新物质主义视角下的《等待戈多》道具分析

An Analysis of Stage Property in Waiting for Godot from New Materialist Perspective

摘要: 《等待戈多》是萨缪尔·贝克特最具代表性的荒诞主义剧作之一，以弗拉季米尔和爱斯特拉冈无尽的等待为主线，揭示了人在荒诞与虚无中的存在困境。以往研究多聚焦语言荒谬性或人物的存在困境，而较少关注剧中道具的物质性与叙事功能。文章借助新物质主义视角，聚焦靴子、帽子、树与绳子等关键道具，探讨它们如何以自身的能动性参与人物行动、身份建构与荒诞体验。文章指出，这些看似“无用”的物不仅是人物互动的媒介与荒诞世界的存在证据，也深度介入并推动了剧作主题的生成。研究旨在揭示《等待戈多》中物质世界的深层意义，并为该作品提供另一种阐释路径。

Abstract: Waiting for Godot, widely recognized as one of Samuel Beckett’s most emblematic absurdist plays, centers on the interminable waiting of Vladimir and Estragon, thereby laying bare the existential predicament of human beings in the face of absurdity and nothingness. Previous studies have largely concentrated on the absurdity of language or the characters’ existential dilemmas, with relatively scant attention paid to the materiality and narrative functions of the stage props. Adopting a new materialist perspective, this paper focuses on key objects: the boots, the hat, the tree, and the rope to investigate how these items, through their own material agency, actively participate in shaping character actions, identity construction, and the experience of the absurd. The article contends that these ostensibly “useless” objects not only serve as media for character interaction and as empirical evidence of the absurd world but also profoundly engage in and propel the generation of the play’s core themes. Ultimately, this study aims to uncover the deeper significance of the material world in Waiting for Godot and to offer an alternative interpretive framework for the work.