Waiting for Godot

Dare I say... greatest play ever written?

As a matter of fact, I do dare to state such a claim. Samuel Beckett is such an amazing writer, and in WfG, he has created some of the most memorable characters and dialouge in any medium. A must read for everyone.

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Don't miss the humor!

The greatest tragedy with this work is that everyone gets so caught up in debating the philosophy and structure of it that they glide right over the laughs. Godot, when read or performed, should elicit the same breathless laughing as a Neil Simon or a Python sketch. Please don't read it joylessly. Getting the meaning is barely tickling the surface of the fun.

Typical existentialism

Let me warn you right now: this play is not all it's cracked up to be. Number one, it has no central focus. It's just a bunch of meaningless, unrelated little incidents that you're supposed to psychoanalyze. For me, it was torture to have to go back over every little chunk of dialogue and say, Okay, what segment of human nature is this referring to? And number two, I think it only enjoys such a great reputation because a few critics/English majors thought it was this breakthrough, revolutionary work. Don't be fooled. Reading it was tantamount to repeatedly slamming my head into a wall.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Waiting For Godot

this is one of the most interesting plays I've read...so unique...so intriguing. A lot of people do become frustrated with this book [literally NOTHING haPPeNs] but it takes quite a philosophical mind to understand the inner workings of an existentialist. I myself is still tyring to grasp its meaning...I suggest Waiting for Godot if you like to contemplate and have quite a patience.

Simple but Deep

Waiting for Godot is an incredible book. It starts with Estragon and Vladimir start with a humorous ways to pass time as they wait for Godot. Some believe Godot relates to death because of their mentions of suicide. The story moves on to a semi-man lucky who is pushed around by his master Pozzo. I thought the entire book kept a bit of hope through the story because of their optimistic view of life.

I found this very disappointing.

Before reading this play I was told that most people hate it, or they love it. Personaly, I couldn't stand reading the play, and now I know what my teacher meant when she said that there was no inbetween. I was very interested at first, but as the play continued I grew disappointed because nothing changed. I feel that if they really wanted to see Godot, they would have left that tree and looked for him.

Godot is full of meaning and meaningless at the same time.

Waiting for Godot is humorous and ironic. It's characters' senility gives the book a similar feel to that of old Charlie Chaplain movies. The characters repetitive conversations add to that feel but also allow the reader to, if he/she wants to, pull out several meanings from the book. The whole book parallels the human experience of waiting for our own Godot, whether it be God or Wealth or family, whatever gives our lives meaning. With each meaning the detail of the book presents different symbols, unique to whatever it is the reader is comparing it to.

Whos Godot??

Samuel Beckett's tragicomedy Waiting for Godot is a very strange and somewhat boring play. It repeats the same sequence of events three times but thay change a bit each time. Its strange in the sense that it just seems to end with out really concluding the conflict. It started out very hopeful but that was misleading because the reader is let down when the play ends. My real question/comment is... WHO IS GODOT? Does the author ever reveal this in the play? Knowing this would probably make the play make more sense for me anyway.

Disregard mindless comments from numskulls

This play is absolutely fantastic. If you are an individual who has contemplated the meaning of life this play is for you. Despite what this last lame brain had to say, most of the dialouge is quite profound if one is able to put it in the proper context. Beckett had a very artful way of expressing himself, and this style might well throw off certain individuals who must have things spelled out for them.

Hmm...

As I read Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting For Godot', I was not amazed, transfixed, or otherwise impressed with the lack of action and the meaningless dialogue. Just because Beckett wrote a play about absolutely nothing, people hail him as a great writer. I am sure that my nine year old sister could actually produce a better piece of writing than Beckett did with 'Waiting for Godot'. If you are looking for a book to inspire you, do not read this play. If you just picked it up for some light reading, put it back right where you got it from. To be blunt, if you have a choice between watching paint dry and reading this book, choose the paint. It will be far more eventful. Maybe the only people who enjoy this book are cynics on their deathbed. I, for one, could think of scores of better books to read than 'Waiting for Godot'. A book with no substance is merely an idiotic waste of paper and money. Aren't there people dying of starvation and disease all across the world? Well, instead of wasting ten dollars on 'Waiting for Godot', donate ten dollars to a local soup kichen, emergency aid group, or the Salvation Army. There are many better uses for money. Others who rated this book with five stars also recommended Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'. What exactly were these people thinking?! 'Waiting for Godot' is like 'The Adventures of Dick, Jane and Spot' in comparison to 'Hamlet'. And Samuel Beckett is not even worthy of compare to Shakespere. Please do yourself a favor and skip 'Waiting fo Godot' on your English reading list. Read Hamlet or something with a plot, developed characters, theme, and a bit of conflict. I know most people like a good story line and some sort of struggle in a play or novel. Even Edith Wharton's novella 'Ethan Frome' is a better choice than 'Waiting for Godot'. At least it has some action- even if it is about some kids crashing into a tree on a sled. Another reason for not reading 'Waiting for Godot' is to be a rebel. Sure, it seems like everyone reads it, falls in love with it, and tries to live by its message. Though it may seem like rebels read the book, the real rebels are the people who refuse to read the literary garbage. Stand up and refuse to follow the opinions of others. Look through the lore and opinions. The truth is that 'Waiting for Godot' is an absolute bore. Does anybody really enjoy listening to mindless gibberish? I know that I don't. Beckett should not be considered an inspiring author because he wrote 'Waiting for Godot'. He should, in fact, be publicly humiliated, laughed at, and sent to a mental hospital. I am sure that the first people to view his play were completely bored or asleep during the production. Perhaps Samuel Beckett thought he could write plays because he wasn't that good at anything else. If he wrote that while he was in high school or college, his teacher or professor would laugh with contempt while he/she read it. I know that my teacher certainly would. After my teacher had a laugh(or a nap), she would stamp a big fat 'F' on top of it and banish me from English class forever. To conclude this lengthy review of 'Waiting for Godot', I want to say that I hope you make your reading experiences enjoyable and fulfilling. So I beg you, do not waste ten dollars on Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot'. Simply turn your back on it and forget about it. read William Shakespere's 'Hamlet', Victor Hugo's 'Les Miserables', or Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'. Remember, just say no to literary trash!

Masterpiece!

The most profound play ever written. This work by Beckett opens our eyes to the sharp and troubling realization that life has no intrinsic meaning. We all are waiting for the mysterious Godot just beyond the horizon, but the horizon is never reached, we look forward and it is always ahead of us no matter how much we try to reach it. Another work that I feel matches the depths of 'Waiting for Godot' is Paul Omeziri's Descent into Illusion published by PublishAmerica. This novel also deals with the paradoxical condition of human existance, of being thrown into a world without meaning or order.

A True Classic

Beckett's tragicomedy is an innovation in modern drama and a timeless classic of theater.

stuff

i am suprised that everyone found the play to be a picture of the nihilism and absurdity of life... and i think they miss the point. in beckett's moving play 'waiting for godot', he draws a picture of the human condition that not only displays our most base and vilely normal actions but suffuses them with a hope and love for humans... a wonderful play, a journey of beauty and silence and pain.

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