Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot (/ˈɡɒdoʊ/ ^ⓘ GOD-oh or /ɡəˈdoʊ/ ^ⓘ gə-DOH^[1]) is a tragicomedy play by Irish playwright and writer Samuel Beckett, first published in 1952 by Les Éditions de Minuit. It is Beckett's reworking of his own original French-language play titled En attendant Godot, and is subtitled in English as "A tragicomedy in two acts." The play revolves around the mannerisms of the two main characters, Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), who engage in a variety of thoughts, dialogues and encounters while awaiting the titular Godot, who never arrives.^[2] It is Beckett's best-known literary work and is regarded by critics as "one of the most enigmatic plays of modern literature".^[3][4] In a poll conducted by London's Royal National Theatre in the year 1998, Waiting for Godot was voted as "the most significant English-language play of the 20th century."^[5][6][7]

The original French text was composed between 9 October 1948 and 29 January 1949.^[8] The premiere, directed by Roger Blin, was performed at the Théâtre de Babylone, Paris, in January 1953. The English-language version of the play premiered in London in 1955. Though there is only one scene throughout both acts, the play is known for its numerous themes, including those relating to religious, philosophical, classical, social, psychoanalytical, and biographical settings. Beckett later stated that the painting Two Men Contemplating the Moon (1819), by Caspar David Friedrich, was a major inspiration for the play.

In Waiting for Godot, the two main characters spend their days waiting for someone named Godot, who they believe will provide them with salvation. They pass the time with conversations, physical routines, and philosophical musings, but their hope fades as Godot never arrives. They encounter two other characters, Pozzo and his servant Lucky, who serve as examples of the absurdity of human existence and the power dynamics within it. As the play unfolds, the repetition of actions and dialogue suggests the cyclical nature of their lives, and though Godot is promised for "tomorrow," he never appears, leaving the characters in a state of existential uncertainty. Critics have noted that since the play is stripped down to its bare basics, it invites a wide array of social, political and religious interpretations. There are also several references to wartime contexts, and some commentators have stated that Beckett might have been influenced by his own status as the play was written after World War II, during which he and his partner were both forced to leave occupied Paris, due to their affiliation to the French Resistance. Dramatist Martin Esslin said that Waiting for Godot was part of a broader literary movement known as the Theatre of the Absurd, which was first proposed by Albert Camus.

The play has received widespread acclaim. Due to its popularity, significance, and cultural importance to modern literature, Waiting for Godot has often been adapted for stage, operas, musicals, television, and theatrical performances in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Poland, and France, among other countries. As one of the foundational works of theater, the play remains widely studied and discussed in academic circles.