GYAN Bhava

  Tragicomedy can be simply defined as a blend of the elements of tragedy and comedy. In the 18th century Dr. Samuel Johnson defined tragicomedy as "drama compounded of merry and serious events". Waiting for Godot was originally written in French. Beckett translated the play into English and gave it the subtitle: 'A Tragicomedy in Two Acts." However, this play is different from tragicomedies of the past. Waiting for Godot is a tragicomedy because it combines tragic and comic elements. Beckett uses various theatrical devices, such as mime, music hall cross-talk, varying pace and rhythm of dialogue ,etc.,in an attempt at cheerfulness in a world of weariness and despair, which the tramps inhabit.

 Absurd play is the play which treats human life and human situation as absurd, unfit or foolish. It is a drama without a traditional plot ,a proper story or division into acts and scenes. It has very few characters. Dialogues are very short and crisp .The meaninglessness of life is communicated through dialogues. Nothing significant happens on the stage. Things are not explained clearly.  Waiting for Godot may be regarded as an Absurd play because it has most of the above-mentioned characteristics of an Absurd play .This play is without  traditional plot ,recognisable characters, and dialogues. The dialogue is inadequate to express the human situation. Nothing significant happens in the play ,except for waiting and waiting. There is no story in the play.

 In Tom Jones, Fielding traces a picaresque journey from innocence to experience, from freedom to responsibility. The novel is a tale of adventure and intrigue. It has the strong element of the picaresque. Its hero Tom Jones is the young foundling who enjoys his freedom to travel and to enjoy sensual experiences, until his true origins are discovered. He is illegitimate with no parents to look after him. For various reasons, he is turned out of home by patron 'Squire Allworthy' and then he has to shift for himself. Though he is not a rogue, he is in no way wicked at heart. But he is imprudent and reckless and is involved in a number of misadventures. He even joins the army, fights several times for good cause and is wounded. The incidents are thrilling.When he matures, he accepts his social responsibilities  and marries the woman who has faithfully waited for him. The scenes of the novel changes rapidly. There are many minor characters in the novel.They come from different str...