14.

Samuel Beckett – Waiting for Godot

1. Context
Samuel Beckett was born in Dublin in 1906. He befriended the famous Irish novelist
James Joyce, and his first published work was an essay on Joyce. In 1951 and 1953, Beckett
wrote his most famous novels, the trilogy Molloy, Malone Dies, and The Unnameable.
Waiting for Godot, Beckett's first play, was written originally in French in 1948 (Beckett
subsequently translated the play into English himself). It premiered at a tiny theater in Paris in
1953. This play began Beckett's association with the Theatre of the Absurd, which influenced
later playwrights like Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard.
The most famous of Beckett's subsequent plays include Endgame (1958) and Krapp's
Last Tape (1959). He also wrote several even more experimental plays, like Breath (1969), a
thirty-second play. Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1969 and died in 1989 in Paris.

2. Summary
Two men, Vladimir and Estragon, meet near a tree. They converse on various topics and
reveal that they are waiting there for a man named Godot. While they wait, two other men enter.
Pozzo is on his way to the market to sell his slave, Lucky. He pauses for a while to converse with
Vladimir and Estragon. Lucky entertains them by dancing and thinking, and Pozzo and Lucky
leave.
After Pozzo and Lucky leave, a boy enters and tells Vladimir that he is a messenger from
Godot. He tells Vladimir that Godot will not be coming tonight, but that he will surely come
tomorrow. Vladimir asks him some questions about Godot and the boy departs. After his
departure, Vladimir and Estragon decide to leave, but they do not move as the curtain falls.
The next night, Vladimir and Estragon again meet near the tree to wait for Godot. Lucky
and Pozzo enter again, but this time Pozzo is blind and Lucky is dumb. Pozzo does not
remember meeting the two men the night before. They leave and Vladimir and Estragon continue
to wait.
Shortly after, the boy enters and once again tells Vladimir that Godot will not be coming.
He insists that he did not speak to Vladimir yesterday. After he leaves, Estragon and Vladimir
decide to leave, but again they do not move as the curtain falls, ending the play.

3. Characters
Vladimir -  One of the two main characters of the play. Estragon calls him Didi, and the boy
addresses him as Mr. Albert. He seems to be the more responsible and mature of the two main
characters.
Estragon -  The second of the two main characters. Vladimir calls him Gogo. He seems weak
and helpless, always looking for Vladimir's protection. He also has a poor memory, as Vladimir
has to remind him in the second act of the events that happened the previous night.
Pozzo -  He passes by the spot where Vladimir and Estragon are waiting and provides a
diversion. In the second act, he is blind and does not remember meeting Vladimir and Estragon
the night before.
Lucky -  Pozzo's slave, who carries Pozzo's bags and stool. In Act I, he entertains by dancing
and thinking. However, in Act II, he is dumb.
Boy -  He appears at the end of each act to inform Vladimir that Godot will not be coming that
night. In the second act, he insists that he was not there the previous night.
Godot -  The man for whom Vladimir and Estragon wait unendingly. Godot never appears in the
play. His name are character are often thought to refer to God, changing the play's title and
subject to Waiting for Godot.

4. Analysis
Although very existentialist in its characterizations, Waiting for Godot is primarily about
hope. The play revolves around Vladimir and Estragon and their pitiful wait for hope to arrive.
At various times during the play, hope is constructed as a form of salvation, in the personages of
Pozzo and Lucky, or even as death. The subject of the play quickly becomes an example of how
to pass the time in a situation which offers no hope. Thus the theme of the play is set by the
beginning:
Estragon: Nothing to be done.
Vladimir: I'm beginning to come round to that opinion.
Although the phrase is used in connection to Estragon's boots here, it is also later used by
Vladimir with respect to his hat. Essentially it describes the hopelessness of their lives.
A direct result of this hopelessness is the daily struggle to pass the time. Thus, most of
the play is dedicated to devising games which will help them pass the time. This mutual desire
also addresses the question of why they stay together. Both Vladimir and Estragon admit to
being happier when apart. One of the main reasons that they continue their relationship is that
they need one another to pass the time. After Pozzo and Lucky leave for the first time they
comment:

V: That passed the time.

E: It would have passed in any case.
And later when Estragon finds his boots again:
V: What about trying them.
E: I've tried everything.
V: No, I mean the boots.
E: Would that be a good thing?
V: It'd pass the time. I assure you, it'd be an occupation.
Since passing the time is their mutual occupation, Estragon struggles to find games to
help them accomplish their goal. Thus they engage in insulting one another and in asking each
other questions.
The difficulty for Beckett of keeping a dialogue running for so long is overcome by
making his characters forget everything. Estragon cannot remember anything past what was said
immediately prior to his lines. Vladimir, although possessing a better memory, distrusts what he
remembers. And since Vladimir cannot rely on Estragon to remind him of things, he too exists in
a state of forgetfulness.
Another second reason for why they are together arises from the existentialism of their
forgetfulness. Since Estragon cannot remember anything, he needs Vladimir to tell him his
history. It is as if Vladimir is establishing Estragon's identity by remembering for him. Estragon
also serves as a reminder for Vladimir of all the things they have done together. Thus both men
serve to remind the other man of his very existence. This is necessary since no one else in the
play ever remembers them:

Vladimir: We met yesterday. (Silence) Do you not remember?

Pozzo: I don't remember having met anyone yesterday. But to-morrow I won't remember having
met anyone to-day. So don't count on me to enlighten you.
Later on the same thing happens with the boy who claims to have never seen them
before. This lack of reassurance about their very existence makes it all the more necessary that
they remember each other.
Estragon and Vladimir are not only talking to pass the time, but also to avoid the voices
that arise out of the silence. Beckett's heroes in other works are also constantly assailed by voices
which arise out of the silence, so this is a continuation of a theme the author uses frequently:

E: In the meantime let's try and converse calmly, since we're incapable of keeping silent.
V: You're right, we're inexhaustible.
E: It's so we won't think.
V: We have that excuse.
E: It's so we won't hear.
V: We have our reasons.
E: All the dead voices.
V: They make a noise like wings.
E: Like leaves.
V: Like sand.
E: Like leaves.
Silence.
V: They all speak at once.
E: Each one to itself.
Silence.
V: Rather they whisper.
E: They rustle.
V: They murmur.
E: The rustle.
Silence.
V: What do they say?
E: They talk about their lives.
V: To have lived is not enough for them.
E: They have to talk about it.
V: To be dead is not enough for them.
E: It is not sufficient.
Silence.
V: They make a noise like feathers.
E: Like leaves.
V: Like ashes.
E: Like leaves.
Long silence.
V: Say something!
One of the questions which must be answered is why the bums are suffering in the first
place. This can only be answered through the concept of original sin. To be born is to be a sinner,
and thus man is condemned to suffer. The only way to escape the suffering is to repent or to die.
Thus Vladimir recalls the thieves crucified with Christ in the first act:
V: One of the thieves was saved. It's a reasonable percentage. (Pause.) Gogo.
E: What?
V: Suppose we repented.
E: Repented what?
V: Oh . . . (He reflects.) We wouldn't have to go into the details.
E: Our being born?
 Failing to repent, they sit and wait for Godot to come and save them. In the meantime
they contemplate suicide as another way of escaping their hopelessness. Estragon wants them to
hang themselves from the tree, but both he and Vladimir find it would be too risky. This apathy,
which is a result of their age, leads them to remember a time when Estragon almost succeeded in
killing himself:
E: Do you remember the day I threw myself into the Rhone?
V: We were grape harvesting.
E: You fished me out.
V: That's all dead and buried.
E: My clothes dried in the sun.
V: There's no good harking back on that. Come on.

Beckett is believed to have said that the name Godot comes from the French "godillot"
meaning a military boot. Beckett fought in the war and so spending long periods of time waiting
for messages to arrive would have been commonplace for him. The more common interpretation
that it might mean "God" is almost certainly wrong. Beckett apparently stated that if he had
meant "God," he would have written "God".
The concept of the passage of time leads to a general irony. Each minute spent waiting
brings death one step closer to the characters and makes the arrival of Godot less likely. The
passage of time is evidenced by the tree which has grown leaves, possibly indicating a change of
seasons. Pozzo and Lucky are also transformed by time since Pozzo goes blind and Lucky mute.
There are numerous interpretation of Waiting for Godot and a few are described here:
Religious interpretations posit Vladimir and Estragon as humanity waiting for the elusive return
of a savior. An extension of this makes Pozzo into the Pope and Lucky into the faithful. The
faithful are then viewed as a cipher of God cut short by human intolerance. The twisted tree can
alternatively represent either the tree of death, the tree of life, the tree of Judas or the tree of
knowledge.
Political interpretations also abound. Some reviewers hold that the relationship between
Pozzo and Lucky is that of a capitalist to his labor. This Marxist interpretation is understandable
given that in the second act Pozzo is blind to what is happening around him and Lucky is mute to
protest his treatment. The play has also been understood as an allegory for Franco-German
relations.
An interesting interpretation argues that Lucky receives his name because he is lucky in
the context of the play. Since most of the play is spent trying to find things to do to pass the time,
Lucky is lucky because his actions are determined absolutely by Pozzo. Pozzo on the other hand
is unlucky because he not only needs to pass his own time but must find things for Lucky to do.

5. Study Questions & Essay Topics

Study Questions
1. What do you think is the most effective way that Beckett presents repetition in Waiting for
Godot? If the play is meant as a representative sample of what happens every night in the lives of
Vladimir and Estragon, why does Beckett choose to present two acts instead of three, or one?
Answer for Study Question 1 >>
The presentation of essentially the same action twice in the two acts is the most important
form of repetition in the play. More than one act is necessary to show the repetition of actions in
the play, but this does not explain why Beckett chooses to use two acts instead of more than two.
The choice of two acts may be somehow related to the use of pairs of characters, emphasizing
the importance of characters and actions that occur in twos.

2. Describe the relationship between Vladimir and Estragon. Why do you think they stay
together, despite their frequent suggestions of parting?
Answer for Study Question 2 >>
Some critics have suggested that Vladimir and Estragon remain together because of their
complementary personalities, arguing that each fulfills the qualities that the other lacks,
rendering them dependent on each other. Think about what evidence there is in the play for this
type of interpretation.

Suggested Essay Topics

1. The two most important sets of characters in the play occur in pairs. Does this emphasis on
pairs create some significance for the boy, who appears alone? Vladimir and the boy discuss his
brother; could this brother be the boy's pair? Perhaps the most important "character" in the play,
Godot, is also a single character rather than a pair. Does this distinguish him from Vladimir and
Estragon, Pozzo and Lucky? Does Beckett seem to prefer single characters or pairs?
2. How does the relationship between Vladimir and Estragon compare with the relationship
between Pozzo and Lucky? What is the effect created by the contrast between these two pairs of
characters? Is it significant that the characters appear in pairs, rather than alone?
3. Do you think the play warrants a religious reading? Can Godot be considered a Christ figure
or simply a religious figure? If so, what is implied by his failure to appear? What about
Estragon's attempts to equate himself with Christ? Consider also the many biblical allusions
throughout the play, such as the mention of Cain and Abel and the discussion of the story of the
two thieves.
4. Though it seems as if nothing happens in the play, actions actually play a very important role
in Waiting for Godot. The stage directions of the play constitute nearly half of the text,
suggesting that the actions, expressions, and emotions of the actors are as important as the
dialogue. Examine the significance of the stage directions of one particular scene; for example,
why is Estragon always struggling with his boot? What is the significance of Pozzo's vaporizer
spray? What is the point of the scene in which Vladimir and Estragon exchange hats eight times?
5. Beckett called his play a "tragicomedy." Do you agree with this classification? If not, how
would you classify the play? Do you think the play contains more elements of tragedy or
comedy?
6. What is memory's role in the play? Why do so many of the characters' memories seem to be
erased each day? Vladimir seems to be the only character who remembers things from one day to
the next. What is the purpose of having one character remember what all of the others forget?
7. What is the overall tone of the play? Is the reader left with a feeling of resignation that Godot
will never come, and Vladimir and Estragon will continue to wait in vain, or is there some hope
created? Do the changes in Pozzo and Lucky between the first and second acts contribute to an
overall feeling of hopelessness? What about the changes in the tree? The coming of spring often
suggests hope for the future; is this the case here?