This blog seeks to critically investigate how Waiting for Godot engages with ideas of hope, belief, and moral accountability. It explores whether the act of waiting in the play can be interpreted as an expression of religious faith, an example of Sartrean “bad faith,” or a manifestation of existential ambiguity. By analyzing Beckett’s use of biblical imagery—particularly the reference to the sheep and the goat—this study attempts to understand how spiritual symbolism operates within the aesthetics of the Theatre of the Absurd and contributes to the play’s philosophical depth.

Hope as Faith or Illusion: A Critical Reflection on Waiting in Waiting for Godot

After carefully viewing the lecture “Hope – Christian Faith or Sartrean Bad Faith”, I observed that the discussion positions Waiting for Godot at the intersection of theological interpretation and existential philosophy. The speaker first considers the possibility that the characters’ persistent waiting and mutual dependence may embody religious virtues such as faith, compassion, and endurance. Their relationship appears to echo Christian ethics, while the act of waiting itself is compared to spiritual discipline in Indian traditions such as Karma and Bhakti, where surrender and patience possess deeper metaphysical meaning.

However, the lecture gradually advances toward an existentialist reading, arguing that hope in the play operates as an instance of Sartrean “bad faith.” Rather than being redemptive, hope becomes a mechanism of avoidance—a psychological refuge that shields the characters from confronting the void and acknowledging their radical freedom. The expectation of Godot thus functions as an illusion that delays self-recognition and responsibility. In conclusion, the lecture interprets the play as a lyrical reflection on time and repetition, demonstrating how habitual waiting exposes the tension between life’s unavoidable necessities and its fundamental absurdity.

Subverted Salvation: Biblical Inversion and Moral Uncertainty in Waiting for Godot :- Slidesdesk




After engaging with the lecture “The Sheep and the Goat”, I observed that the discussion centers on Beckett’s reworking of the biblical parable from the Gospel of Matthew, where sheep signify the saved and goats the condemned. The lecture emphasizes that in Waiting for Godot, this traditional moral hierarchy is intentionally reversed: the boy responsible for the goats is treated gently, whereas the one who cares for the sheep suffers physical abuse. This inversion unsettles the theological assurance of divine justice and exposes the unpredictability of suffering within the play’s universe.

Furthermore, the lecture interprets the imagery of sheep and goats as symbolic extensions of human temperament—representing submission and obstinacy—and suggests that Beckett critiques how individuals become shaped, controlled, or blinded by rigid religious and political frameworks. Through this destabilization of biblical symbolism, the play presents a world in which moral absolutes lose their coherence, and the very foundations of justice, happiness, and divine authority appear uncertain.