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34 pages 1 hour read

Samuel Beckett

Waiting for Godot

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1952

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Act IChapter Summaries & Analyses

Act I, Part 1 Summary

The play opens on a country road; a tree is the only piece of scenery. As Estragon struggles to remove his boot, Vladimir enters, and Estragon tells him that there is “nothing to be done” (2). Vladimir is happy to see his friend and asks Estragon where he spent the night. Estragon tells him he spent it in a ditch after being beaten. While Vladimir speaks, Estragon removes his boot and finds nothing inside.

Vladimir begins to think aloud about the Bible. He begins to recall a story about two thieves, but Estragon cannot remember any of the details. When Estragon suggests that they leave, Vladimir reminds him that they are waiting for Godot, who has agreed to meet them beside the tree. If he does not arrive, they will continue to wait, just as they did the day before. Neither man is able to remember what day it is. Estragon sits down and falls asleep. 

Vladimir instantly wakes Estragon because he feels lonely. They resume their bickering. Bored, Estragon suggests that they hang themselves for entertainment, but they cannot agree on who should hang himself first. They agree that they will ask Godot’s opinion when he arrives. When Estragon complains that he is hungry, Vladimir offers him a carrot.

The sound o f a cry scares the men, who huddle in fear as Pozzo and Lucky enter. Pozzo leads Lucky by a long rope around his neck and carries a whip. As Pozzo abuses Lucky, Vladimir and Estragon contemplate intervening. The arrogant Pozzo loudly introduces himself and asks the men about Godot’s identity but receives no answers. On Pozzo’s orders, Lucky lays out a picnic for his master. As Pozzo eats, Vladimir and Estragon examine Lucky. Estragon asks Pozzo for the discarded chicken bones. Pozzo tells him to ask Lucky, who remains mute. Estragon gets the bones. 

Act I, Part 2 Summary

While Estragon eats the bones, Vladimir criticizes how Pozzo treats Lucky. Pozzo contemplates smoking a pipe, and Vladimir tells Estragon that they should leave. They remain. Estragon wants to know why Lucky does not put down his bags. Pozzo suggests that it is because Lucky “wants to impress [him]” (40) in the hopes that Pozzo won’t sell him after all, but Pozzo still hopes to sell Lucky for a good price. Lucky begins to cry. When Estragon tries to comfort Lucky, Lucky “kicks him violently in the shins” (42). As Estragon limps away to sit on the mound, Pozzo recalls his earlier life. He begins to weep and complain; Vladimir and Estragon find this entertaining. Vladimir begins to walk around and off the stage, wondering whether “time has stopped” (49).

Pozzo discusses the sky, wondering what “is there so extraordinary about it” (50). He praises Vladimir and Estragon for being “civil to me” (52), though they disagree; Pozzo offers them a reward. They want money or food, but he offers them entertainment instead. He suggests that Lucky will entertain them with dances and thoughts. Lucky performs a short, unimpressive dance. Pozzo agrees to tell the story of a time when Lucky refused to obey an order but becomes distracted. Lucky is told to think. Vladimir places a hat on Lucky’s head, and Lucky launches into an absurd monologue about God. The other characters decide to stop him and jump on him, removing the hat.

Lucky seems hurt and cannot stand without help. Pozzo commands Vladimir and Estragon to raise Lucky to his feet and hold him up. Pozzo announces his departure but seems unable to leave. Eventually, he walks the wrong way so as to get “a running start” (66). Lucky then exits the stage and Pozzo follows. Vladimir and Estragon return to waiting for Godot.

They discuss whether they have met Pozzo and Lucky before and are unsure. Estragon’s other foot begins to hurt. A boy enters timidly, bringing a message from Godot. Vladimir and Estragon argue about who should talk to the boy. Eventually, Vladimir wins and Estragon limps off. Vladimir thinks he has seen the boy before, but the boy denies this. The boy reveals that Godot “won’t come this evening but surely tomorrow” (72). Vladimir begins to ask the boy about Godot, who is the boy’s employer. The boy has a brother who also works for Godot. The boy leaves. Estragon places his boots at the edge of the stage, claiming to leave them for someone with smaller feet. They agree to leave for the night though they do not move.

Act I Analysis

Pozzo and Lucky’s arrival interrupts the initial dynamic between Vladimir and Estragon. These two characters—the slave and the master—appear more at home in the strange setting than Vladimir and Estragon, though there is the suggestion that this is not the first time that these characters have encountered each other. Even in the first act, Vladimir suggests that he has pretended not to recognize the new arrivals, implying that he may have met them previously, but his memory is hazy. The second act will confirm the recurrent nature of this encounter, adding to the motif of repetition. It also hints at the grander scale of the play: Vladimir and Estragon have spent an untold amount of time repeating the same actions with no end in sight.

This is exacerbated by the presence of the messenger boy. As with Pozzo and Lucky, there is the suggestion that this is not the first time he has come to Vladimir bearing bad news. These repeated moments pile up so much that, by the end of the first act, it becomes clear that Vladimir and Estragon are locked in a hopeless situation. There is no way for them to escape. When the first act ends, both characters agree to leave, but they remain resolutely in the same place. This disparity between proposal and action suggests that even if Vladimir and Estragon attempted to escape their situation, they would not be able to. They are rendered helpless and passive.

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