Approach,mychild.
EnterBoy,timidly.Hehalts.
BOY:
MisterAlbert...?
VLADIMIR:
Yes.
ESTRAGON:
Whatdoyouwant?
VLADIMIR:
Approach!
TheBoydoesnotmove.
ESTRAGON:
(forcibly).Approachwhenyou'retold,
can'tyou?
TheBoyadvancestimidly,halts.
VLADIMIR:
Whatisit?
BOY:
Mr.Godot...
VLADIMIR:
Obviously...(Pause.)Approach.
ESTRAGON:
(violently).Willyouapproach!(TheBoy
advances
timidly.)Whatkeptyousolate?
VLADIMIR:
YouhaveamessagefromMr.Godot?
BOY:
YesSir.
VLADIMIR:
Well,whatisit?
ESTRAGON:
Whatkeptyousolate?
TheBoylooksattheminturn,not
knowingtowhichhe
shouldreply.
VLADIMIR:
(toEstragon).Lethimalone.
ESTRAGON:
(violently).Youletmealone.
(Advancing,totheBoy.)Do
youknowwhattimeitis?
BOY:
(recoiling).It'snotmyfault,Sir.
ESTRAGON:
Andwhoseisit?Mine?
BOY:
Iwasafraid,Sir.
ESTRAGON:
Afraidofwhat?Ofus?(Pause.)Answer
me!
VLADIMIR:
Iknowwhatitis,hewasafraidofthe
others.
ESTRAGON:
Howlonghaveyoubeenhere?
BOY:
Agoodwhile,Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Youwereafraidofthewhip?
BOY:
YesSir.
VLADIMIR:
Theroars?
BOY:
YesSir.
VLADIMIR:
Thetwobigmen.
BOY:
YesSir.
VLADIMIR:
Doyouknowthem?
BOY:
NoSir.
VLADIMIR:
Areyouanativeoftheseparts?
(Silence.)Doyoubelong
totheseparts?
BOY:
YesSir.
ESTRAGON:
That'sallapackoflies.(Shakingthe
Boybythearm.)
Tellusthetruth!
BOY:
(trembling).Butitisthetruth,Sir!
VLADIMIR:
Willyoulethimalone!What'sthe
matterwithyou?
(EstragonreleasestheBoy,movesaway,
coveringhis
facewithhishands.Vladimirandthe
Boyobservehim.
Estragondropshishands.Hisfaceis
convulsed.)What's
thematterwithyou?
ESTRAGON:
I'munhappy.
VLADIMIR:
Notreally!Sincewhen?
ESTRAGON:
I'dforgotten.
VLADIMIR:
Extraordinarythetricksthatmemory
plays!(Estragon
triestospeak,renounces,limpstohis
place,sitsdown
andbeginstotakeoffhisboots.To
Boy.)Well?
BOY:
Mr.Godot–
VLADIMIR:
I'veseenyoubefore,haven'tI?
BOY:
Idon'tknow,Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Youdon'tknowme?
BOY:
NoSir.
VLADIMIR:
Itwasn'tyoucameyesterday?
BOY:
NoSir.
VLADIMIR:
Thisisyourfirsttime?
BOY:
YesSir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
Wordswords.(Pause.)Speak.
BOY:
(inarush).Mr.Godottoldmetotell
youhewon'tcome
thiseveningbutsurelytomorrow.
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
Isthatall?
BOY:
YesSir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
YouworkforMr.Godot?
BOY:
YesSir.
VLADIMIR:
Whatdoyoudo?
BOY:
Imindthegoats,Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Ishegoodtoyou?
BOY:
YesSir.
VLADIMIR:
Hedoesn'tbeatyou?
BOY:
NoSir,notme.
VLADIMIR:
Whomdoeshebeat?
BOY:
Hebeatsmybrother,Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Ah,youhaveabrother?
BOY:
YesSir.
VLADIMIR:
Whatdoeshedo?
BOY:
Hemindsthesheep,Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Andwhydoesn'thebeatyou?
BOY:
Idon'tknow,Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Hemustbefondofyou.
BOY:
Idon'tknow,Sir.
Silence.
BOY:
Doeshegiveyouenoughtoeat?(TheBoy
hesitates.)
Doeshefeedyouwell?
BOY:
Fairlywell,Sir.
VLADIMIR:
You'renotunhappy?(TheBoyhesitates.)
Doyouhear
me?
BOY:
YesSir.
VLADIMIR:
Well?
BOY:
Idon'tknow,Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Youdon'tknowifyou'reunhappyornot?
BOY:
NoSir.
VLADIMIR:
You'reasbadasmyself.(Silence.)
Wheredoyousleep?
BOY:
Intheloft,Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Withyourbrother?
BOY:
YesSir.
VLADIMIR:
Inthehay?
BOY:
YesSir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
Allright,youmaygo.
BOY:
WhatamItotellMr.Godot,Sir?
VLADIMIR:
Tellhim...(hehesitates)...tell
himyousawus.
(Pause.)Youdidseeus,didn'tyou?
BOY:
YesSir.
Hestepsback,hesitates,turnsandexit
running.The
lightsuddenlyfails.Inamomentitis
night.Themoon
risesatback,mountsinthesky,stands
still,sheddinga
palelightonthescene.
VLADIMIR:
Atlast!
(Estragongetsupandgoestowards
Vladimir,abootin
eachhand.Heputsthemdownatedgeof
stage,
straightensandcontemplatesthemoon.)
Whatareyou
doing?
ESTRAGON:
Paleforweariness.
VLADIMIR:
Eh?
ESTRAGON:
Ofclimbingheavenandgazingonthe
likesofus.
VLADIMIR:
Yourboots,whatareyoudoingwithyour
boots?
ESTRAGON:
(turningtolookattheboots).I'm
leavingthemthere.
(Pause.)Anotherwillcome,justas..
.as...asme,but
withsmallerfeet,andthey'llmakehim
happy.
VLADIMIR:
Butyoucan'tgobarefoot!
ESTRAGON:
Christdid.
VLADIMIR:
Christ!WhathasChristgottodowith
it.You'renotgoing
tocompareyourselftoChrist!
ESTRAGON:
AllmylifeI'vecomparedmyselftohim.
VLADIMIR:
Butwhereheliveditwaswarm,itwas
dry!
ESTRAGON:
Yes.Andtheycrucifiedquick.
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
We'venothingmoretodohere.
ESTRAGON:
Noranywhereelse.
VLADIMIR:
AhGogo,don'tgoonlikethat.Tomorrow
everythingwill
bebetter.
ESTRAGON:
Howdoyoumakethatout?
VLADIMIR:
Didyounothearwhatthechildsaid?
ESTRAGON:
No.
VLADIMIR:
HesaidthatGodotwassuretocome
tomorrow.(Pause.)
Whatdoyousaytothat?
ESTRAGON:
Thenallwehavetodoistowaiton
here.
VLADIMIR:
Areyoumad?Wemusttakecover.(He
takesEstragonby
thearm.)Comeon.
HedrawsEstragonafterhim.Estragon
yields,then
resists.Theyhalt.
ESTRAGON:
(lookingatthetree).Pitywehaven't
gotabitofrope.
VLADIMIR:
Comeon.It'scold.
HedrawsEstragonafterhim.Asbefore.
ESTRAGON:
Remindmetobringabitofrope
tomorrow.
VLADIMIR:
Yes.Comeon.
Hedrawshimafterhim.Asbefore.
ESTRAGON:
Howlonghavewebeentogetherallthe
timenow?
VLADIMIR:
Idon'tknow.Fiftyyearsmaybe.
ESTRAGON:
DoyourememberthedayIthrewmyself
intotheRhone?
VLADIMIR:
Weweregrapeharvesting.
ESTRAGON:
Youfishedmeout.
VLADIMIR:
That'salldeadandburied.
ESTRAGON:
Myclothesdriedinthesun.
VLADIMIR:
There'snogoodharkingbackonthat.
Comeon.
Hedrawshimafterhim.Asbefore.
ESTRAGON:
Wait!
VLADIMIR:
I'mcold!
ESTRAGON:
Wait!(HemovesawayfromVladimir.)I
sometimes
wonderifwewouldn'thavebeenbetter
offalone,each
oneforhimself.(Hecrossesthestage
andsitsdownon
themound.)Weweren'tmadeforthesame
road.
VLADIMIR:
(withoutanger).It'snotcertain.
ESTRAGON:
No,nothingiscertain.
Vladimirslowlycrossesthestageand
sitsdownbeside
Estragon.
VLADIMIR:
Wecanstillpart,ifyouthinkitwould
bebetter.
ESTRAGON:
It'snotworthwhilenow.
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
No,it'snotworthwhilenow.
Silence.
ESTRAGON:
Well,shallwego?
VLADIMIR:
Yes,let'sgo.
Theydonotmove.
Curtain.
E-textofActII
AboutSamuelBeckett
AboutWaitingforGodot
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SummaryofActII
AnalysisofthePlay
CharacterList
E-textofWaitingforGodot
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E-textofWaitingforGodot
Atragicomedyin2actsbySamuel
Beckett
Estragon
Vladimir
Lucky
Pozzo
aboy
ACTI
Acountryroad.Atree.
Evening.
Estragon,sittingonalowmound,is
tryingtotakeoffhis
boot.Hepullsatitwithbothhands,
panting.Hegivesup,
exhausted,rests,triesagain.
Asbefore.
EnterVladimir.
ESTRAGON:
(givingupagain).Nothingtobedone.
VLADIMIR:
(advancingwithshort,stiffstrides,
legswideapart).I'm
beginningtocomeroundtothatopinion.
AllmylifeI've
triedtoputitfromme,saying
Vladimir,bereasonable,
youhaven'tyettriedeverything.AndI
resumedthe
struggle.(Hebroods,musingonthe
struggle.Turningto
Estragon.)Sothereyouareagain.
ESTRAGON:
AmI?
VLADIMIR:
I'mgladtoseeyouback.Ithoughtyou
weregone
forever.
ESTRAGON:
Metoo.
VLADIMIR:
Togetheragainatlast!We'llhaveto
celebratethis.But
how?(Hereflects.)GetuptillI
embraceyou.
ESTRAGON:
(irritably).Notnow,notnow.
VLADIMIR:
(hurt,coldly).Mayoneinquirewhere
HisHighnessspent
thenight?
ESTRAGON:
Inaditch.
VLADIMIR:
(admiringly).Aditch!Where?
ESTRAGON:
(withoutgesture).Overthere.
VLADIMIR:
Andtheydidn'tbeatyou?
ESTRAGON:
Beatme?Certainlytheybeatme.
VLADIMIR:
Thesamelotasusual?
ESTRAGON:
Thesame?Idon'tknow.
VLADIMIR:
WhenIthinkofit...alltheseyears
...butforme...
wherewouldyoube...(Decisively.)
You'dbenothing
morethanalittleheapofbonesatthe
presentminute,
nodoubtaboutit.
ESTRAGON:
Andwhatofit?
VLADIMIR:
(gloomily).It'stoomuchforoneman.
(Pause.
Cheerfully.)Ontheotherhandwhat's
thegoodoflosing
heartnow,that'swhatIsay.Weshould
havethoughtof
itamillionyearsago,inthenineties.
ESTRAGON:
Ahstopblatheringandhelpmeoffwith
thisbloodything.
VLADIMIR:
HandinhandfromthetopoftheEiffel
Tower,amongthe
first.Wewererespectableinthose
days.Nowit'stoo
late.Theywouldn'tevenletusup.
(Estragontearsathis
boot.)Whatareyoudoing?
ESTRAGON:
Takingoffmyboot.Didthatnever
happentoyou?
VLADIMIR:
Bootsmustbetakenoffeveryday,I'm
tiredtellingyou
that.Whydon'tyoulistentome?
ESTRAGON:
(feebly).Helpme!
VLADIMIR:
Ithurts?
ESTRAGON:
(angrily).Hurts!Hewantstoknowifit
hurts!
VLADIMIR:
(angrily).Nooneeversuffersbutyou.
Idon'tcount.I'd
liketohearwhatyou'dsayifyouhad
whatIhave.
ESTRAGON:
Ithurts?
VLADIMIR:
(angrily).Hurts!Hewantstoknowifit
hurts!
ESTRAGON:
(pointing).Youmightbuttonitallthe
same.
VLADIMIR:
(stooping).True.(Hebuttonshisfly.)
Neverneglectthe
littlethingsoflife.
ESTRAGON:
Whatdoyouexpect,youalwayswaittill
thelast
moment.
VLADIMIR:
(musingly).Thelastmoment...(He
meditates.)Hope
deferredmakeththesomethingsick,who
saidthat?
ESTRAGON:
Whydon'tyouhelpme?
VLADIMIR:
SometimesIfeelitcomingallthesame.
ThenIgoall
queer.(Hetakesoffhishat,peers
insideit,feelsabout
insideit,shakesit,putsitonagain.)
HowshallIsay?
Relievedandatthesametime...(he
searchesforthe
word)...appalled.(Withemphasis.)
AP-PALLED.(He
takesoffhishatagain,peersinside
it.)Funny.(He
knocksonthecrownasthoughto
dislodgeaforeign
body,peersintoitagain,putsiton
again.)Nothingtobe
done.(Estragonwithasupremeeffort
succeedsinpulling
offhisboot.Hepeersinsideit,feels
aboutinsideit,turns
itupsidedown,shakesit,looksonthe
groundtoseeif
anythinghasfallenout,findsnothing,
feelsinsideit
again,staringsightlesslybeforehim.)
Well?
ESTRAGON:
Nothing.
VLADIMIR:
Showme.
ESTRAGON:
There'snothingtoshow.
VLADIMIR:
Tryandputitonagain.
ESTRAGON:
(examininghisfoot).I'llairitfora
bit.
VLADIMIR:
There'smanalloverforyou,blamingon
hisbootsthe
faultsofhisfeet.(Hetakesoffhis
hatagain,peersinside
it,feelsaboutinsideit,knocksonthe
crown,blowsinto
it,putsitonagain.)Thisisgetting
alarming.(Silence.
Vladimirdeepinthought,Estragon
pullingathistoes.)
Oneofthethieveswassaved.(Pause.)
It'sareasonable
percentage.(Pause.)Gogo.
ESTRAGON:
What?
VLADIMIR:
Supposewerepented.
ESTRAGON:
Repentedwhat?
VLADIMIR:
Oh...(Hereflects.)Wewouldn'thave
togointothe
details.
ESTRAGON:
Ourbeingborn?
Vladimirbreaksintoaheartylaugh
whichheimmediately
stifles,hishandpressedtohispubis,
hisfacecontorted.
VLADIMIR:
Onedaren'tevenlaughanymore.
ESTRAGON:
Dreadfulprivation.
VLADIMIR:
Merelysmile.(Hesmilessuddenlyfrom
eartoear,keeps
smiling,ceasesassuddenly.)It'snot
thesamething.
Nothingtobedone.(Pause.)Gogo.
ESTRAGON:
(irritably).Whatisit?
VLADIMIR:
DidyoueverreadtheBible?
ESTRAGON:
TheBible...(Hereflects.)Imust
havetakenalookat
it.
VLADIMIR:
DoyouremembertheGospels?
ESTRAGON:
IrememberthemapsoftheHolyLand.
Colouredthey
were.Verypretty.TheDeadSeawaspale
