BobWrites

Introduction to Waiting for Godot - Act III

The first line spoken in Samuel Beckett’s two act ‘tragicomedy’ is “Nothing to be done.” This line is the theme of the play. Spoken by Estragon, it means he can’t get his boots off. His friend Vladimir says he agrees, but he’s commenting on the human condition. Throughout the play they speak past one another.

At another point Vladimir states that Estragon can’t go barefoot.
Estragon: Why not, Christ did.
Vladimir: You’re not going to compare yourself to Christ, are you?
Estragon: I compare myself to him every day.
Again they mean different things. Vladimir means ‘you don’t consider yourself the equal of Christ, do you?’ And Estragon means ‘I try to live up to him every day’. Again, they speak past one another.

Repeated throughout both acts is the statement that they can’t leave because “We’re waiting for Godot.” At one point Estragon asks why they’re waiting. Vladimir answers “He’ll tell us where we stand.” In other words, he’ll tell them the meaning of their existence.

At the end of each act a messenger comes from Godot to tell them that Godot won’t come today, but he promises to come tomorrow. Estragon and Vladimir never give up hope. They wait.

The only other characters are Pozzo and Lucky. They come on stage once in each act. Pozzo is an imperious slave master and Lucky his slave. They undergo serious degeneration from Act I to Act II, while Estragon and Vladimir are unchanged.

Often half the audience walks out after the first act. Others, including me, are entranced and see every production they can. My presuming to write a third act is an impiety - a nearly sacrilegious act. But I had to write it. I tried as much as possible to emulate Beckett’s style and tone.

The stage is empty except for one tree. In the first act it is leafless. In the second it contains four or five leaves. Read Beckett!




Next day.
Same time. Same place.
One boot lies front stage left, clearly newer and of better quality than Estragon’s.
The tree has the same 4 or 5 leaves, but their twig is broken, pointing straight down.
The stage is empty.

Enter Estragon wearing his boots, hobbling and grimacing in pain. He spies the new boot. Picks it up. Examines it. Puts it down. Hobbles off a few steps and returns to it. Removes his boot and replaces it with the new one. He smiles and sighs with relief. He limps around the stage showing alternately with each step either pain or pleasure.

Enter Vladimir. Watches unobserved. Finally...

VLADIMIR: What are you doing?
ESTRAGON: I’m walking
VLADIMIR: Where are you going?
ESTRAGON: Over there.
VLADIMIR: Why?
ESTRAGON: I’m hoping to find the other boot.
VLADIMIR: That’s not your boot!
ESTRAGON: Now it is. Its been abandoned.
VLADIMIR: But maybe its owner is looking for it. Stealing is a crime!
ESTRAGON: If he is, I’ll return it. There’s a difference between finding and stealing. But now Didi, help me look for the other boot.
VLADIMIR: You’re always thinking of yourself. Here I am again and you don’t even bother to greet me.
ESTRAGON: Hello Didi. It’s good to see you. Now help me find the boot.
VLADIMIR: That’s no greeting. Come. Embrace me Gogo.


ESTRAGON: You search over there.


VLADIMIR: Isn’t it remarkable? We can look out into this vastness of terrestrial space and see no sign of human intelligence anywhere.
ESTRAGON: Or even a boot!
VLADIMIR: All this looking tires me out. - Where did you sleep?
ESTRAGON: In the ditch, as always.
VLADIMIR: Did they beat you?
ESTRAGON: They always beat me.
VLADIMIR: Why do you sleep there?
ESTRAGON: I always sleep in the ditch.
VLADIMIR: But why?
ESTRAGON: I’ve slept there as long as I can remember. It’s my home.
VLADIMIR: Who else sleeps in the ditch?
ESTRAGON: They all do.
VLADIMIR: Who?
ESTRAGON: The ones who beat me.


VLADIMIR: Did you eat today?
ESTRAGON: No. I ate yesterday. - How I wish I had a bit of rope.
VLADIMIR: You’d hang yourself?
ESTRAGON: Why not?
VLADIMIR: What about me? I’d be left alone!
ESTRAGON: You could take me down and then use the rope yourself.
VLADIMIR: A used rope? To hang myself? Can you really care so little about me?
ESTRAGON: Alright, you can hang yourself first. Then I’ll use the used rope.
VLADIMIR: How do I know you’ll really hang yourself?
ESTRAGON: You have my word.
VLADIMIR: But what if your courage fails? What if you mean to hang yourself and you can’t do it? What if the rope breaks?
ESTRAGON: It won’t matter to you. You’ll be dead!
VLADIMIR: This conversation isn’t getting us anywhere. - Lets do our exercises.



VLADIMIR: Still no sign of life! Do you see anything?
ESTRAGON: Nothing! Nothing at all! (Pause) Wait! I see something!
VLADIMIR: Is it Godot?
ESTRAGON: No. It’s a man pushing a wheelbarrow, a wheelbarrow with a great mound of something.


VLADIMIR: Where?
ESTRAGON: Over there!
VLADIMIR: Oh. It’s Lucky. And that big mound is Pozzo.


POZZO: Who’s there?
ESTRAGON: It’s us!
POZZO: Where am I?
ESTRAGON: Here, with us.
POZZO: Who are you?
VLADIMIR: We’re Didi and Gogo. Same as yesterday.
POZZO: Never heard of you. And I wasn’t here yesterday. I’ve never been here before. You must be thieves! Be warned! My man is powerful and vicious!

ESTRAGON: Didi, I’ll be the thief who was saved - You be the thief who was damned.
VLADIMIR: (to Estragon) Don’t be ridiculous! (To Pozzo) Of course you were here. You’re Pozzo and he’s Lucky.
POZZO: How do you know our names? You must be detectives or spies or even worse - politicians!
VLADIMIR: No! - We’re Didi and Gogo. Yesterday we helped you up when you fell.
POZZO: I never fall. I have an acrobat’s balance. See.


POZZO: Help me up!
ESTRAGON: No! - Tell Lucky to help you!
POZZO: He’s deaf!
ESTRAGON: Pull his rope! Get his attention! Let him help you.
POZZO: Oh yes. I’d forgotten. I forget so many things lately. Forgetting is all that make life tolerable.


VLADIMIR: I don’t agree. Sometimes forgetting can be a comfort. Especially when you forget something unpleasant. But I find that having a mission is what makes life tolerable
ESTRAGON: What mission? You never told me we have a mission!
VLADIMIR: Of course we have a mission. Otherwise we couldn't go on. We’re waiting for Godot.
ESTRAGON: Oh! But is that really a mission? Isn't it more of a commitment, a purpose?
POZZO: I have no idea what you're talking about. It doesn't sound very important. My own affairs, as you can tell are extremely important.
ESTRAGON: Did you happen to stumble over a boot on your way here?
POZZO: No. We have to go. I have important business.
ESTRAGON: What business?
POZZO: (hesitates) I don’t remember precisely at the moment. But when we get there, that will jog my memory. Then I’ll remember.
ESTRAGON: Where is ‘there’.
POZZO: I don’t exactly recall, except I know it isn’t here. (To Lucky) Up dog! We must hurry!


VLADIMIR: What happened to this tree?
ESTRAGON: What do you mean?
VLADIMIR: Come see for yourself.


ESTRAGON: Oh! - This is serious.
VLADIMIR: No! - In the overall scheme of things this is trivial.
ESTRAGON: But for the tree... Now it may die!
VLADIMIR: You have a point.
ESTRAGON: Godot may think we broke it!
VLADIMIR: No!
ESTRAGON: We’ll tell him Lucky did it.
VLADIMIR: It’s like the last Tasmanian. Its end is inevitable.
ESTRAGON: So few leaves... Still, there was hope.
VLADIMIR: Precious little hope!
ESTRAGON: Yes, but some. - I’m hungry.


BOY: Sir! Mr. Albert?
VLADIMIR: You again! Are you here to tell us that Godot won’t come today?
ESTRAGON: But he surely will come tomorrow!
BOY: Yes sir. No sir.
VLADIMIR: Yes sir. No sir. What does that mean?
BOY: Mr. Godot will not come today and he will not come tomorrow either. Mr.Godot said to tell you that he will not come at all, ever. He said you must work things out for yourselves.


VLADIMIR: Are you sure you understood the message?
BOY: Very sure sir.
VLADIMIR: Were you here yesterday?
BOY: No sir.
VLADIMIR: Have you ever been here before?
BOY: No sir. Never.
VLADIMIR: Then who was here yesterday?
BOY: That was my brother sir.
ESTRAGON: How many brothers do you have?
BOY: I don’t know sir. My parents keep having them.
VLADIMIR: This is ridiculous! You must have gotten the message wrong!
BOY: No sir. Mr. Godot made me repeat it several times.
ESTRAGON: Didi. I don’t understand. We waited. We waited. He promised to come so many times.
BOY: What shall I tell Mr. Godot sir?
VLADIMIR: Tell him you delivered the message. Tell him we are disappointed. Tell him we are confused. Tell him we are angry. Gogo, we are angry, aren’t we?
ESTRAGON: I don’t know. I don’t understand. I’m hungry.
BOY: Thank you sir.


ESTRAGON: What should we do now?
VLADIMIR: Quiet! I have to think!
ESTRAGON: What should we do now?
VLADIMIR: Should we believe that boy?
ESTRAGON: He mistook the message?
VLADIMIR: Or he was deliberately lying.
ESTRAGON: I never did trust him.
VLADIMIR: The young are so full of mischief.
ESTRAGON: What are we going to do now?
VLADIMIR: Maybe Godot is testing us.
ESTRAGON: Maybe he’s testing us.
VLADIMIR: Maybe he’s measuring our commitment.
ESTRAGON: Maybe he’s testing us.
VLADIMIR: He wouldn’t go back on his word. Not after promising to come so many times.
ESTRAGON: He’s testing us! What should we do now?
VLADIMIR: We’ll wait! He’ll come!
ESTRAGON: Of course he will!
VLADIMIR: That dreadful boy.
ESTRAGON: We’ll wait right here.
VLADIMIR: Nothing will move us.
ESTRAGON: Let’s find something to eat.


End Note: If I were to make this a five act play:
Act IV - Godot would come after all and tell them where they stand.
Act V - The information would destroy them. Hope would be lost. They would part, each alone, each searching for a length of rope.