Waiting for Godot 整理與批註
This is a play with only 2 acts.
Two protagonists: Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo) (with bowlers, 48: "all four(Vladimir, Estragon, Lucky and Pozzo) wear bowlers")
It is a story when both Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for Godot, someone who has not appeared in the whole play.
Act I
Setting: A country Road. A tree. Evening. (p. 2)
In Act I, there are three scenes, as I suggest.
- Before the enter of both the slave Lucky and his master or keeper Pozzo. (Before Page 28)
- Before the enter of the Boy. ( p. 28 to p. 74)
- To the end (p. 74 to p. 86)
Scene 1: some comic jibber-jabbers between Didi and Gogo
1. Didi helped Gogo to take off his boot.
- Gogo was back from a ditch, and Didi felt happy about this. (3)
Foreshadowing to the scene that Gogo asked Pozzo for the bone he left: “When I think of it . . . all these years . . . but for me . . . where would you be . . . (Decisively.) You’d be nothing more than a little heap of bones at the present minute, no doubt about it.” (4)
- A comic conversation here:
Estragon: Taking off my boot. Did that never happen to you?
Vladimir: Boots must be taken off every day, I'm tired telling you that. Why don't you listen to me?
Estragon: help me!
Vladimir: It hurts?
Estragon: Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts! (4-5) (question: who is HE?)
- An action when the gist "waiting" appears, it appears:
“He (Vladimir) takes off his hat, peers inside it, feels about inside it, shakes it, puts it on again”. (5)
- A joke (6-7)
Vladimir: Gogo.
Estragon: What?
Vladimir: Suppose we repented
Estragon: Repented what?
Vladimir: Oh… We wouldn't have to go into the details
Estragon: Our being born?
- Story about two thieves (8-9):Told by Vladimir, thieves, Saviour, saved protagonists from hell, four Evangelists, one of which said a thief being saved.
Estragon: (with exaggerated enthusiasm). I find this really most extraordinarily interesting. (9) (question: why?)
Saviour wouldn't save Evangelists from death. (10)
2. Waiting for Godot.(11- 28)
Estragon finally took off his boots, halted facing the auditorium.
Where? -"He said by the tree" - a willow - a shrub - a bush (12)
"Wait till he comes"(12-13)
- A foreshadowing to the dialogues on "what did we do yesterday", which happened when Boy was present. (13-15)
Estragon: We came here yesterday.
Vladimir: Ah no, there you're mistaken.
Estragon: What did we do yesterday?
Vladimir: What did we do yesterday?
Estragon: Yes.
Vladimir: Why… Nothing is certain when you're about.
…
- Gogo fell asleep, and after being woken up he told a story to Didi, who was unwilling to listen (15- 16)
Vladimir: Gogo!
Estragon: I am asleep!
Vladimir: I felt lonely.
Estragon: I had a dream.
…
Vladimir: DON'T TELL ME!
Estragon: Calm… Calm… The English say cawm. (ENG calm: [kɑːm]; FR calmer: [kalme]) (16)
Estragon told an erotic joke (16-17)
Hanging (17-19)
Double Entente of "erection"
Estragon: What about hanging ourselves?
Vladimir: Hmm. It'd give us an erection.
Estragon: (highly excited) An erection! (Erection of body, and also of penis)
This is also a foreshadowing to that when Didi mentions hanging at the end of this act.
The logic of hanging:“Gogo light—bough not break—Gogo dead. Didi heavy—boughbreak—Didi alon”(19)
Godot's nothing definite (21)
Godot's prerogatives (23)
Hear something (23-24)
Carrots and turnips (24-28)
Scene 2: Lucky and Pozzo （28-74）
1. An interesting opening: Pozzo drives Lucky by means of a rope passed round his neck, so that Lucky is the first to enter, followed by the rope which is long enough to let him reach the middle of the stage before Pozzo appears. (28)
2. Vladimir and Estragon recognized mistakenly Pozzo as Godot (29)
Pozzo or Bozzo (30) It is quite interesting because usually French confuses the sounds "b" and "p" a lot. (e.g., Raymond Roussel's billiard and pillard.
Pozzo felt unhappy about the mistake.
3. Pozzo trained Lucky (32-33)
4. Vladimir and Estragon paid attention to Lucky (33-35)
Estragon: What ails him?
Vladimir: He looks tired.
Estragon: why doesn't he put down his bags? (corresponding with the last question of this scene)
Vladimir: How do I know? (They close on him.) Careful!
…
A running-sore neck, trifle effeminate face, slobber (35)
5. Turn to Pozzo. (35-36)
Halfwit, cretin, like a goiter, panting, goggling eyes.
6. Ask Pozzo (36-39)
Inquiry him Timidly(36)
Pozzo responded rudely, keeping training Lucky while eating chicken.
Estragon asked for the chicken bones left, Pozzo said he should ask Lucky, but only silence Lucky was. Then he finally got the bones and gnawed. Vladimir was scandalized by this. Pozzo noticed Vladimir's scandalous behavior, responded impertinently. (36-39)
7. Pozzo was interested to "who was Godot" (39-41)
8. Estragon went back to the question "why doesn't he put down his bag", Pozzo hesitated to answer, but finally answered it. (41-45)
Pozzo: Why couldn't you say so before? Why he doesn't make himself comfortable? Let's try and get this clear. Has he not the right to? Certainly he has. It follows that he doesn't want to. There's reasoning for you. And why doesn't he want to? (Pause.) Gentlemen, the reason is this. (44)
9. Another question put by Vladimir:
Vladimir: You want to get rid of him? Pozzo answered, Lucky wept. Both Vladimir and Estragon want to comfort, but once Estragon went forward to do that hesitatingly, he got a kick from Lucky) (45-46)
10. Constant quantity (47)
Pozzo: He's stopped crying. (To Estragon.) You have replaced him as it were. (Lyrically.) The tears of the world are a constant quantity. For each one who begins to weep, somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh. (He laughs.) Let us not then speak ill of our generation, it is not any unhappier than its predecessors. (Pause.) Let us not speak well of it either. (Pause.) Let us not speak of it at all. (Pause. Judiciously.) It is true the population has increased. (47)
11. Slave-master dialectic (47-49)
Pozzo's emotion change: (agitated), (groaning, clutching his head), (sobbing), (calmer, and politely)
Now we can see Pozzo'’ attitude to Didi and Gogo has changed.
12. Loss of pipe/briar/dudeen (51-52)
End with: What have I done with my pipe? (49)
Pozzo: (on the point of tears) (51)
Estragon: Come here. (51)
Estragon: Quick!
(should notice that both lines above is imperative, attitudes between Estragon and Pozzo reverse after "slave-master dialectic")
13. Pozzo's meaningful speaking: waiting for Godot (52)
Pozzo: No doubt you are right. (He sits down.) Done it again! (Pause.) Thank you, dear fellow. (He consults his watch.) But I must really be getting along, if I am to observe my schedule.
14. Estragon commanded Pozzo, by using the words like "beg, implore, beseech (53-54)
Pozzo: I can't refuse you (54)
15. Waiting for Godot (54-57)
Pozzo's dramatic saying (55)
Ah yes! The night. (He raises his head.) But be a little more attentive, for pity's sake, otherwise we'll never get anywhere. (He looks at the sky.) Look! (All look at the sky except Lucky who is dozing off again. Pozzo jerks the rope.) Will you look at the sky, pig! (Lucky looks at the sky.) Good, that's enough. (They stop looking at the sky.) What is there so extraordinary about it? Qua sky. It is pale and luminous like any sky at this hour of the day. (Pause.) In these latitudes.
(Pause.) When the weather is fine. (Lyrical.) An hour ago (he looks at his watch, prosaic) roughly (lyrical) after having poured forth even since (he hesitates, prosaic) say ten o'clock in the morning (lyrical) tirelessly torrents of red and white light it begins to lose its effulgence, to grow pale (gesture of the two hands lapsing by stages) pale, ever a little paler, a little paler until (dramatic pause, ample gesture of the two hands flung wide apart) pppfff! finished! it comes to rest. But– (hand raised in admonition)– but behind this veil of gentleness and peace, night is charging (vibrantly) and will burst upon us (snaps his fingers) pop! like that! (his inspiration leaves him) just when we least expect it. (Silence. Gloomily.) That's how it is on this bitch of an earth. (this could be analyzed in view of waiting and the absence of Godot)
16. Pozzo's confess (57-58)
17. Dance (58-62)
Estragon wanted to dance, Pozzo said let Lucky go first. Then he shared the time Lucky refused to dance
Go back to "Why doesn't he put down his bags?"(61) - "in order to dance!" (62)
18. Lucky's thinking (62-68)
Lucky could not think without his hat. But when the hat was already on his head, Lucky did not think. Pozzo Pozzo gave Lucky orders to make him think, as if he were firing up a machine. Finally, Lucky gave them a tirade, which seems to be non-sense. After that, his hat had been taken by Vladimir, he felt, and silence.
19. They raised Lucky up. He got "normal" after a series of commands from Pozzo. Pozzo wanted to go, but he found that his watch was missing. But finally he and Lucky still left. (68-72)
20. Talkings after that (72-74)
Scene 3: Boy (74-86)
Went onto the stage timidly, with the message from Godot.
VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?
BOY: Yes Sir.
He steps back, hesitates, turns and exits. The light suddenly fails. In a moment it is night. The moon rises at back, mounts in the sky, stands still, shedding a pale light on the scene. （82）
Estragon left his boots for someone "with smaller feet" (82)
Vladimir: But you can't go barefoot!
Estragon: Christ did
Vladimir: Christ! What has Christ got to do with it. You're not going to compare yourself to Christ!
Estragon: All my life I've compared myself to him.
Vladimir: But where he lived it was warm, it was dry!(82-83) (echo with the beginning "Saviour")
(I quite like the dialogue in this part.)
Estragon: Well, shall we go?
Vladimir: Yes, let's go.
They do not move. (86)
Act II
Setting: Next day, same time; Same place. (86)
Opening:(86)
Estragon's boots front center, heels together, toes splayed.
Lucky's hat at same place.
The tree has four or five leaves.
Enter Vladimir agitatedly. He halts and looks long at the tree, then suddenly begins to move feverishly about the stage. He halts before the boots, picks one up, examines it, sniffs it, manifests disgust, puts it back carefully. Comes and goes.
Halts extreme right and gazes into distance off, shading his eyes with his hand. Comes and goes. Halts extreme left, as before. Comes and goes. Halts suddenly and begins to sing loudly.
Scene 1: Vladimir and Estragon's dialogue (87-127)
1. Dog folk Rhythm (87)
2. Estragon got beat and crawling back (88-92)
3. Waiting for Godot (92)
4. Estragon forgot and mis-recognized something (92-95)
5. Estragon complained once again about the seperation and willed death. (95-97)
Vladimir said we had reasons for waiting, but Estragon said these were reasons they would not accept.
It's the non-sense where they were dwelling in.
VLADIMIR: What do they say?
ESTRAGON: They talk about their lives.
VLADIMIR: To have lived is not enough for them.
ESTRAGON: They have to talk about it.
VLADIMIR: To be dead is not enough for them.
ESTRAGON: It is not sufficient. (97)
ESTRAGON: What do we do now?
VLADIMIR: Wait for Godot. (98)
In this sense, waiting for godot is not a "teles", but rather a present, but imperfect act. Facing to this empty, they should "find something to do".
6. Singing, which is to prevent them from thinking, but finally failed. ( 98-104)
I put much of my attention to this. Because the dialogue between Estragon and Vladimir is the contrast between two waves after Nietszche.
Existentialist characteristic: "God is dead" does not mean the death of humans. The subjectivity is stilled recognized a priori.
(Sartre holds that, in itself, consciousness, as a pure and transcendent subject, does not take its object as its content;
…Secondly, transcendence means "to go beyond" and is a characteristic of the capacity for activity of the intentionality of consciousness;
…
In Sartre's analysis, the transcendence of the self refers not only to the existence of the self outside consciousness (first sense), but also to the fact that the self can create a new state of affairs by touching consciousness through its own passive spontaneity…The Construction and Transcendence of "Self" of Sartre, Luo )
Another wave: "God is dead" means both the death of God and the death of the theologilized man (Beyond Good and Evil). It is the death of subjectivity –– "death" means its presense is absense, inacessible. See Préface à la Transgression, Foucault)
Can be roughly included as: 1. Transcendence of subjectivity; 2. Transgress without subjectivity.
VLADIMIR: Impossible
VLADIMIR: We're in no danger of ever thinking any more.
VLADIMIR: Thinking is not the worst. (100)
VLADIMIR: Wait . . . we embraced . . . we were happy . . . happy . . . what do we do now that we're happy . . . go on waiting . . . waiting . . . let me think . . . it's coming . . . go on waiting . . . now that we're happy . . . let me see . . . ah! The tree! (104)
ESTRAGON: You can start from anything.
ESTRAGON: I'm trying. (98)
ESTRAGON: That's the idea, let's contradict each another.
ESTRAGON: Perhaps not. But at least there's that.
ESTRAGON: That's the idea, let's ask each other questions. (100)
ESTRAGON: We should turn resolutely towards Nature. (102)
ESTRAGON: Que voulez-vouz. (what do you want) (102)
Silence can be the symbol of segments
7. Estragon forgot things ordinary (106)
Estragon forgot Pozzo and Lucky, and the bones Pozzo gave. ( 106)
Estragon forgot the wound on leg made by Lucky (107)
Estragon forgot the boots he left (107)
Estragon: I don't know.
Vladimir: Why?
Estragon: (exasperated). I don't know why I don't know!
Vladimir: No, I mean why did you throw them away?
Estragon: (exasperated). Because they were hurting me! (107-108)
Trauma
8. Estragon was impatient (109-110)
Estragon: (having tried in vain to work it out). I'm tired! (Pause.) Let's go.
Vladimir: We can't
Estragon: Why not?
Vladimir: We are waiting for Godot.
Vladimir asked Estragon if he wanted some Radishes, not rather Carrot and turnips (110-111)
Vladimir was trying to make Estragon have something to do, but all things he suggested were "wrong"and "boring" for Estragon. Estragon lost his interest to do anything he did before.
Estragon: Would that be a good thing?
Vladimir: It'd pass the time. (Estragon hesitates.) I assure you, it'd be an occupation.
Estragon: A relaxation.
Vladimir: A recreation.
Estragon: A relaxation.
Vladimir: try.
Estragon: You'll help me?
Vladimir: I will of course. ( 111-112)
Turns to the core of existentialism: (112)
Estragon: We always find something, eh Didi, to give us the impression we exist?
Vladimir:: (impatiently). Yes yes, we're magicians. But let us persevere in what we have resolved, before we forget. (He picks up a boot.) Come on, give me your foot. (Estragon raises his foot.) The other, hog! (Estragon raises the other foot.) Higher! # (Wreathed together they stagger about the stage. Vladimir succeeds finally in getting on the boot.) Try and walk.
(Estragon walks.) Well?
Estragon: It fits.
Estragon has excuses for all Vladimir's suggestions to "do something".
Estragon: I'll try. He resumes his foetal posture, his head between his knees. (114)
Vladimir: Wait. (He goes over and sits down beside Estragon and begins to sing in a loud voice.)
Bye bye bye bye Bye bye– #
Estragon: (looking up angrily). Not so loud!
Vladimir: (softly).
Bye bye bye bye Bye bye bye bye Bye bye
Estragon sleeps. Vladimir gets up softly, takes off his coat and lays it across Estragon's shoulders, then starts walking up and down, swinging his arms to keep himself warm. Estragon wakes with a start, jumps up, casts about wildly. Vladimir runs to him, puts his arms around him.) There . . . there . . .
Didi is here . . . don't be afraid . . .
bye bye Bye bye . . (114)
Estragon is falling (115)
Estragon: I was falling— VLADIMIR: It's all over, it's all over.
Estragon: I was on top of a—
Vladimir: Don't tell me! Come, we'll walk it off.
He takes Estragon by the arm and walks him up and down until Estragon refuses to go any further.
Estragon: That's enough. I'm tired.
9. Waiting for Godot (114-115)
Estragon: Let's go.
Vladimir: We can't.
Estragon: Why not?
Vladimir: We're waiting for Godot.
10. Le jeu du chapeau (117-120)
Estragon wanted to go. Vladimir, seeing Lucky's hat, then they exchanged circlily. (117-118)
"Pli" and "répétition". Especially the subordinate clause Beckett uses at the end of act description.
Vladimir finally put on Lucky's hat:
Vladimir: Then I can keep it. Mine irked me. (Pause.) How shall I say? (Pause.) It itched me.
He takes off Lucky's hat, peers into it, shakes it, knocks on the crown, puts it on again. (118)
Estragon ignored his coquettish act.
Estragon: I'm going. (118)
Vladimir suggested the imitation to Pozzo and Lucky. (119)
Vladimir was constantly finding something recreative to do. He is more hilarious than before.
Estragon: I'm going. (120)
11. Estragon seemed to finally find Godot, Vladimir surprised, but then he found there is "not a soul in sight". "Estragon recoils in horror".(121)
12. Quarrel between Estragon and Vladimir.
Estragon: That's the idea, let's abuse each other. They turn, move apart, turn again and face each other.(124)
But after the quarrel, with the end of Estragon's "crritic" and Vladimir's vanquishment, they "make it up". (125)
But once again, when they return to the correct line "waiting for Godot", Estragon was tired, for anything done or intended to be done during their waiting (126-127)
Estragon: (stopping). That's enough. I'm tired. (127)
- Whether God can see them (127)
Estragon: Do you think God sees me?
Vladimir: You must close your eyes.
Estragon closes his eyes, staggers worse.
Estragon: (stopping, brandishing his fists, at the top of his voice.) God have pity on me!
Vladimir: (vexed). And me?
Estragon: On me! On me! Pity! On me!
Scene 2: Pozzo and Lucky entered (128-157)
Enter Pozzo and Lucky. Pozzo is blind. Lucky burdened as before. Rope as before, but much shorter, so that Pozzo may follow more easily. Lucky wearing a different hat. At the sight of Vladimir and Estragon he stops short. Pozzo, continuing on his way, bumps into him. (127-128)
Two details should be noticed: Rope is much shorter than before; Pozzo bumped into Lucky. – the inconsistancy between Pozzo's demand and Lucky's action.
1. Estragon and Vlamidir thought it was Godot, but eventually it was Pozzo, with his Lucky. (128-129)
Vladimir: Poor Pozzo!
Estragon: I knew it was him. (129)
2. When Pozzo could not get up and yelled for help, Estragon intended to help, (he said " let's go" (130)), but Vladimir denied, since he said they were waiting for Godot. But after that they conversed for whether they should give Pozzo a hand. We can see in this conversation, Estragon was the one who questioned, while Vladimir was the one who answered.
Estragon: And suppose he—
Vladimir: Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! (Pause. Vehemently.) Let us do something, while we have the chance!It is not every day that we are needed. Not indeed that we personally are needed. Others would meet the case equally well, if not better. To all mankind they were addressed, those cries for help still ringing in our ears! But at this place, at this moment of time, all mankind is us, whether we like it or not. Let us make the most of it, before it is too late! Let us represent worthily for once the foul brood to which a cruel fate consigned us! What do you say? (Estragon says nothing.)It is true that when with folded arms we weigh the pros and cons we are no less a credit to our species. The tiger bounds to the help of his congeners without the least reflection, or else he slinks away into the depths of the thickets. But that is not the question. What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in this immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come— (133-134)
3. This is the classical speech of existentialism:
The value of Human, or even I prefer to say, the morality after the "death of God", is manifested strongly in this speech.
Interestingly, at last Estragon's speech contributes to "waiting for Godot", the act whose object is absent, rather than to Human. No teles, no premise, this generality is itself transcendent.
(Here we can make a comparison between this "existentialist generality of Human", and Kant's morality, and also the Nietszche's )
4. But then Vladimir noticed that even the act "waiting" itself was a kind of "teles":
Vladimir: Or for night to fall. (Pause.) We have kept our appointment and that's an end to that. We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much? (134)
5. Respond to the most attacking existentialism: utopia construction.
Vladimir: All I know is that the hours are long, under these conditions, and constrain us to beguile them with proceedings which –how shall I say– which may at first sight seem reasonable, until they become a habit. You may say it is to prevent our reason from foundering. No doubt. But has it not long been straying in the night without end of the abyssal depths? That's what I sometimes wonder. You follow my reasoning? (134-135)
A Heideggerian interpretation can be drawn forth:
which may at first sight seem reasonable: Logos in terms of "old metaphysics", the eternal.
In the night without end of the abyssal depths: Nichts;
constrain us to beguile them with proceedings which –how shall I say– which may at first sight seem reasonable, until they become a habit: inauthentic being. Dasein in the Beruhigung, and at last comes to its Entfremdung.
But has it not long been straying in the night without end of the abyssal depths: authentic being. Dasein in Angst, at last comes to its nicht-zuhause-sein.
Existentialist being is "temporal", not eternal.
On the contrary, we can see Estragon is not like that:
Estragon: (aphoristic for once). We are all born mad. Some remain so.
Pozzo: Help! I'll pay you!
Estragon: How much?
Pozzo: One hundred francs!
Estragon: It's not enough. (135)
6. Beckett's mocking existentialism (in my opinion)
Vladimir: We wait. We are bored. (He throws up his hand.) No, don't protest, we are bored to death, there's no denying it. Good. A diversion comes along and what do we do? We let it go to waste. Come, let's get to work! (He advances towards the heap, stops in his stride.) In an instant all will vanish and we'll be alone once more, in the midst of nothingness! (135)
Help is a kind of "work" for killing the bore, for finding some meanings; after that, it will be "in the midst of nothingness".
Here we can see it is still in the dilemma of utopia. Foucault's "hétérotopia and utopia" can be the exemplification of this dilemma. Utopia comforts, while its another form, hétérotopia, which would come when the act is really being done (in the process of accomplishing, also in Foucault's word, being true), confuses. (See Foucault's Utopian Body)
This mocking goes to the top when Vladimir asks for help.
Vladimir: Don't leave me! They'll kill me! (Where is the generality of Human you announced before?)
Pozzo: Where am I?
Vladimir: Gogo!
Pozzo: Help!
Vladimir: Help!
Estragon: I'm going.
Vladimir: Help me up first, then we'll go together. (The most sarcastic line I have ever read.)
Estragon: You promise?
Vladimir: I swear it!
Estragon: And we'll never come back?
Vladimir: Never!
Estragon: We'll go to the Pyrenees.
Vladimir: Wherever you like.
Estragon: I've always wanted to wander in the Pyrenees.
Vladimir: You'll wander in them.
Estragon: (recoiling). Who farted?
Vladimir: Pozzo.
Pozzo: Here! Here! Pity!
Estragon: It's revolting!
Vladimir: Quick! Give me your hand!
Estragon: I'm going. (Pause. Louder.) I'm going. (136-138)
(Lmao, no one can eventually be in Angst.)
7. Estragon decided to help:
Estragon: Come on, Didi, don't be pig-headed! He stretches out his hand which Vladimir makes haste to seize.
Vladimir: Pull! Estragon pulls, stumbles, falls. Long silence.
8. Pozzo asked for help, but only there was indifference for him. (138-139)
Here I would like to interpret, along with the details we found before, Pozzo is the "old theory" ( logocentrism in terms of Derrida, classical metaphysics in terms of Heidegger, the philosophy of subjectivity of conscious since Descartes in terms of Sartre, human science constructed since the nineteenth century in terms of Foucault), which should be counterblast by either Vladimir (existentialism, e.g. Sartre) or Estragon (non-existentialism, e.g. Foucault).
Why?
The consistency of yelling "help"
Vladimir's words "(violently). Will you stop it, you! Pest! He can think of nothing but himself!" (139)
9. Pozzo collapsed, Estragon and Vladimir's attitude to Pozzo is perfectly correspondent with the attitude that existentialism and non-existentialism held at that time.
- They rejected it, critiqued it. ( the tradition bestowed from Nietszche)
Vladimir: Were you asleep?
Estragon: I must have been.
Vladimir: It's this bastard Pozzo at it again.
Vladimir: (striking Pozzo). Will you stop it! Crablouse! (Pozzo extricates himself with cries of pain and crawls away. He stops, saws the air blindly, calling for help. Vladimir, propped on his elbow, observes his retreat.) He's off! (Pozzo collapses.) He's down!
Estragon: Make him stop it. Kick him in the crotch.(140)
- But once their critiques had not been replied, they would call for it.
Vladimir: Pozzo! (Silence.) Pozzo! (Silence.) No reply.
Estragon: Together.
Vladimir and Estragon: Pozzo! Pozzo! (141)
- The discrepancies of the name of Pozzo are those of "old theory" mentioned.
Estragon: Are you sure his name is Pozzo?
Vladimir: (alarmed). Mr. Pozzo! Come back! We won't hurt you! Silence.
Estragon: We might try him with other names. (141)
…
Estragon: To try him with other names, one after the other. It'd pass the time. And we'd be bound to hit on the right one sooner or later. (141)
Estragon called other names, and Pozzo responded. (141-142)
- Then, Estragon's words profoundly approved that Pozzo's is the signification of "old theory".
Estragon: He's all humanity. (Silence.) Look at the little cloud.
Vladimir: (raising his eyes). Where?
Estragon: There. In the zenith.
Vladimir: Well? (Pause.) What is there so wonderful about it? (142)
10. Also, see:
- Vladimir: What about helping him?
Estragon: What does he want?
Vladimir: He wants to get up.
Estragon: Then why doesn't he?
Vladimir: He wants us to help him get up.
Estragon: Then why don't we? What are we waiting for? They help Pozzo to his feet, let him go. He falls. (144)
- It was evening, the evening of Pozzo, of old theory.
Vladimir: (reassuring). It's evening, Sir, it's evening, night is drawing nigh. My friend here would have me doubt it and I must confess he shook me for a moment. But it is not for nothing I have lived through this long day and I can assure you it is very near the end of its repertory. (Pause.) How do you feel now? (147)
- The incompleteness of the critique of existentialism and non-existentialism.
Estragon: How much longer are we to cart him around? (They half release him, catch him again as he falls.) We are not caryatids! (147)
Both these post-Nietzschean waves are not successfully called a "-ism", for the openness left by Nietzsche has not been figured out completely.
11. The Rose Retrospection of Pozzo.
Vladimir: Let him alone. Can't you see he's thinking of the days when he was happy. (Pause.) Memoria praeteritorum bonorum— that must be unpleasant. (148)
12. What new waves want is not the flourishing of old theory, but rather a target they can criticize.
13. Is it possible to interpret Pozzo as theology and Lucky as philosophy, due to the dialogue that Pozzo asked Estragon and Vladimir to find Lucky (149-151)?
Pozzo's attitude to Estragon and Vladimir
Vladimir: I don't remember having met anyone yesterday. But tomorrow I won't remember having met anyone today. So don't count on me to enlighten you. (153)
I think we can make this interpretation, because:
Pozzo: Who?
Vladimir: Lucky.
Pozzo: To sing?
Vladimir: Yes. Or to think. Or to recite.
Pozzo: But he is dumb.
Vladimir: Dumb!
Pozzo: Dumb. He can't even groan. (154)
14. Pozzo's counterblast to Vladimir's (existentialist) temporality:
Vladimir: (suddenly furious.) Have you not done tormenting me with your accursed time! It's abominable! When! When! One day, is that not enough for you, one day he went dumb, one day I went blind, one day we'll go deaf, one day we were born, one day we shall die, the same day, the same second, is that not enough for you? (Calmer.) They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more. (He jerks the rope.) On! (154-155)
15. Estragon wanted to ensure whether Pozzo was Godot (156)
16. Vladimir's monologue (157):
Vladimir: Was I sleeping, while the others suffered? Am I sleeping now? Tomorrow, when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of today? That with Estragon my friend, at this place, until the fall of night, I waited for Godot? That Pozzo passed, with his carrier, and that he spoke to us? Probably. But in all that what truth will there be? (Estragon, having struggled with his boots in vain, is dozing off again. Vladimir looks at him.) He'll know nothing. He'll tell me about the blows he received and I'll give him a carrot.
(Pause.) Astride of a grave and a difficult birth. Down in the hole, lingeringly, the grave digger puts on the forceps. We have time to grow old. The air is full of our cries. (He listens.) But habit is a great deadener. (He looks again at Estragon.) At me too someone is looking, of me too someone is saying, He is sleeping, he knows nothing, let him sleep on. (Pause.) I can't go on! (Pause.) What have I said? (157)
I waited for Godot: it is "I", not "we".
(Estragon, having struggled with his boots in vain, is dozing off again. Vladimir looks at him) He'll know nothing. He'll tell me about the blows he received and I'll give him a carrot: In view of existentialism, the fact is that the "non-existentialism" can not be recognized as a "theory" –– we can see it is arguable for Foucault, Blanchot, etc., to be identified with a theory, post-structuralism? Destructuralism? They are critical, undoubtedly, but just as Vladimir said, is there something behind that for them to be constructed as an -ism, like existential-ism?
But can existentialism be developed solely? It seems constructive, but why did Vladimir say "I can't go on!"?, why did he doubt what he said before?
Scene 3: Boy (157-160)
Scene 4: The End (160-165)
1.
Estragon: I'm going.
Vladimir: So am I. (160)
2.
Estragon: Where shall we go?
Vladimir: Not far.
Estragon: Oh yes, let's go far away from here.
Vladimir: We can't.
Estragon: Why not?
Vladimir: We have to come back tomorrow.
Estragon: What for?
Vladimir: To wait for Godot. (It is no longer "waiting", it is "to wait")
Estragon: Ah! (Silence.) He didn't come?
Vladimir: No.
Estragon: And now it's too late. (161)
3. Estragon said to drop Pozzo, but Vladimir denied that.
Estragon: And if we dropped him? (Pause.) If we dropped him?
Vladimir: He'd punish us. (Silence. He looks at the tree.) Everything's dead but the tree.
What does the tree represent?
4. Estragon suggested to hang themselves, but failed due to the lack of ropes
Estragon: Why don't we hang ourselves?
Vladimir: With what?
Estragon: You haven't got a bit of rope?
Vladimir: No.
Estragon: Then we can't. (162)
5. Vladimir got his belt, and decided to hang, but it broke, they failed. (163)
6. They would go back tomorrow, but it seemed not for waiting for Godot, but suicided. (163-164)
Vladimir: We'll hang ourselves tomorrow. (Pause.) Unless Godot comes.
Estragon: And if he comes?
Vladimir: We'll be saved.
Interaction with Lucky's hat: Vladimir takes off his hat (Lucky's), peers inside it, feels about inside it, shakes it, knocks on the crown, puts it on again. (164)