Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two ActsFrom an inauspicious beginning at the tiny Left Bank Theatre de Babylone in 1953, followed by bewilderment among American and British audiences, Waiting for Godot has become of the most important and enigmatic plays of the past fifty years and a cornerstone of twentieth-century drama. As Clive Barnes wrote, “Time catches up with genius … Waiting for Godot is one of the masterpieces of the century.” The story revolves around two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone—or something—named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree, inhabiting a drama spun of their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as mankind’s inexhaustible search for meaning. Beckett’s language pioneered an expressionistic minimalism that captured the existential post-World War II Europe. His play remains one of the most magical and beautiful allegories of our time. |
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Common terms and phrases
Adieu advances afraid angrily arms basket beat begins better bones boots Bye bye bye calm can’t carrot comes dance dead Didi don’t know doubt draws Enter everything exactly eyes falls feel feet friends gesture give goes goes back Gogo halts hands happens happy He’s head hear Help hesitates Hold hurt inside It’s jerks the rope leaves less listen looks Lucky Lucky’s mean move never night once Pause Perhaps picks pipe pocket POZZO pulls puts question raises reflects remain remember resume round running saved Silence sits sleep speak stage step stool stops suppose sure takes tell That’s There’s thing thought to-morrow tree tries trousers True turns violently Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot walk watch What’s whip wonder Yes Sir yesterday