A stylistic analysis of Waiting for Godot

Abstract

Stylistics analysis refers to the process of the identification of patterns and usage of language in linguistics. In literature, such analysis examines the quality and meaning of text. The purpose of this thesis is to combine both areas to study the language in order to conduct a stylistic analysis of the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. A literature based analysis has been done with reference to Martin Esslin's interpretation of the play as an absurd drama. The rest of the thesis are guided by the application of the cooperative principles and implicatures, Austin and Searle's Speech Act Theory and Deborah Schiffrin's discourse model to analyze the language of the play. Beckett breaks the norms of English language to get the reader’s attention, develop interest and create absurdity in the play. This makes the language of Waiting for Godot ripe with material for stylistic analysis.