VLADIMIR:
(toEstragon).Showme.(Estragonshows
hisleg.To
Pozzo,angrily.)He'sbleeding!
POZZO:
It'sagoodsign.
ESTRAGON:
(ononeleg).I'llneverwalkagain!
VLADIMIR:
(tenderly).I'llcarryyou.(Pause.)If
necessary.
POZZO:
He'sstoppedcrying.(ToEstragon.)You
havereplaced
himasitwere.(Lyrically.)Thetears
oftheworldarea
constantquantity.Foreachonewho
beginstoweep,
somewhereelseanotherstops.Thesame
istrueofthe
laugh.(Helaughs.)Letusnotthen
speakillofour
generation,itisnotanyunhappierthan
itspredecessors.
(Pause.)Letusnotspeakwellofit
either.(Pause.)Letus
notspeakofitatall.(Pause.
Judiciously.)Itistruethe
populationhasincreased.
VLADIMIR:
Tryandwalk.
Estragontakesafewlimpingsteps,
stopsbeforeLucky
andspitsonhim,thengoesandsits
downonthemound.
POZZO:
Guesswhotaughtmeallthesebeautiful
things.(Pause.
PointingtoLucky.)MyLucky!
VLADIMIR:
(lookingatthesky.)Willnightnever
come?
POZZO:
Butforhimallmythoughts,allmy
feelings,wouldhave
beenofcommonthings.(Pause.With
extraordinary
vehemence.)Professionalworries!
(Calmer.)Beauty,
grace,truthofthefirstwater,Iknew
theywereall
beyondme.SoItookaknook.
VLADIMIR:
(startledfromhisinspectionofthe
sky).Aknook?
POZZO:
Thatwasnearlysixtyyearsago...
(heconsultshis
watch)...yes,nearlysixty.(Drawing
himselfup
proudly.)Youwouldn'tthinkittolook
atme,wouldyou?
ComparedtohimIlooklikeayoungman,
no?(Pause.)
Hat!(Luckyputsdownthebasketand
takesoffhishat.
Hislongwhitehairfallsabouthis
face.Heputshishat
underhisarmandpicksupthebasket.)
Nowlook.(Pozzo
takesoffhishat.[Allfourwear
bowlers.]Heis
completelybald.Heputsonhishat
again.)Didyousee?
VLADIMIR:
Andnowyouturnhimaway?Suchanold
andfaithful
servant!
ESTRAGON:
Swine!
Pozzomoreandmoreagitated.
VLADIMIR:
Afterhavingsuckedallthegoodoutof
himyouchuckhim
awaylikea...likeabananaskin.
Really...
POZZO:
(groaning,clutchinghishead).Ican't
bearit...any
longer...thewayhegoeson...
you'venoidea...
it'sterrible...hemustgo...(he
waveshisarms)...
I'mgoingmad...(hecollapses,his
headinhishands)..
.Ican'tbearit...anylonger...
Silence.AlllookatPozzo.
VLADIMIR:
Hecan'tbearit.
ESTRAGON:
Anylonger.
VLADIMIR:
He'sgoingmad.
ESTRAGON:
It'sterrible.
VLADIMIR:
(toLucky).Howdareyou!It's
abominable!Suchagood
master!Crucifyhimlikethat!Afterso
manyyears!Really!
POZZO:
(sobbing).Heusedtobesokind...
sohelpful...and
entertaining...mygoodangel...
andnow...he's
killingme.
ESTRAGON:
(toVladimir).Doeshewanttoreplace
him?
VLADIMIR:
What?
ESTRAGON:
Doeshewantsomeonetotakehisplace
ornot?
VLADIMIR:
Idon'tthinkso.
ESTRAGON:
What?
VLADIMIR:
Idon'tknow.
ESTRAGON:
Askhim.
POZZO:
(calmer).Gentlemen,Idon'tknowwhat
cameoverme.
Forgiveme.ForgetallIsaid.(Moreand
morehisold
self.)Idon'trememberexactlywhatit
was,butyoumay
besuretherewasn'tawordoftruthin
it.(Drawing
himselfup,strikinghischest.)DoI
looklikeamanthat
canbemadetosuffer?Frankly?(He
rummagesinhis
pockets.)WhathaveIdonewithmypipe?
VLADIMIR:
Charmingeveningwe'rehaving.
ESTRAGON:
Unforgettable.
VLADIMIR:
Andit'snotover.
ESTRAGON:
Apparentlynot.
VLADIMIR:
It'sonlybeginning.
ESTRAGON:
It'sawful.
VLADIMIR:
Worsethanthepantomime.
ESTRAGON:
Thecircus.
VLADIMIR:
Themusic-hall.
ESTRAGON:
Thecircus.
POZZO:
WhatcanIhavedonewiththatbriar?
ESTRAGON:
He'sascream.He'slosthisdudeen.
Laughsnoisily.
VLADIMIR:
I'llbeback.
Hehastenstowardsthewings.
ESTRAGON:
Endofthecorridor,ontheleft.
VLADIMIR:
Keepmyseat.
ExitVladimir.
POZZO:
(onthepointoftears).I'velostmy
KappandPeterson!
ESTRAGON:
(convulsedwithmerriment).He'llbethe
deathofme!
POZZO:
Youdidn'tseebyanychance—(He
missesVladimir.)Oh!
He'sgone!Withoutsayinggoodbye!How
couldhe!He
mighthavewaited!
ESTRAGON:
Hewouldhaveburst.
POZZO:
Oh!(Pause.)Ohwellthenofcoursein
thatcase...
ESTRAGON:
Comehere.
POZZO:
Whatfor?
ESTRAGON:
You'llsee.
POZZO:
Youwantmetogetup?
ESTRAGON:
Quick!(Pozzogetsupandgoesover
besideEstragon.
Estragonpointsoff.)Look!
POZZO:
(havingputonhisglasses).OhIsay!
ESTRAGON:
It'sallover.
EnterVladimir,somber.Heshoulders
Luckyoutofhis
way,kicksoverthestool,comesand
goesagitatedly.
POZZO:
He'snotpleased.
ESTRAGON:
(toVladimir).Youmissedatreat.Pity.
Vladimirhalts,straightensthestool,
comesandgoes,
calmer.
POZZO:
Hesubsides.(Lookinground.)Indeedall
subsides.Agreat
calmdescends.(Raisinghishand.)
Listen!Pansleeps.
VLADIMIR:
Willnightnevercome?
Allthreelookatthesky.
POZZO:
Youdon'tfeellikegoinguntilitdoes?
ESTRAGON:
Wellyousee–
POZZO:
Whyit'sverynatural,verynatural.I
myselfinyour
situation,ifIhadanappointmentwith
aGodin...Godet
...Godot...anyhow,youseewhoI
mean,I'dwaittill
itwasblacknightbeforeIgaveup.(He
looksatthe
stool.)I'dverymuchliketositdown,
butIdon'tquite
knowhowtogoaboutit.
ESTRAGON:
CouldIbeofanyhelp?
POZZO:
Ifyouaskedmeperhaps.
ESTRAGON:
What?
POZZO:
Ifyouaskedmetositdown.
ESTRAGON:
Wouldthatbeahelp?
POZZO:
Ifancyso.
ESTRAGON:
Herewego.Beseated,Sir,Ibegof
you.
POZZO:
Nono,Iwouldn'tthinkofit!(Pause.
Aside.)Askmeagain.
ESTRAGON:
Comecome,takeaseatIbeseechyou,
you'llget
pneumonia.
POZZO:
Youreallythinkso?
ESTRAGON:
Whyit'sabsolutelycertain.
POZZO:
Nodoubtyouareright.(Hesitsdown.)
Doneitagain!
(Pause.)Thankyou,dearfellow.(He
consultshiswatch.)
ButImustreallybegettingalong,ifI
amtoobservemy
schedule.
VLADIMIR:
Timehasstopped.
POZZO:
(cuddlinghiswatchtohisear).Don't
youbelieveit,Sir,
don'tyoubelieveit.(Heputshiswatch
backinhis
pocket.)Whateveryoulike,butnot
that.
ESTRAGON:
(toPozzo).Everythingseemsblackto
himtoday.
POZZO:
Exceptthefirmament.(Helaughs,
pleasedwiththis
witticism.)ButIseewhatitis,you
arenotfromthese
parts,youdon'tknowwhatourtwilights
cando.ShallI
tellyou?(Silence.Estragonisfiddling
withhisbootagain,
Vladimirwithhishat.)Ican'trefuse
you.(Vaporizer.)A
littleattention,ifyouplease.
(VladimirandEstragon
continuetheirfiddling,Luckyishalf
asleep.Pozzocracks
hiswhipfeebly.)What'sthematterwith
thiswhip?(He
getsupandcracksitmorevigorously,
finallywith
success.Luckyjumps.Vladimir'shat,
Estragon'sboot,
Lucky'shat,falltotheground.Pozzo
throwsdownthe
whip.)Wornout,thiswhip.(Helooksat
Vladimirand
Estragon.)WhatwasIsaying?
VLADIMIR:
Let'sgo.
ESTRAGON:
Buttaketheweightoffyourfeet,I
imploreyou,you'll
catchyourdeath.
POZZO:
True.(Hesitsdown.ToEstragon.)What
isyourname?
ESTRAGON:
Adam.
POZZO:
(whohasn'tlistened).Ahyes!The
night.(Heraiseshis
head.)Butbealittlemoreattentive,
forpity'ssake,
otherwisewe'llnevergetanywhere.(He
looksatthe
sky.)Look!(Alllookattheskyexcept
Luckywhois
dozingoffagain.Pozzojerkstherope.)
Willyoulookat
thesky,pig!(Luckylooksatthesky.)
Good,that's
enough.(Theystoplookingatthesky.)
Whatisthereso
extraordinaryaboutit?Quasky.Itis
paleandluminous
likeanyskyatthishouroftheday.
(Pause.)Inthese
latitudes.(Pause.)Whentheweatheris
fine.(Lyrical.)An
hourago(helooksathiswatch,
prosaic)roughly(lyrical)
afterhavingpouredforthevensince(he
hesitates,
prosaic)sayteno'clockinthemorning
(lyrical)tirelessly
torrentsofredandwhitelightit
beginstoloseits
effulgence,togrowpale(gestureofthe
twohands
lapsingbystages)pale,everalittle
paler,alittlepaler
until(dramaticpause,amplegestureof
thetwohands
flungwideapart)pppfff!finished!it
comestorest.But—
(handraisedinadmonition)—butbehind
thisveilof
gentlenessandpeace,nightischarging
(vibrantly)and
willburstuponus(snapshisfingers)
pop!likethat!(his
inspirationleaveshim)justwhenwe
leastexpectit.
(Silence.Gloomily.)That'showitison
thisbitchofan
earth.
Longsilence.
ESTRAGON:
Solongasoneknows.
VLADIMIR:
Onecanbideone'stime.
ESTRAGON:
Oneknowswhattoexpect.
VLADIMIR:
Nofurtherneedtoworry.
ESTRAGON:
Simplywait.
VLADIMIR:
We'reusedtoit.
Hepicksuphishat,peersinsideit,
shakesit,putsiton.
POZZO:
Howdidyoufindme?(Vladimirand
Estragonlookathim
blankly.)Good?Fair?Middling?Poor?
Positivelybad?
VLADIMIR:
(firsttounderstand).Ohverygood,
veryverygood.
POZZO:
(toEstragon).Andyou,Sir?
ESTRAGON:
Ohtraybong,traytraytraybong.
POZZO:
(fervently).Blessyou,gentlemen,bless
you!(Pause.)I
havesuchneedofencouragement!
(Pause.)Iweakened
alittletowardstheend,youdidn't
notice?
VLADIMIR:
Ohperhapsjustateenyweenylittle
bit.
ESTRAGON:
Ithoughtitwasintentional.
POZZO:
Youseemymemoryisdefective.
Silence.
ESTRAGON:
Inthemeantime,nothinghappens.
POZZO:
Youfindittedious?
ESTRAGON:
Somewhat.
POZZO:
(toVladimir).Andyou,Sir?
VLADIMIR:
I'vebeenbetterentertained.
Silence.Pozzostrugglesinwardly.
POZZO:
Gentlemen,youhavebeen...civilto
me.
ESTRAGON:
Notatall!
VLADIMIR:
Whatanidea!
POZZO:
Yesyes,youhavebeencorrect.Sothat
Iaskmyselfis
thereanythingIcandoinmyturnfor
thesehonest
fellowswhoarehavingsuchadull,dull
time.
ESTRAGON:
Eventenfrancswouldbeahelp.
VLADIMIR:
Wearenotbeggars!
POZZO:
IsthereanythingIcando,that'swhat
Iaskmyself,to
cheerthemup?Ihavegiventhembones,
Ihavetalkedto
themaboutthisandthat,Ihave
explainedthetwilight,
admittedly.Butisitenough,that's
whattorturesme,isit
enough?
ESTRAGON:
Evenfive.
VLADIMIR:
(toEstragon,indignantly).That's
enough!
ESTRAGON:
Icouldn'tacceptless.
POZZO:
Isisenough?Nodoubt.ButIam
liberal.It'smynature.
Thisevening.Somuchtheworseforme.
(Hejerksthe
rope.Luckylooksathim.)ForIshall
suffer,nodoubt
aboutthat.(Hepicksupthewhip.)What
doyouprefer?
Shallwehavehimdance,orsing,or
recite,orthink,or–
ESTRAGON:
Who?
POZZO:
Who!Youknowhowtothink,youtwo?
VLADIMIR:
Hethinks?
POZZO:
Certainly.Aloud.Heevenusedtothink
veryprettilyonce,
Icouldlistentohimforhours.Now..
.(heshudders).So
muchtheworseforme.Well,wouldyou
likehimtothink
somethingforus?
ESTRAGON:
I'dratherhedance,it'dbemorefun.
POZZO:
Notnecessarily.
ESTRAGON:
Wouldn'tit,Didi,bemorefun?
VLADIMIR:
I'dlikewelltohearhimthink.
ESTRAGON:
Perhapshecoulddancefirstandthink
afterwards,ifit
isn'ttoomuchtoaskhim.
VLADIMIR:
(toPozzo).Wouldthatbepossible?
POZZO:
Byallmeans,nothingsimpler.It'sthe
naturalorder.
Helaughsbriefly.
VLADIMIR:
Thenlethimdance.
Silence.
POZZO:
Doyouhear,hog?
ESTRAGON:
Heneverrefuses?
POZZO:
Herefusedonce.(Silence.)Dance,
misery!
Luckyputsdownbagandbasket,advances
towards
front,turnstoPozzo.Luckydances.He
stops.
ESTRAGON:
Isthatall?
POZZO:
Encore!
Luckyexecutesthesamemovements,
stops.
ESTRAGON:
Pooh!I'ddoaswellmyself.(He
imitatesLucky,almost
falls.)Withalittlepractice.
POZZO:
Heusedtodancethefarandole,the
fling,thebrawl,the
jig,thefandangoandeventhehornpipe.
Hecapered.For
joy.Nowthat'sthebesthecando.Do
youknowwhathe
callsit?
ESTRAGON:
TheScapegoat'sAgony.
VLADIMIR:
TheHardStool.
POZZO:
TheNet.Hethinkshe'sentangledina
net.
VLADIMIR:
(squirminglikeanaesthete).There's
somethingaboutit.
..
Luckymakestoreturntohisburdens.
POZZO:
Woaa!
Luckystiffens.
ESTRAGON:
Tellusaboutthetimeherefused.
POZZO:
Withpleasure,withpleasure.(He
fumblesinhispockets.)
Wait.(Hefumbles.)WhathaveIdone
withmyspray?(He
fumbles.)Wellnowisn'tthat...(He
