Beckett use repetition in Waiting for Godot and why does it matter?

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In "Waiting for Godot," Beckett employs repetition to emphasize the absurdity and futility of life. The play's two acts mirror each other with subtle variations, such as changes in the tree and character dynamics, creating a "same, but not quite" atmosphere. This repetition underscores the meaningless routine of waiting, as seen in Vladimir and Estragon's interactions and the perpetual anticipation of Godot, who never arrives. It reflects the redundant nature of human relationships and life's cyclical nature.

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It is worth noting that the repetitive parallelism of the play's two acts has at least some variation in it. For instance, in the second act, the tree has sprouted some leaves, and Pozzo has regressed from a pompous master into a blind man dependent on Lucky. Thus, while a variety of repetition occurs throughout the play, there are small changes throughout. This quality contributes to a "same, but not quite" atmosphere , as Beckett crafts a decidedly weird space that is both always the same and subtly different. It is important to recognize this aspect of the play's repetitiveness because it contributes to the persistently meaningless or absurd tone. Despite the small differences we observe between the two acts, the story remains entirely inconsequential, and the characters' actions, though varying slightly, remain as futile as ever. As noted in the other answers to this question, the second act culminates...

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in the same ending: Godot fails to show up. Thus, by offering repetitive events that vary slightly from one another but still add up to the same ending, Beckett enhances the absurd futility of his vision. Potential changes to the second act's trajectory result in the same frustrating stagnation as in act one.

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As in a number of his other plays, Beckett attempts to sketch and pace a play which emulates the ebb and flow of life itself. Waiting for Godot is rife with false starts, false hopes, uncertainty, boredom, and the deep tenderness of friendship. The use of repetition plays a role in this allegorical depiction of everyday life and the human experience.

Early in the play, we see the following pieces of dialogue twice, absolutely identical, nearly back-to-back:

VLADIMIR: It hurts?
ESTRAGON: (angrily). Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts!

The text is the same, yet a line later the roles are reversed. It is Estragon who says "It hurts?" Why does Beckett subject his audience to this nonsensical repetition between Vladimir and Estragon? Didi and Gogo's relationship serves as a sounding board for a wide range of human interactions and feelings: they are married, they are brothers, they are rivals and friends. This repetitive dialogue reflects the sometimes redundant nature of close relationships, such as marriages or close friendships. You switch roles; in one moment one is indignant at the other, and then it changes, but somehow the relationship remains at an even keel. It's an observation on human relationships, namely that we tend to fall into the same little arguments time and again.

There is also, of course, the repetition of each day in Vladimir and Estragon's world: waiting for Godot. Each day they wait, and each day Godot does not arrive. Godot may represent many things: God, death, some kind of transformative change which may never arrive. This repetitive waiting mirrors the audience's everyday life. Our days often look like one another until some kind of large change impacts us, and then we must adapt. This incessant waiting, the daily questions of "What am I waiting for, and why?" exist in life just as they do in the play.

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