The Insanity of "Waiting for Godot"

Katie Nguyen

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word 'insanity' as "the condition of being insane; an unsoundness of mind as a consequence of brain-disease; madness, lunacy." In this regard, insanity is a state of mind that is often linked to mental deficiencies due to in some part to mental illness. Concerning Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” I would make a case stating that Vladimir and Estragon are not meant to be seen as mentally ill. Their deficiencies are more representative of the world in which they inhabit rather than personal issues of coherence or soundness of mind. Of course, the OED also offers a more colloquial understanding of the term, denoting it as "extreme folly or want of sense," which somewhat downplays the implication of mental illness to more generally refer to a kind of senselessness. This definition has more resonance within the play because much of Vladimir and Estragon’s actions are inane. However, I would like to note that senselessness or mania or crazed behavior can only be understood or identified in the context of society. An unsound mind is defined by a sound mind. That is to say, the markers of insanity, or insane behavior, can only be understood as what lies outside of what is socially deemed as acceptable in that world.

With that in mind, Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” is an absurdist play appears to encapsulate existential dread and the fear of an indifferent universe that casts human behavior as trivial and directionless. It is difficult to pinpoint definitively whether Vladimir and Estragon are insane within the world of the play because that world is markedly different from that of our modern society. A key marker of this being the relationship between Pozzo and Lucky, which is extreme and strange. It’s difficult to find concrete footing in the world of the play. With such a stripped down and minimalist production, there is no obvious societal presence. There is no city infrastructure or societal mentions within the play that would lend toward an understanding of the society they are in. Moreover, the few characters present in the play don’t necessarily seem to represent social conventions. However, none of that matters. The theatre of the absurd eschews the validity of social orders as it purports a larger, deeper sense of existentialism wherein absolutely nothing has meaning.

So, in true absurdist theatre fashion, the play puts forth a tremendous atmosphere of uncertainty and mindlessness that exhibits no signs of progression or resolution. Though governed by a vaguely linear sense of time, the play’s actions are completely circulatory, unfolding in repetitive cycles that land Vladimir and Estragon in the same familiar place, both spatially and symbolically. The absurdist world of the play suggests the lack of an overarching or coherent meaning to their actions. So, are Vladimir and Estragon insane for lacking sense in a senseless world? I would argue that they are not. It is almost tragically noble of them to await Godot and the impetus for change or meaning that he represents. Though they fluctuate in conviction throughout the play, Vladimir and Estragon continue to lie in wait for Godot because it’s something to look toward, the illusion, or delusion, of progress. Even the mindless fiddling with their clothes and the inane bits they perform serve to distract from the looming sense of cosmic insignificance. In Act 2 of the play, it is Estragon that surprisingly sheds light on the bleakness of their existence, saying “We always find something, eh Didi, to give us the impression we exist?”. Perhaps the performance of waiting for Godot is a way to stave off insanity.

 Another interesting thread to follow is in the common adage that is often randomly attributed to Albert Einstein, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.” Going back to constructing a definition of insanity, the expression suggests that this madness is derived from a lack of understanding and adjustment or more commonly, not learning from your mistakes. Vladimir and Estragon certainly seem guilty of this kind of insanity. The end of the play concludes with them remaining in the same spot, implying that they will continue to wait for Godot despite no real indication that the next day will bring a different outcome than the one before. Of course, within this definition, insanity and faith or hope have a complex relationship. Maybe we can hold out hope that the sprouting leaves that appear between Acts 1 and 2 could denote change and new life. Or, perhaps more appropriately for the genre, it’s a natural event that doesn’t have any other larger meaning or implication.