Waiting for Godot

Absurdism is a philosophical movement that originated in the 19th century from the work of Søren Kierkegaard. Its central tenet is that humans exist in an inherently chaotic world without any outside plan or meaning. It is closely tied to existentialism and nihilism and was later influenced by writers such as Albert Camus and cataclysmic global events like the world wars. The collective dramatic works of a diverse group of playwrights in the 1950s and 60s such as Beckett, Harold Pinter, and Jean Genet—writers who were influenced by Camus and absurdism—came to be known informally as the Theater of the Absurd.

A sense of irrationality permeates the play. The manner in which the play approaches time, for instance, can be considered absurd. The characters spend their time waiting for a man who never arrives, unable to remember why they are meant to be waiting. They struggle to remember when or where they were on the previous day. Even when they are on the cusp of realization, a silly incident such as the discovery of a boot will distract them from acknowledging the reality of their situation. Time repeats itself, discombobulating the audience through a