Waiting for Godot
Samuel Beckett (1953)
“A play where nothing happens. Twice. And somehow it's the most important play of the twentieth century.”
Short Summary
Two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, wait by a bare tree for someone named Godot, who never arrives. A blustering master named Pozzo passes with his rope-bound slave Lucky. A boy arrives each act to say Godot won't come today but will surely come tomorrow. Act Two repeats Act One with minor differences — the tree has sprouted leaves, Pozzo is now blind, Lucky mute. At the end, both men talk about leaving. Neither moves.
Detailed Summary
On a country road, beside a leafless tree, two men in bowler hats and ill-fitting boots wait. Vladimir — philosophical, restless, the one who tries to think — and Estragon — earthbound, forgetful, the one who tries to sleep — pass time the only way they can: by talking. They play games, argue, consi...