The African Literature

1. Comparison Between “The Swamp
Dwellers” and “Waiting For Godot”
Submitted to : Department of English
Maharaja krishnkumarsinhji Bhavnagar
University
radhaghevariya55@gmail.com
Name: Radha B. Ghevariya
STD: M.A (Sem-4)
Subject : The African Literature
Roll No. : 22

2. The “ Theatre of the
Absurd “ is also known as a “
New Theatre “.
The word “ Absurd “ means
foolishness , senseless ,
opposed to reason , something
silly and ridiculous.
Critic “ Martin Esslin “
coined the term in his 1960
essay “ Theatre of the
Absurd “.
The Theatre of the Absurd
commonly associated with “
Existentialism “.

3. Meaninglessness of life
No wonder
No Organized movement
Lack of plot
Elements of “ Existentialism “
Very hard contain
Puzzled dialogues
Nonsense language
Characters are stereotypical and
archetypal
Importance of Repetition.
Absurd or unexplained ending
Comic Scenes

5. The Swamp Dwellers
 The play open and end
in hut.
 “The Swamp Dwellers”
as an “Theatre of
Absurd”.
 Unity of Time and
Action is also Followed.
The Waiting For
Godot
 The Play Open and End
in evening time, country
road, a tree.
 “Waiting For Godot” as
an “Theatre of Absurd”.
 Unity of Time, Place
action is not followed.

6. The Swamp Dwellers
 Awuchike
 Never Appear on the
stage
 Son of Makuri
The Waiting For Godot
 Godot
 Never come on the
stage
 No any information
about him

8. Waiting For Godot
Vladimir and Estragon
Waiting for Godot
Never Come on
the stage
The Swamp Dwellers
Alu and Makuri Waiting for
Awuchike
Never Appear on
the stage

9.  The play revolves around Vladimir
and Estragon and their pitiful wait for
hope to arrive.
 They are waiting without hope for a
deliverance from a being in whom they
do not really believe.
 For Acheson, Waiting for
Godot is an invective against Christian
hope since the modern man,
like Didi and Gogo wait endlessly for
Godot who does not come.

10. The play end in sadness as the lure of the city and the
betrayal of traditional virtues rob the aged Alu and
Makuri of their two sons.
There is not physical death of any character but there
are several death metaphorical deaths.
The Swamp Dwellers articulates a sense of the disorder
of human life.

11.  The similarity in terms of setting
,characterization, and themes among all
others are quite evident in the two plays.
 The central issue in both plays is on the
question of salvation.
 In the nature of absurdist ideals, Soyinka
tries to create a drama that depicts. The
struggle of human imagination against
religious complacency, moral apathy, and
social conformity”.

12. After the study of this play we come to know that
nothing special happens in
neither the play nor we observe any significant
change in setting. Though a
change occurs but it is only that now the tree has
sprouted out four or five
leaves. "Nothing happens, nobody comes ... nobody
goes, it's awful!" The
beginning, middle and end of the play do not rise up
to the level of a good play,
so absurd.