![]() ![]() (See Proverbs 13:12: "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.") The proverb fits Vladimir and Estragon's condition perfectly since we will see them in a state of sickness of heart their hopes are constantly deferred as they continually wait for Godot, and their desires are never fulfilled since Godot never arrives. " but he is unable to complete the proverb. Vladimir's thoughts shift from his urinary problems to the biblical concept of "Hope deferred maketh the something sick. Ultimately, the physical disabilities characterize the two men (an aching foot is easier to locate and describe than is a painful urinary infection) and also symbolize the various spiritual disabilities of the two characters. The philosophical concept of the nature of suffering is first introduced here by the contrasting physical ailments of each character: Estragon has sore feet which hurt him, and Vladimir has some type of painful urinary infection which causes him to suffer one character hurts and the other one suffers. Whereas Estragon's foot hurts, Vladimir is concerned with suffering of a different nature. Very early in the play, then, the difference between the two tramps is established: Estragon is concerned about immediate, practical problems - the removal of his boots, the beating, and now his aching foot Vladimir, in contrast, laments the general nature of their sufferings by remembering better days that used to be. He turns the conversation to more abstract matters. Instead, he has apparently spent the entire night alone in the ditch, which means that both of them are, as their clothes indicate, in the most extreme, impoverished condition that they have ever known.Įstragon remains concerned with his boots Vladimir, however, is extremely impatient and finds the conversation about the boots to be profitless. But no Good Samaritan has come to Estragon's rescue. For example, this could be an oblique reference to the biblical story of the Good Samaritan who finds a man beaten, robbed, and thrown into a ditch and rescues him. over there" and that he was beaten by "the same lot as usual." This reference to a beaten man in a ditch carries overtones of other matters, but cannot be definitely correlated. Vladimir greets Estragon with the comment "I thought you were gone forever," and since they are "together again at last," they will "have to celebrate." Vladimir then discovers that Estragon spent the night "in a ditch. ![]() The words carry a foreboding overtone which will be later associated with the word "appalled," or as Vladimir calls it, "AP-PALLED," and also the two tramps' inability to laugh.Īfter the opening words, we find that the two tramps are linked to each other in some undefined, ambiguous way. Thus the two opening speeches, innocent and simple enough in themselves, set the tone for the entire drama. In response to Estragon's struggle with his foot, Vladimir ignores the immediate physical problem but agrees with Estragon metaphysically that there is "nothing to be done," even though he has not "yet tried everything." But as frustrating as the boot is, this is still a minor concern when compared to what Estragon and Vladimir are to do with the problem of waiting for Godot. The phrase is innocent enough in itself and obviously directed toward a specific struggle the removal of the boot. Estragon's words are repeated two more times by Vladimir in the next moments of the play, and variations of this phrase become one of the central statements of the drama. The struggle has literally exhausted him, and he gives up the struggle with the opening words of the play: "Nothing to be done" (emphasis ours). The play opens with Estragon involved in a tremendous struggle - but not a struggle of a highly metaphysical nature instead, it is a physical struggle to get his stuck boot off his sore foot. Thus the setting and the clothing make an ominous comment before we are too far into the drama. These figures are dressed in rags and tatters, clothes that would be worn by two tramps in an old, second-rate burlesque production. ![]() The idea of a road implies a journey, a movement, a purpose to life, but we see, instead, two deserted, isolated figures with no place to go and with no journey to look forward to. The loneliness and the isolation of the setting sets the tone for the play. We know there is a ditch on the other side of the road because immediately Estragon tells Vladimir that he slept last night in the ditch. A country road or an actual lonely road is the main setting, and there is a single tree. It most resembles some strange place in outer space with its haunting and brooding sense of despair. The rising curtain exposes a landscape that is strange and alien. ![]()
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