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Somewhat off topic, but: "Waiting for Godot" is not a strictly accurare translation of the original French, which is "En Attendant Godot." The French captures the idea of what we do while waiting for Godot, who or whatever that is. "Waiting for Godot" somewhat distorts the intended meaning, IMO.
Traditionally, Guh-DOE.
This production, GOD-oh.
Actually, no. Almost all of the literature available on this play states that the correct pronunciation is, and always has been, GOD-oh, with a hard stress on the first syllable. This was the pronunciation which Beckett advocated and encouraged actors to use.
The French pronunciation would be Guh-doe. And Beckett was supposedly inspired to write it while waiting for a French bicyclist (I think) named Godeaut (Guh-doe).
I know the traditional pronunciation in productions of the play is God-oh, but I've always said Guh-doe and can't break the habit now.
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NYTIMES:
Anthony Page of "Waiting for Godot" Teaches Us How to Pronounce Its Title
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/anthony-page-of-waiting-for-godot-teaches-us-how-to-pronounce-its-title/?ref=theater
Well GOD-dough is what Samuel Beckett said. Also, the word has to echo Pozzo. That?s the right pronunciation. Go-DOUGH is an Americanism, which isn?t what the play intended.
Updated On: 5/3/09 at 03:29 PM
"Somewhat off topic, but: "Waiting for Godot" is not a strictly accurare translation of the original French, which is "En Attendant Godot." The French captures the idea of what we do while waiting for Godot, who or whatever that is. "Waiting for Godot" somewhat distorts the intended meaning, IMO."
Considering Beckett translated it himself, I don't think he'd pick a title that distorted his meaning.
The confusion comes from the original American production with Zero Mostel, in which it was pronounced "Guh-DOH," as seen in this clip from a 1961 TV production with Lahr and Burgess Meredith (who, of course, later played the Penguin in Batman).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efjndFMHZ3A
"Let's go."
"We can't."
"Why not?"
"We're waiting for Guh-DOH."
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