Deconstruction of Traditional Language in Beckett's Waiting for Godot

Extract

[...] They alternate between abyssal silences and verbal logorrheas that are just as sterile. The punctuation is used in a completely innovative way. The 'beautiful language' of the theatre is put to shame in a complete deconstruction of traditional language where the characters are reduced to addressing each other in a language that is increasingly relaxed, which is ultimately nothing more than stammering when it's not insults. Beckett thus marks the history of Theatre with this masterpiece of dramaturgy that will influence and continues to influence a large number of authors. [...]

[...] The characters in the play do not play the traditional game of dialogue as an exchange of information. For example, when one character asks a question, instead of answering it, the interlocutor will respond with another question: - « Estragon (irritated): What's going on? - Vladimir: Have you read the Bible? We can see in this excerpt that the characters are not really trying to communicate with each other. Excessive silence If the most famous play by the Irish playwright is characterized by its many silences, the characters can suddenly switch from the most absolute silence to a brutal logorrhea as if to compensate in a liberating way the restraint they usually show. [...]

[...] A departure from the 'beautiful' theatrical language Beckett's theater is also transgressive with respect to classical theater, where one expects the use of a sustained language in the tradition of authors from the Grand Siècle such as Racine and Molière, then Beaumarchais: « Vladimir: 'Do you prefer to be stuck there doing nothing?' The characters have little regard for one another and do not hesitate to address each other without any caution. A familiarity that goes as far as vulgarity. In fact, in Waiting for Godot, Estragon will say 'the scoundrel, the cow'. The violence of these words translates the violence of their relationships. This violence is a measure of their despair. Run through by an extreme nervous tension, the characters collide with each other in a way that is both tragic and pathetic and in a way that is gripping for the spectator or reader. [...]

[...] I - An Ineffective Word The Impotence of Language Thus we can observe a certain impotence of language to influence the Real. In linguistics, we speak of the performative function of language, in Beckett's play, we will say rather that language is non-performative. Thus in a passage from the play: - « Estragon: I'm going (He doesn't move) - Estragon: So we're off then? - Vladimir: Let's go (They don't move) In this excerpt, we see that Estragon's words have no effect on him and the other character who is with him. [...]

[...] It does not allow them to communicate effectively and constructively. The many silences that punctuate the play leave room for brutal logorrheas that are not constructive in terms of meaning. Let's analyze another aspect of language in Beckett, namely the deconstruction of traditional language and particularly traditional theatrical language. II - The Deconstruction of Language The omnipresence of punctuation as a disruption of traditional language. The ellipses, in particular, are very present in this play: « Vladimir: It's not the same thing. Well . pause). [...]