Dilip Rathinakumar

Act 2 Allusions
Religious Allusions from Symbols
Tree:

Only distinct piece of setting.

Jesus was crucified on a cross which is sometimes referred to as a tree
Jesus was nailed to the tree.
Connects to Vladimir/Estragon hanging themselves from the tree reference
to the crucifixion. This also connects with Estragon comparing himself to
Christ in Act 1.

Religious Allusions Quotes

VLADIMIR
(stopping) Your turn.
Estragon does the tree, staggers.
ESTRAGON
Do you think God sees me?
VLADIMIR
You must close your eyes.
Estragon closes his eyes, staggers
worse.
ESTRAGON
(stopping, brandishing his fists, at the
top of his voice.) God have pity on me!
VLADIMIR
(vexed) And me?
ESTRAGON
On me! On me! Pity! On me!
Enter Pozzo and Lucky. Pozzo is blind.
Lucky burdened as before. (2.451-6)

VLADIMIR
I tell you his name is Pozzo.
ESTRAGON
We'll soon see. (He reflects.) Abel! Abel!
POZZO
Help!
ESTRAGON
Got it in one!
VLADIMIR
I begin to weary of this motif.

Estragon demands for pity. Pozzo enters

as a savior. But he is a blind tyrant (not
useful) so this is a mockery of the idea
of a saviour.
Estragon pretends to be the tree. The
tree is an allusion to the cross (Jesus
crucifixion)
Do you think God sees me Allusion
to poem by William Blake ;Tiger Tiger in
the Night.
Much of the poem talks about an
omniscient figure (god) with an
immortal hand.
Poem asks questions like did he
smile his work to see? Did he
who made the lamb make thee?
much in the same way Estragon
asks if God sees him.

Pozzo responds to both Cain and Abel

who are the sons of Adam and Eve.
Cain/Abel make sacrifices to god but
god accepts only Abels which leads
Cain to killing Abel God punishes Cain.

Dilip Rathinakumar
ESTRAGON
Perhaps the other is called Cain. Cain!
Cain!
POZZO
Help!
ESTRAGON
He's all humanity. (2.619-626)
VLADIMIR
(He looks again at Estragon.) At me too
someone is looking, of me too someone
is saying, He is sleeping, he knows
nothing, let him sleep on. (2.795)
VLADIMIR
(softly) Has he a beard, Mr. Godot?
BOY
Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR
Fair or . . . (he hesitates) . . . or black?
BOY
I think it's white, Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR
Christ have mercy on us! (2.823-27)
ESTRAGON
And if we dropped [Godot]? (Pause.) If
we dropped him?
VLADIMIR
He'd punish us. (2.848-9)

While looking at Estragon, Vladimir

thinks someone is looking at him.
This someone else could be god.

Vladimir concludes that Godot is

God.
He fears the consequences of
missing a meeting with Godot
(which is why the last line is so
emotional for him).

Vladimir/Estragon dont know much

about Godot (nothing about
appearance, who he is, and even
sometimes uncertain about his
name.
But they know his power due to
Hed punish us. Similar to Gods
power.