Waiting for Godot and The House of Bernarda Alba

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In the plays Waiting for Godot and The House of Bernarda Alba, life and death are significant concepts. Life is meaningless in Godot as they merely wait until death, whilst Bernarda Alba depicts futility of life without passion, love or freedom. The House of Bernarda Alba, through Adela’s rebellious spirit signifies living a life that is passionate, while in Waiting for Godot Beckett seems to imply that life is meaningless. Whilst Waiting for Godot focuses more on the metaphorical aspect of death, The House of Bernarda Alba takes on the literal death through Adela’s suicide. As playwrights, Lorca and Beckett convey their views on life and death through their works. Beckett portrays a cyclical, boring existence in Waiting for Godot, whilst dramatic action is explicitly evident in Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba. Just as their views on life are contrasting, the two playwrights have different views on death as well. This is caused by the major cultural differences between the two playwrights. Lorca’s work is set in the Spanish Culture and the Civil War’s social repression, while the views expressed in Beckett's absurdist play is significantly affected by WWII existentialism. Both Beckett and Lorca agree that death is an inevitable occurrence, however they have different views on its significance. Through the characterization of their main characters, the playwrights illuminate their contrasting views on life and death.

Through depicting their main characters significant life events, Lorca and Beckett convey their contrasting view on life. Waiting for Godot indicates no purpose for our actions and existence. Reiterating the purposelessness of life, the lives of the character are a repetitive cycle of meaningless conversation an...

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...kett conveys his belief that life is merely a waiting period for one's death, in The House of Bernarda Alba, Lorca through Adele's fiery spirit, shows a passionate life. Thus, through the lives of Vladimir, Estragon and Adela the two playwrights' respective views on life were portrayed. The playwrights’ view of death however, is similar, as both view death as a source of change and insignificant event in society. Life and death is a significant theme explored in both Waiting for Godot and The House of Bernarda Alba, and through these plays, the audience inevitably gains new perceptions for life and death.

Works Cited

Beckett, Samuel. Waiting For Godot. 3rd ed. N.p.: CPI Group, 2006. Print. Vol. 1 of Samuel Beckett: The Complete Dramatic Works. 4 vols

Lorca, Federico Garcia. La Casa de Bernarda Alba, Manchester University Press, 1984. Print

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