After Pozzo and Lucky leave, who arrives with a message in Act I of "Waiting for Godot"?
AAnother tramp
BA young boy
CA gendarme
DGodot's wife
Answer:
B. A young boy
Read Explanation:
Waiting for Godot: The Boy's Message
- In Act I of Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot', after the eccentric master Pozzo and his enslaved servant Lucky depart, a young boy arrives.
- This boy serves as Godot's messenger, delivering a recurring message that Godot will not come today, but surely tomorrow.
- The boy claims to be a goatherd (or sheep-boy in Act II) for Godot and states that Godot has a white beard.
- He also reveals that Godot beats his brother, which is a consistent detail in both acts.
- The boy's arrival and message are crucial as they perpetually delay Godot's appearance, reinforcing the play's central theme of waiting and the absurdity of existence.
- His presence ensures that Vladimir and Estragon's wait is prolonged, highlighting their futile hope and the cyclical nature of their predicament.
Key Facts about Waiting for Godot:
- Author: Samuel Beckett, an Irish playwright, novelist, and poet, one of the key figures in the 'Theatre of the Absurd'.
- Genre: An absurdist, tragicomedy.
- Original Language: Written in French (En attendant Godot) and then translated into English by Beckett himself.
- Premiere: First performed in 1953 in Paris.
- Key Themes: The meaninglessness of life, the passage of time, hope and despair, human suffering, and the nature of existence.
- Main Characters: Vladimir (Didi), Estragon (Gogo), Pozzo, Lucky, and the Boy (Godot's messenger). Godot himself never appears.
- Structure: The play is divided into two acts, with parallel events and dialogues, emphasizing repetition and lack of progress.
- Literary Movement: It is a seminal work of the Theatre of the Absurd, a post-World War II movement that questioned conventional dramatic structure and meaning.
- Nobel Prize: Samuel Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969, largely for works like 'Waiting for Godot'.