In different ways Beckett and Heaney are both concerned with the Essay

In different ways Beckett and Heaney are both concerned with the limits of communication in their works. Discuss, with reference to Becketts Waiting for Godo - Essay Example On the other hand, there are those who consider the play to be confusing, lacking the ability to communicate with the viewers and without any deeper meaning than is presented prima facie. However, as a tragicomedy, it can be seen to communicate elements of both tragedies and comedies (Beckett, 1952). The hint in the subtitle communicates to the viewers that they should seek out tragic meanings in the comic parts and leads the audience to pay greater attention towards situational humor in the tragic parts of the play. The combination of tragedy and comedy is perhaps the greatest genius of this play and the way it communicates meaning to the audience. Considering the elements of a tragedy we can observe ideas like the death of a hero, an error in judgment made by a character, a character who suffers greatly, a separation from friends and a complete loss of hope. A comedy could give us images like the endurance of a hero, the joy of success, pleasure at reunion and the hero coming over great odds to win a wonderful victory. Clearly, all these elements are present in the play and are worked into situations and conversations between the characters with great skill (Beckett, 1952). However, Beckett does show that the communication of a message is not an easy task since the play is often quite mixed in the message it gives to the audience. For instance, while the heroes are planning to hang themselves, they are also able to think about getting an erection. Not only are they able to think about it, but Estragon is actually quite excited about the hanging since it could lead to an erection. Another element of a comedy comes in as ‘hope’ where they decide to continue waiting for Godot before going further with the idea of hanging themselves (Beckett, 1952). What the audience gets as a communication from Beckett is that the seeking of death to end misery is a perfect element of a