Question

Between which years was the original French text of the play composed?

• A. 1953-1955
• B. 1948-1949
• C. 1998-1999
• D. 1940-1945

Answer 1

Answer:

B. 1948-1949

Waiting for Godot: Composition and Significance

• The play in question, Waiting for Godot, was originally composed in French by the renowned Irish playwright Samuel Beckett.
• The composition of the original French text, titled En attendant Godot, took place between the years 1948 and 1949. This period immediately followed World War II, a time that profoundly influenced artistic and philosophical movements, including existentialism and the Theatre of the Absurd.
• Samuel Beckett himself translated the play into English, and this English version, Waiting for Godot, was published in 1954. The self-translation is a significant fact for competitive exams.
• The play is a seminal work of the Theatre of the Absurd, a post-World War II genre that emerged from the existential philosophy and the belief that human existence has no meaning or purpose.
• Its first public performance in French was on January 5, 1953, at the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris, directed by Roger Blin, who also played the role of Pozzo.
• The play explores themes of meaninglessness, human suffering, hope, and the passage of time through its two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who endlessly wait for the arrival of someone named Godot, who never appears.
• Samuel Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969, largely in recognition of his body of work, including Waiting for Godot, which profoundly influenced modern drama.
• Despite its initial mixed reception, Waiting for Godot quickly gained critical acclaim and has since become one of the most frequently performed and analyzed plays in the 20th century.