Waiting for Godot: Character Studies

Description

This book provides an introductory study of Beckett's most famous play, dealing not just with the four main characters but with the pairings that they form, and the implications of these pairings for the very idea of character in the play. After locating Godot within the context of Beckett's work, Lawley discusses some of the play's puzzles and difficulties-including the absent "fifth character", Godot himself.

Paul Lawley is Lecturer in English at the University of Plymouth, UK. He has published widely, in books and scholarly journals, on the drama and fiction of Samuel Beckett.

'Brilliantly conceived, and crafted with his usual verve and wit, Paul Lawley's introduction to Beckett's play is a critical tour de force, with pleasures in store for both novice and experienced Godot audiences. Lawley probes what keeps Waiting for Godot as tantalizing now as it was for audiences when it made theatrical history over half a century ago. He suggests, as he has for other Beckett dramas, new ways of thinking about its enigmatic cast of characters, its profound poetry, and flighty humour.' ~ Professor Angela Moorjani, University of Maryland - (Baltimore County), USA, author of Abysmal Games in the Novels of Samuel Beckett -- Professor Angela Moorjani "Each book in the 'Character Studies' series edited by Ashley Chantler is a recommended pick for high school and college-level libraries alike, providing fine literary analysis through concept of character which makes this an excellent choice for drama as well as literary students." - James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review, July 2008 -- James A. Cox