After reading Waiting for Godot, I still enjoy the value of Lucky’s speech. At first glance, it parodies the scholarly essays that we are meant to analyze. However, it’s also riddled with confusing and nonsensical words. However, here are the most important sections of the speech:
“Given the existence…of a personal God… with white beard… outside time without extension who from the heights of divine… loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Miranda with those who for reasons unknown…are plunged in torment plunged in fire whose fire flames if that continues and who can doubt it will fire the firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm so calm with a calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing.”
In this quote, Lucky describes how God is outside of time and loves us for “reasons unknown.” He describes hell and heaven, and that even though both are “intermittent,” both are better than nothing.
“considering what is more that as a result of the labors left unfinished…that man in short that man in brief in spite of the strides of alimentation and defecation wastes and pines wastes and pines…tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts autumn summer winter winter tennis of all kinds hockey of all sorts penicillin and succedanea…for reasons unknown no matter what matter the facts are there.”
In this section of the speech, we see that man “wastes and pines” for this God. We also see a jumble of sports such as “tennis, football, running,” and so forth. These are all ways that we distract ourselves while we waste and pine away. The last line shows how we still don’t know why we exist, “no matter what matter the facts are there.”
“…considering what is more much more grave that in the light of the labors lost…the skull fading fading fading…Labors abandoned left unfinished graver still abode of stones in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the skull”
The quote ends with a description of death, as skull is repeated. However, it says “labors abandoned left unfinished.” These bleak words show the absurdist aspect of this play; there is no meaning in our actions. While we may play sports and distract ourselves, we are still unfinished and abandoned with no given purpose in life.
Source: Waiting for Godot