Two men, Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), meet near a tree. They while away the hours, talking philosophy, bodily functions, and sharing a few measly turnips, all while waiting for a man named Godot -- who never seems to come. They are joined by the oafish, bombastic Pozzo, his leashed human slave, Lucky, and eventually by a young boy, who informs them that that although Godot will not come today, he surely will tomorrow. In Samuel Beckett’s wickedly funny, frequently moving existential play, Didi and Gogo wait, and wait, and wait. Their plight and the desolate landscape they inhabit was inspired by Beckett’s experience during World War II, in which he spent many years in hiding as a member of a betrayed French Resistance group. Though tragic in theme and sweeping in scope, Waiting for Godot is a delectable combination of witty dialogue and physical comedy, and the roles have been embraced by actors such as Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, Robin Williams and Steve Martin, Nathan Lane and Bill Irwin, and many more. Waiting For Godot is theatre at its best -- surprising, charming, and compulsively watchable.
Waiting for Godot guide sections
