Published date:Mar 11 2021

Journal Title: KnE Social Sciences

Issue title: Annual International Conference on Language and Literature

Pages:285-295

DOI: 10.18502/kss.v5i4.8688

Fita Chyntiafcsapiens@gmail.comUniversitas Sumatera Utara (USU), Medan, Indonesia

Multhahada Ramadhani SiregarUniversitas Sumatera Utara (USU), Medan, Indonesia

Roni Hikmah RamadhanUniversitas Sumatera Utara (USU), Medan, Indonesia

This paper discusses the absurd character types that exist in Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot. Vladimir, Estragon, Pozzo and Lucky are the four contradictory yet dependent characters in the play. The absurd characters reflect the social condition of the time, post – World War II. The characters are pictured waiting for the completion of the war in the hope that it will come. Their fate can be changed instantly, the same as the state of war. Besides discussing the characters in the drama, this paper also discusses the characteristics of the language used by the characters. The language used is unreasonable, not in accordance with what is said or how they act; it is called “verbal nonsense”. The interpretations of the dialogue among the characters in the play will give a better picture of each character and how they can be related to societal conditions.

Keywords: Theater of Absurd, Character Types, Post-War, Social Condition

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