Question

What are the names of the two main characters in the play?

• A. Pozzo and Lucky
• B. Didi and Gogo
• C. Samuel and Martin
• D. Albert and Roger

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Didi and Gogo

Waiting for Godot: Main Characters and Context

• The two main characters, Didi and Gogo, are central to Samuel Beckett's seminal play, Waiting for Godot.
• Their full names are Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo). They are tramps who spend their days waiting endlessly for a mysterious figure named Godot, who never arrives.

Key Facts about Waiting for Godot:

• Author: The play was written by the Irish playwright, novelist, and poet Samuel Beckett.
• Original Language: While Beckett was Irish, he wrote Waiting for Godot (En attendant Godot) originally in French in 1949 and later translated it into English himself.
• Genre: It is a quintessential work of the Theatre of the Absurd. This theatrical movement emerged in the 1950s, characterized by plays that explore the meaningless of human existence through illogical plots, repetitive dialogue, and often grotesque characters.
• Themes: The play delves into profound themes such as the meaninglessness of life, the human condition, time, despair, friendship, and the search for purpose.
• Structure: The play is famously structured around two acts, both depicting essentially the same events, reinforcing the theme of repetition and futility.
• Other Characters: Besides Didi and Gogo, the play features Pozzo (a tyrannical master) and Lucky (his enslaved servant), who provide a stark contrast to the main pair, and a young Boy who serves as Godot's messenger, delivering the message that Godot will not come today but surely tomorrow.
• Historical Context: Premiering in 1953, the play resonated deeply with the post-World War II disillusionment and existential angst, reflecting a world grappling with the horrors of war and the perceived breakdown of traditional values.
• Samuel Beckett's Recognition: Samuel Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969, largely for his contributions to literature, particularly for plays like Waiting for Godot, which 'in new forms for the novel and drama—in the destitution of modern man acquires his elevation'.