See Proverbs "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Vladimir then concludes as did Estragon: "Nothing to be done. Estragon has not gotten his boot off, and he looks inside it to see what was causing the difficulty. Vladimir then chastises Estragon for one of man's most common faults: blaming one's boots for the faults of one's foot. This accusation, of course, refers to the tendency of all of mankind to blame any external thing — boots, society, circumstances, etc.
It is easier for Estragon to blame the boots for his aching feet than to blame his own feet. The idea of Estragon's foot hurting and Vladimir's suffering, combined with their appalling human condition, causes Vladimir to realize again that there is "nothing to be done.
Then from the Old Testament proverb about hope, Vladimir's thoughts turn to the New Testament and the possibility of hope expressed in the story of Christ and the two thieves on the cross. There were two thieves, as there are now two tramps, and one of the thieves was saved; therefore, maybe there may be hope for either Vladimir or Estragon if they repent — but there is nothing to repent of, except being born.
This remark causes "Vladimir to break into a hearty laugh which he immediately stifles," and he reminds Estragon that "one daren't even laugh any more"; one may "merely smile. Vladimir's apprehension over laughing suggests that they both have a nagging awareness of the precariousness and insecurity of their condition, a condition that extends beyond their physical concerns.
In the discussion of the thieves, Estragon is unable to participate fully because he can't remember the details. In frustration, Vladimir yells to Estragon: "Come on. Estragon constantly fails to "keep the ball in play"; that is, throughout the drama, he is unable to sustain his end of the conversation.
Even in response to the matter of being saved "from hell" or "from death," Estragon merely replies, "Well what of it? The discussion is brought firmly to a close with Estragon's pronouncement: "People are bloody ignorant apes.
From this discussion, the two tramps confront the central problem of the play. Estragon looks about the bleak, desolate landscape and tells Vladimir: "Let's go. At least, they are fairly certain that they were to meet by a tree, and there is only one tree on the horizon, but it could be either a bush or a dead tree.
The tree, whatever its symbolic value the cross, the hanging tree, spring's renewal , is a rather pathetic specimen and cannot be a very hopeful sign. Completely frustrated, they resign themselves to waiting. Vladimir paces, and Estragon sleeps. Suddenly, Vladimir, feeling lonely, awakens Estragon, who awakens from his dream with a start. Estragon wants to tell about his dream or nightmare , but Vladimir refuses to listen to it. Estragon's nightmare, even without its subject being revealed, symbolizes the various fears that these tramps feel in this alienated world.
Vladimir's refusal to listen suggests his fear and apprehension of all of life and of certain things that are best left unsaid. Estragon, then, unable to tell about his nightmare, tries to tell a joke about an Englishman in a brothel.
Again Vladimir refuses to listen and walks off. Estragon's attempt to tell his nightmare and then his attempt to tell the joke about the Englishman — a story that is never finished represent an effort to pass the time while the two are waiting for Godot. Since they have been waiting and will be waiting for an indeterminate time, the essential problem is what to do with one's life while waiting, how to pass the time while waiting. When Vladimir returns, the two embrace and then they try to decide what they are going to do while waiting.
During the embrace, the tender, fraternal rapport of the moment is suddenly broken by Estragon's mundane observation that Vladimir smells of garlic. This technique is typical of Beckett's method of deflating man's pretensions by allowing the absurd and the vulgar to dominate the action. The eternal question returns: what to do while waiting? They are forced to resort to various devices to pass time, but each attempt in this direction fizzles out. The entire experience of Vladimir and Estragon has a universal application, and it is this fact which lends to the play a wide appeal.
Although the conversation of these two men is discontinuous and fragmentary, essentially they are both talking about their lives. A dominant theme of the play is how to pass the time, given the fact that the situation is hopeless.
When they have finished talking of one thing, they have to think of something else. When they have ceased one meaningless activity, they have to devise another. The dialogue is maintained even though there is nothing to say. Nothingness is what these tramps are fighting against, and nothingness is the reason why they keep talking. The plight of the two men arouses in us a deep feeling of sympathy; our attitude towards them is one of compassion because in them we recognise ourselves. Thus it is the state— both physical and mental—of the two tramps upon which our attention is concentrated.
The condition of the two helpless individuals, whose expectation that Godot will come remains unfulfilled, lends to the play its serious and tragic quality. Source of Comedy. But the play is not wholly a tragedy. Beckett called it a tragi-comedy, and a tragi-comedy it is. The comic and farcical elements in the play are also provided by Vladimir and Estragon. These two men are clearly derived from the pairs of cross-talk comedians of English music-halls.
Many of the gestures and actions permuting hats, embracing and shrinking from each other, stumbling and falling, etc. But for the comedy provided by the two tramps, Waiting for Godot would have been a play of unrelieved gloom and would have been unbearably depressing. A Warm Human Relationship. The tramps serve another purpose also. They offer one way of going through life just as Pozzo and Lucky offer another way. The mutual relationship of the two tramps is to be distinguished from the mutual relationship of Pozzo and Lucky.
While Pozzo and Lucky symbolise a master-slave relationship dominating and being dominated , the other two are bound to each other with natural ties. There is a major contrast between the cold formality of Pozzo and Lucky, and the warm though haphazard conversation of the tramps. Occasionally the two tramps speak of parting, but neither takes this suggestion seriously.
At the beginning of Act II, after a brief separation, they are extremely happy to see each other. Estragon is feeling hurt by the thought that his friend allowed him to go. His words provide a key to the contrast in this play between the bonds of tyranny Pozzo-Lucky and those of understanding Vladimir-Estragon. In these, and other respects they are like an old married couple who always want to separate but never do. The Boy leaves, and Gogo wishes they could hang themselves on the tree.
He remarks that the moon is "pale for weariness" at watching the same daily routine take place below. The men plan to leave, but no one moves as the curtain falls on Act 1. At the start of Act 2, Estragon enters, barefoot and in a foul mood. Estragon orders Vladimir to leave him alone, but shortly after begs for Vladimir to stay with him.
The men embrace and make up. Estragon says he might as well as be killed, like the billions of others. He and Vladimir then have their macabre conversation about dead voices that are satisfied neither with their lives nor with their deaths. The two men tire of talking and move on to taking off and putting on their hats.
But then he does remember someone kicking him. Gogo wants to leave, but Didi again reminds him that they are waiting for Godot. Estragon agrees to try on the boots to pass the time, as long as Vladimir helps him. Estragon then tires of talking about boots. Estragon goes offstage and returns worried that "they" are coming after him; he runs about the stage for a bit looking for a place to hide.
They decide to do their "exercises," which consist of Vladimir jumping up and down on one foot and Estragon copying him. Vladimir corrects him. The men consider assisting the fallen Pozzo for some time. While trying to assist Pozzo, Estragon is disgusted by a smelly fart. When Estragon tries to assist Vladimir, he ends up falling on his butt, which means all four men are now lying on the ground. Estragon tries to go to sleep. When Pozzo crawls away, Estragon suggests guessing different names to get him to come back.
He tries "Abel" and "Cain," but Pozzo again cries "Help! Gogo concludes from these responses that Pozzo must be all of humanity. Estragon and Vladimir finally get up off the ground without assistance from anyone else.
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