Theatre and Language: Samuel Beckett "Waiting for Godot"

Note: this is NOT a theatrical performance, it's a talk about the play. Familiarity with the play is advisable in order to enjoy the lecture.

Beckett's Waiting for Godot has been interpreted in myriad ways. Some claim it is a work that explores the bleak absurdism of human life. Others have argued that it is an allegory of various kinds. These will be explored, but also the question as to what is it about the play that lends itself to such diverse interpretations? Plays are more than language. Is it in the relationship between language and the other aspects of theatre craft that the most convincing interpretation of the play lies?

These and other aspects of Beckett's play will be discussed in this public lecture given by prof. Belinda Jack, University of Oxford.

“Reading is a subject which has long fascinated me, not least because of my role in teaching undergraduate students to read ‘difficult’ literature with the greatest attention to detail, structure and internal connections. … My Gresham lectures will draw on some of the material on which I based my book, including material that I didn’t have space to treat, and on the research I am currently undertaking. My primary aim will be to encourage informed reading of a wide range of material, which will make us reconsider literature, ourselves and the society in which we live.”

After the talk we will head to a pub close to Smithfield Market to socialise (10min walk) and relax before heading home.

!! NOTE - NOTE- NOTE- NOTE-NOTE-NOTE-NOTE-NOTE !!
Doors for our lectures open half an hour before the beginning of the talk (5.30pm for 6pm evening lectures). Some events, however, can be more popular than others AND we do recommend that you get there as early as you can to avoid disappointment.