A BAKHTINIAN INTERPRETATION OF BECKETT: “WAITING FOR GODOT”

Abstract

The study explores whether Heteroglossia is restricted to unraveling novelistic discourse or it can be used as a major deconstructive tool beyond the novel such as the Theatre of the Absurd. The data was comprised of dialogues, actions and incidents from Waiting for Godot. The study applied Bakhtin’s use of Heteroglossia as a theoretical cover to analyze the contentious voices of polyphonic novels and enlarges it to explore voices that denote the dynamics of social systems: power, resistance, identity and the solidarity. The study reveals Heteroglossia’s capacity for investigating historical and cultural influences on human behavior, social attitudes and language ideologies. The study provides a broader vision to Beckett’s existentialist views and empowers Bakhtin by displaying his influence over areas such as Sociolinguistics and Anthropology. Hence, the study enables an anthropological, social and political understanding of the play.