Two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, wait by a bare tree on a country road for someone called Godot, who never comes. To pass the time they talk, argue, think of leaving and do not. They meet Pozzo, a domineering landowner, and Lucky, his servant on a rope, and later a boy who says Godot will not come today. In the second act, much the same occurs, with small changes. Samuel Beckett wrote the play in French in 1948 to 1949, and it became a landmark of the Theatre of the Absurd, using repetition and silence to stage waiting, hope and futility.
It is a good choice for readers who enjoy short, strange plays, dark humor and philosophy without answers. It is best read aloud, or seen, and gives a lot to discuss.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1952
- Publisher
- Éditions de Minuit
- ISBN
- 9782707301482
- Language
- FR
