Existentialist concerns in Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot'

Existentialist concerns in Waiting for Godot The waiting of the two tramps presents a macro cosmic concern of all human beings search for meaning, which perhaps is what is believed will be reached within the arrival of Godot.

The repetition of the phrase throughout acts I and II 'We're waiting for Godot' reinforces the absurdist belief that life is fundamentally without meaning, as Godot never comes and as he represents man's search for hope or meaning, this is never reached and is unobtainable.

The tale of two men waiting for an appointment with a mysterious Mr Godot mean to symbolize something - a parable, or metaphor perhaps for condition of the mankind? Does the road they wait on stand for the journey of life?

Context: Beckett and his romantic partner Suzanne spent their own lives on the road, as they escaped from the Gestapo. They were forced from Paris and went to Vichy, France. Knowing this biological background, one can pick up on elements with the play which reflect an atmosphere of the world at war. Characters endure long waits, crossed wires and low resources. Strange, tyrannous figures appear.

Born in 1906, Beckett was a brilliant student destined for a great academic career. However, after spending a year teaching in Paris, he rejected the secure life of academia for a precarious existence writing and traveling in Europe. He settled in Paris, and, when the Germans invaded, Beckett began to work for the French resistance, narrowly escaping capture. His quiet heroism during the war led to him being awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1945 and he went to work for the Iris Red Cross in Normandy.