English 432 Shakespeare

While watching Sir Laurence as King Lear, and yes he was a Shakespearian expert, I had to laugh when the scene between him and Gloucester entered the "Boots" sequence. If anyone has seen 'Waiting for Godot' performed, there is a scene very similar to this one from Lear. Vladimir and Estragon (DiDi & GoGo) are the two main characters from 'Godot' and they resemble Lear and Gloucester in so many ways. This is no coincedence since Samuel Beckett was obssesed with King Lear. Before I get to the "Boots", I need to acknowledge my own recognition--I never realized the dislpacement between Lear and Godot. I've even performed some of Godot in an acting class, and it was this very scene where GoGo can't find his boots and Didi finds them and attempts to put them on Gogo's feet. I used to think that Godot was the dryest play about "nothing"--they wait for Godot to show up and he never does. The entire play is about what happens while "Waiting for Godot". I heard that the original title of the play was supposed to be "While Waiting for Godot". Yes, While. Not just waiting. Anyway, they struggle to find Gogo's boots and get them back on. Meanwhile they discuss what there is to eat, maybe just a radish in Didi's pocket. They look out into the vast deep of nothing, the stage is bare, the tree they spy is bare, everything is bare. This is Lear's life in act 3, the storm raging in the baren land of his mind, not recognizing Gloucester. Look, Existentialism is born in the 16th century. Quite remarkable.