Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot and the

Bergsonian Perspective of Time

By Orsolya Halmi
2009
0
As one of the most influential dramas representative of the Absurdist Theatre,
Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot is a fine reflection upon the arrival of a ne! period
of cultural, philosophical and social perspectives" #ritten in $9%&, ori'inally in (rench,
the drama places itself in the midst of a chaotic era characteri)ed by post*!ar uncertainty,
fear and depression that !as tearin' +urope apart" The play is not only a distorted mirror*
ima'e of mans ne! position in the t!entieth century, a ,afkaes-ue perspective on
modern life, but also an unusual portrayal of the consciousness of e.perience" #ithout a
comple. settin', plot and hint of any social and political back'round, it focuses much
more on universal issues related to our e.istence as spiritual and physical forms !ithin a
spatial and temporal frame"
Godot is a play about !aitin'" /t revolves around t!o character, +stra'on and
0ladimir, !ho are !aitin' in the middle of no!here for somebody named 1odot" The
idea of !aitin' is veiled in absolute uncertainty2 they do not kno! !hether they are in the
ri'ht place, at ri'ht time, and !hen and if 1odot !ill appear at all" 3ean!hile, their only
concern is to pass the time, !hich proves to be -uite a difficult task" They fill their time
!ith idle talk and trivial acts that makes them painfully a!are of their futile e.istence"
As the idea of !aitin' is central to the play and since the act of !aitin' is
inseparable from the notion of time, Waiting for Godot provides opportunities for the
!riter to e.plore modern mans e.perience of his o!n e.istence"
One of the most important aspects of e.perience here is time" /n Godot, it defines
ho! the characters perceive themselves and others" The play e.cellently implements
(rench philosopher Henri Ber'sons philosophy !hich defines time as bein' of t!o
types" Accordin' to the Ber'sonian theory
$
, there is a spatial conception of 4ob5ective6
time measurable by a clock and one !hich is lived 4sub5ective6, referred to as duration,
measurable only by mans inner perception 47Ber'son8 26" #e may assume that Beckett
mi'ht have been familiar !ith this theory !hen he !rote his !ork 4considerin' that
Ber'sons !orks !ere -uite popular at the be'innin' of the 20
th
century, especially in
(rance !here the play!ri'ht !as livin'6 and this is e.emplified by the !ay in !hich his
characters relate to time"
$
9elated in Time and Free Will: An Essay on the Immediate Data of Consciousness, published in $::9"
$
Objective Time
3athematical time as vie!ed by science is inseparable from space 4#iersma $;6
and in the case of Godot, ob5ective time reveals itself by the spatial matter surroundin'
the characters" /n this sense, the visual elements of Becketts scarce settin' restrained to
the sky, the moon, the sun, the !illo! tree and <o))os !atch are important clues for
definin' ob5ective time" The cyclical nature of mathematical time is implied by the risin'
of the sun and moon, !hich is an indication of dynamic -uality of time" This dynamicity
is vital for the characters !hose obsessive concern !ith time reveals their e.istential
an.iety" (or 0ladimir and +stra'on, the sense of time havin' passed 'ives them some
relief and hope that the !aitin' !ill soon come to an end" The comin' of the ni'ht
alleviates the tension of havin' nothin' to do, !hile the arrival of the ne! day anticipates
1odots possible arrival and conse-uently, 1o'o and =idis 7salvation"8
The sky plays an important role in determinin' ob5ective time> therefore the act of
lookin' up at the sky becomes a repetitive act" (or e.ample, 0ladimirs repetitious
rhetorical -uestion ? 7#ill ni'ht never come@8 4&0, &&6 ? is al!ays associated !ith the
instinctive act of lookin' at the sky"
(urthermore, the sky often becomes the ob5ect of philosophical discourse2
Ah yesA The ni'htB 4He looks at the sky.6 CookA B#hat is there so
e.traordinary about it@ Dua sky" /t is pale and luminous like any sky at this
hour of the day" 4ause.6 /n these latitudes" 4ause.6 #hen the !eather is
fine" 4!yrical.6 An hour a'o 4he looks at his "atch# $rosaic6 rou'hly 4lyrical6
after havin' poured forth even since 4he hesitates# $rosaic6 say ten oEclock in
the mornin' 4lyrical6 tirelessly torrents of red and !hite li'ht it be'ins to
lose its efful'ence, to 'ro! pale B pale, ever a little paler, a little paler
untilB pppfffA finishedA it comes to rest" But? 4hand raised in admonition6 ?
but behind this veil of 'entleness and peace, ni'ht is char'in' 4%i&rantly6
and !ill burst upon us 4sna$s his fingers6 popA like thatA B5ust !hen !e
least e.pect it" 4'ilence. Gloomily.6 ThatEs ho! it is on this bitch of an earth"
4sic6 4Beckett &F*%6
2
<o))os monolo'ue can be understood as a discourse on both ob5ective and
sub5ective time that defines the characters e.istence" The intervals of mathematical time
are associated !ith the characteristics of the sky 47pale,8 7luminous,8 7red and !hite86
and authenticated by the !atch" Sub5ective time, on the other hand, is referred to by
<o))o as passin' -uickly, ni'ht 7burstin' upon us B !hen !e least e.pect it8 4in
opposition to +stra'on and 0ladimirs perception of a slo!ly elapsin' time6" 3oreover,
<o))os possession of a !atch makes him self*confident, in control of time and therefore
his o!n life, in contrast to the tramps !ho !ander aimlessly, lookin' for thin's to do
!hile !aitin'"
/ndeed, <o))os self*assurance seems to rely partly on his possession of a !atch
that he constantly 'lances at, even !hen he speaks of years2 7That !as nearly si.ty years
a'o " " " 4he consults his "atch6 " " " yes, nearly si.ty" 4Dra"ing himself u$ $roudly.68
4Beckett &06" /n addition, 0ladimirs contrastin' opinion that 7time has stopped8 is
refuted by <o))o !ith his 'esture of cuddlin' the !atch to his ear and replyin'2 7=onEt
you believe it, Sir, donEt you believe it" 4He $uts his "atch &ack in his $ocket.6 #hatever
you like, but not that8 4&F6" The idea of time becomin' static seems unacceptable to
<o))o2 this can be e-uated !ith the notion of losin' his 'oal" This is alluded to later on by
<o))os desperation !hen he loses his !atch and puts the t!o tramps to listen to his
stomach" As a result, in the second act he returns as a blind helpless man !ithout a !atch
and !ithout a destination"
The !illo! tree, the only fi.ed prop in the play is another representation of
ob5ective time" /t inte'rates the play into a lar'er time frame, that of the cycle of seasons"
At the be'innin' of the second act, the tree sho!s the first si'ns of chan'e, the leaves
announcin' the arrival of a ne! season" This chan'e, ho!ever, is perceived as -uite
unusual and sudden since 7yesterday evenin' it !as all black and bare" And no! itEs
covered !ith leaves8 claims 0ladimir 4GG6" 1o'o and =idis subse-uent conversation
about the tree increases the uncertainty of the time frame2
ESTRAO!" /t must be the Sprin'
#$A%&'&R" But in a sin'le ni'htA
ESTRAO!" / tell you !e !erenEt here yesterday" Another of your
ni'htmares"
&
#$A%&'&R" And !here !ere !e yesterday evenin' accordin' to you@
ESTRAO!" Ho! !ould / kno!@ /n another compartment" ThereEs no
lack of void"
#$A%&'&R" 4sure of himself6. 1ood" #e !erenEt here yesterday evenin'"
Ho! !hat did !e do yesterday evenin'@
ESTRAO!" =o@
#$A%&'&R" Try and remember"
ESTRAO!" =oB/ suppose !e blathered"
#$A%&'&R" 4controlling himself6. About !hat@
ESTRAO!" OhBthis and that / suppose, nothin' in particular" BIes,
no! / remember, yesterday evenin' !e spent blatherin' about nothin' in
particular" ThatEs been 'oin' on no! for half a century" 4G;6
The characters unreliability from the narrative point of vie! 4they do not
remember !hat they did and !here they !ere the day before6 and the blossomin' of the
tree, as !ell as +stra'ons observation about the blatherin' 'oin' on for half a century
su''ests that more than a day may have elapsed bet!een the t!o acts" This illustrates
ho! sub5ective time intersects !ith ob5ective time, creatin' a duality !hich defines ho!
the characters e.perience the process of !aitin'" BJer'sonK hypotheses physical time as
one and universal L impersonal time in !hich all thin's !ill pass8 4#iersma F;6

Subjective Time
0ladimir and +stra'ons main concern is to pass the time, ho!ever, this activity
al!ays implies !hat Ber'son calls duration" 9eadin' Ber'son, Otto #iersma e.plains
sub5ective time as 7the real, lived time of our e.perience in !hich a manifold of durations
relates to different levels of consciousness8 4$;6" He clarifies the importance of memory
and consciousness in understandin' ho! 7real time8 functions2
Time as succession encompasses before and after and a brid'e bet!een the
t!o2 elementary memory, makin' duration a continuum of !hat no lon'er
e.ists into !hat does e.ist2 real time, perceived and lived" /nner duration is
like a melody, unfoldin' 4pure duration, !hich cant be divided6 ? different
F
from the unfolded 4!hich can be divided, a tra5ectory pro5ected in space
!hich can be measured6" Our attention differentiates and unites several
contemporaneous flo!s, occupyin' the same duration as actual e.perience ?
!hich is different from convertin' time into spatiali)ed, simultaneous
instants as virtual representation" 4ibid"6
Waiting for Godot is built on this idea of time as internali)ed duration" The
distress of the t!o main characters, 1o'o and =idi, lies precisely !ithin the fact that their
only task is to !ait, that is, to pass the time" Since !aitin' implies inactivity and inertia
4they have to rely on 1odot, +stra'on is beaten by men, yet he is unable to do anythin'
about it etc"6, time forces itself upon the characters consciousness, influencin' duration"
This is the source of their torment2 they perceive time as passin' very slo!ly and
sometimes even stoppin'" +.perienced time, here, is associated !ith action" Iet, they
cannot find anythin' meanin'ful to do, so their actions become substitutive"
Mompanionship and talk also provides means for speedin' up time, but these prove to be
5ust as pointless as their actions" Both characters instinctively reali)e that fillin' time !ith
action or !ords can positively influence duration"
0ladimirs repeated phrases 7one can bide ones time8 4&%6, 7time has stopped8
4&F6, 7that passed the time8 4&F, FG, 9:6 not only hi'hli'ht the characters intense
preoccupation !ith time, but also underline Ber'sons theory of duration as an
internali)ed uninterrupted flo!" <o))o and Cuckys departure, for e.ample, provides
opportunity for 0ladimir to contemplate time a'ain2
#$A%&'&R" That passed the time"
ESTRAO!" /t !ould have passed in any case"
#$A%&'&R" Ies, but not so rapidly" ause.
ESTRAO!" #hat do !e do no!@
#$A%&'&R" / donEt kno!" 4FG6
Both characters are hi'hly 7time*conscious8 thou'h they try to elude it2
+stra'ons observation about time passin' any!ay is countered by 0ladimirs intuitional
kno!led'e that it 'oes by faster !hen one is not thinkin' about it" The idea recurs later
on as !ell, !hen 0ladimir e.claims after makin' up !ith +stra'on2 7Ho! time flies
!hen one has funA8 4:06" 0ladimirs statement is not validated from an ob5ective point of
%
vie!2 he does not really kno! ho! much measurable time has really elapsed, yet relyin'
on his intuition, he states that it has passed rapidly"
As Ber'sons philosophy asserts, 7real duration can only be e.perienced by
intuition8, throu'h consciousness, !hich creates 7an endless flo! of e.perience in an
indivisible continuity"8 3easurable time, ho!ever, is disruptive and divisible, broken into
intervals by the intellect, and therefore falsified 47The Mreative8 $6" (or 0ladimir and
+stra'on, the rapid flo! of intuitional time is more si'nificant than the mechanical one"
They kno! that the hours and days succeed one another !ith re'ularity !hatever they do,
but they are tormented by the slu''ish flo! of internali)ed time"
<o))o and Cucky, on the other hand, appear to be in the reverse in Act One2 they
seem to be attemptin' to slo! do!n time" Cuckys !eariness, <o))os !atch and his
effort to leave, as !ell as his lon' monolo'ue about time 4-uoted on pa'e one6 testify for
this" /n the second act nevertheless, <o))o ? returnin' as a blind man ? and Cucky ?
havin' become dumb ? fall into an indeterminate abyss of sub5ective time" <o))o is no
lon'er in control of time !ithout the support of his si'ht and !atch, and havin' only to
rely on his dumb slave, Cucky, he impatiently asks the t!o tramps to tell him the time"
#hen -uestioned about their first encounter !ith 1o'o and =idi, <o))o cannot remember
anythin' about 7yesterday8 as if he had lost his memory !ith his eyesi'ht" (urthermore,
he becomes irritant and hostile !hen -uestioned about anythin' related to time, replyin'
that 7the blind have no notion of time" The thin's of time are hidden from them too8
4Beckett 9F6"
His final discourse on time ? as duration, in this case ? 'ives evidence to <o))os
transformation and it also validates the continuity and indivisibility of metaphysical
e.perience2
Have you not done tormentin' me !ith your accursed timeA /tEs abominableA
#henA #henA One day, is that not enou'h for you, one day he !ent dumb,
one day / !ent blind, one day !eEll 'o deaf, one day !e !ere born, one day
!e shall die, the same day, the same second, is that not enou'h for you@
4Calmer.6 They 'ive birth astride of a 'rave, the li'ht 'leams an instant, then
itEs ni'ht once more" 4Beckett 9:6
G
(onclusion
All in all, Becketts masterpiece is a brilliant e.emplification of the philosophical
ideas of the t!entieth century, amon' them Henri Ber'sons perspective of time" /n a play
!here virtually nothin' happens, time becomes a central fi'ure, the representation of the
lon' a!aited 1odot, brin'in' both distress and providin' escape for the characters from
their tormented thou'hts" Time 'ains a duality that defines the characters state and actions
and becomes the a'ent that makes consciousness a!are of its o!n substance"
;
#orks Mited
Beckett, Samuel" Waiting for Godot" He! Iork2 1rove <ress, $9%F" 2%" Nan" 2009"
Ohttp2PP!!!"samuel*beckett"netPQ.FL
7Henri Ber'son"8 Encyclo$(dia )ritannica" 2009" +ncyclopRdia Britannica Online" 29"
Nan" 2009 Ohttp2PP!!!"britannica"comP+BcheckedPtopicPG$:%GPHenri*Ber'sonL
7Henri Ber'sons SThe Mreative 3ind"8 *uee+ueg,s Crossing" 29" Nan" 2009
Ohttp2PP!!!"an'elfire"comPmd2Ptime!arpPber'son"htmlL
#iersma, Otto B" 7Monscious /n Time" The Ber'son*+instein*debate about the =uration
of SpaceTime8 hiloso$hy. 2F Hov 200%" 29" Nan" 2009
Ohttp2PP!!!"ottob!"dds"nlPfilosofiePconsciousness"htmL
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