Waiting for Godot: Context

Samuel Beckett: A revered Irish playwright and novelist, Beckett is known for his dark, minimalist, and existentialist works, including Waiting for Godot.
Life in the 1940s: The 1940s was a time of global conflict due to World War II, leading to a sense of despair and uncertainty mirrored in Beckett’s play.
World War II: This devastating global conflict, with its horrors and atrocities, greatly influenced Beckett’s pessimistic world view as seen in Waiting for Godot.
Surrealism: A cultural movement rejecting rationality and embracing irrational and nonsensical aspects, surrealism can be seen in the irrationality and nonsensical conversations in Waiting for Godot.
Post WW2 French Morality: After the traumas of WWII, French society questioned traditional moral values, which is reflected in Beckett’s portrayal of a world lacking clear moral guidance.
Nazi Occupation of France: Beckett lived in France during Nazi occupation, his experiences are reflected in Waiting for Godot through the sense of oppression and despair.
Post-Structuralism: This philosophical movement questions the validity of universal truths, a concept reflected in Waiting for Godot’s exploration of the ambiguities of meaning and interpretation.
Absurdist Theatre: A genre that portrays human existence as meaningless and absurd, Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is a seminal example, characterised by its nonsensical dialogue and circular narrative structure.