Martina Cowen, Section 13

Essay 10

Waiting for Godot Vladimir

1. Relationship

Vladimir is more intelligent than Estragon. He is also the more capable of the two. Estragon relies on

Vladimir for food (carrot), and he cannot even take off his boot without Vladimirs help. Without

Vladimirs help, Estragon would not last long. Vladimir feels responsible for Estragon but also gets

annoyed by him. Estragon, like every other character apart from Vladimir, has no concept of time

and cannot remember the events of the day before. Vladimir also repeatedly convinces Estragon to

stay when he says he wants to leave. Vladimir is the optimist of the two he is sure Godot will come

today. Without Vladimir, Estragon would be lost, and Vladimir knows this. He feels responsible for

him. Vladimir is intrigued by Lucky and pities him. He is disgusted by the way Pozzo treats Lucky. He

becomes infuriated with Pozzo because he will not answer questions. The next day when Pozzo does

not remember who he and Estragon are, Vladimir gets frustrated.

2. Conflict

Vladimir keeps having to remind Estragon of why they are there and who they are waiting for. He is

conflicted because they have been waiting for him for a long time, and every time he says hell come

the next day. This is torturous to Vladimir but it is only exacerbated by the fact that Estragon cannot

remember anything from the day before. Every day he needs to explain everything over and over

again to Estragon, to Pozzo, and to the boy. He does not know if Godot will ever come. He is

suicidal. He and Estragon contemplate hanging themselves from the tree. He is living in torment but

he still needs to be responsible and reliable for Estragon.

3. The Moment Before

Vladimir and Estragon have been waiting for Godot for what seems like forever. They go to the same

place, at the same time and wait for him. He never turns up, and yet they keep waiting. Vladimir is

the only one who can remember what happened in the past. Estragon cannot. Every day Vladimir
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Essay 10

waits for night fall, hoping that today will be the day that Godot will finally appear. He does not

know who Godot is, or what will happen once they meet him. He simply knows he must wait.

4. Humour

There is humour in the way he and Estragon bicker. They are like an old married couple sometimes.

Vladimir gets so frustrated with Estragon but he also teases him. There is a lot of humour in the way

they echo each others lines and also reinforces the idea that they have done this many times before

(even though Estragon cannot remember that they have).

5. Opposites

Vladimir is intelligent, educated, and has greater capacity for reason. He is optimistic that Godot will

come while Estragon, who cannot remember the day before and is constantly threatening to leave, is

not. However, while Vladimir is reasonable and optimistic, he also cannot wait for night to fall. This

shows that although he trying to maintain his optimism, he is getting tired and weary of waiting

every day and that his hope that Godot will come is ebbing away. This turns to desperation when the

boy does not remember who he is.

6. Discoveries

The recurring discovery that Vladimir makes is that the other people he comes across cannot

remember the events of previous days. This makes things very difficult for him as he has to convince

people that they have met before or been to that place before. He has to do this with Estragon at

the start of the play. The next day, when he encounters Pozzo for the second time, he has to

convince him that they met the day before and that when they met, Pozzo had his sight. The boy

who brings a message from Godot does not remember Vladimir the next day. This has a profound

effect on him and he begins to realise that maybe Godot will never come.
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Essay 10

7. Communication and Competition

Vladimir is constantly trying to communicate with the other characters that they have met before or

been there before. They do not believe him in most cases and this causes him a great deal of stress

as he cannot understand why they do not remember. He and Estragon are very competitive. They

keep bickering, and Vladimir has to keep reminding and convincing him of things, while Estragon is

very stubborn and pessimistic.

8. Importance

There is a sense of urgency throughout the play. Every day they wait for Godot. Vladimir does not

know who he is or what will happen when they meet him, he just knows he must wait. Godot might

be their salvation or he might be a tyrant. There is no way of knowing. Vladimir knows that even if

Godot does not turn up that day, they must go back and wait the next day. If they dont, Godot will

not come.

9. Find The Event

One of the main events of the play is meeting Pozzo and Lucky. Vladimir cannot believe the cruelty

he sees Pozzo inflicting on Lucky. The biggest event doesnt ever occur. They spend the entire play

waiting for Godot. Everything in the play is leading up to this. Every time they meet someone new

they think it is Godot. Vladimirs hopes are raised and then they are dashed.

10. Place

They are waiting in a barren place. There is nothing in it but a solitary tree. The reason it is

significant is that it represents the emptiness of their lives. Their sole task is to wait for Godot. Their

existence is entirely centred around waiting for someone who never comes. They have no jobs, no

family, no friends that we know of. The only release they can take from this pitiful existence is either

sleep (which Estragon and Lucky do frequently), or suicide.

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Essay 10

11. Game Playing and Role Playing

Vladimir is playing the waiting game. Literally. He is waiting for Godot. Every day he comes to the

same place as he was instructed, and he waits. He and Estragon try to pass the time by filling it with

something interesting or fun, but it passes all the same. He has to stay optimistic that he is not

waiting in vain. He is playing the role of someone who knows what is going on he is constantly

reminding Estragon of what they are doing and why they are they, but in reality is almost as clueless

as Estragon.

12. Mystery and Secret

The mystery in this play is the figure, Godot. Is Godot a man? Is he a God? Vladimir does not know

who he is, what he looks like, or what will happen when he meets him. All he knows is that he has to

wait for him, and he does so diligently. Godot might give them the meaning of life, or he might

enslave them like Pozzo has done to Lucky. Vladimir does not know what will happen but he waits all

the same.