The Cycle Of Hope In Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot

Samuel Beckett’s two-act tragicomedy Waiting for Godot depicts the endless wait of two homeless men, for a man named Godot. Their endless cycle of waiting and thus suffering continues and repeats itself until it is stopped by someone who instead of waiting for false hope, chooses to find this hope on their own terms. A key piece of the play that reflects this idea is the song that Vladimir sings in the beginning of the second act. A song about a dog that stole a piece of bread and thus beaten to death, only to have its death act as a warning to other dogs about the consequences of stealing. Despite its childishness and dark undertones, the song that Vladimir sings ultimately reflects the nature and structure of the play as it reflects its …show more content…
However, Beckett’s presentation of Vladimir and Estragon’s characters prevent them two from leaving their stations. The two cannot leave as if they do the fact that they had gone only emphasizes the meaninglessness to their lives/. This can be seen in the lines “im going” (Beckett 4) said by estragon, despite this he does not move and thus it can be seen that the initial action is delayed by the hope that remains in the idea of Godot’s arrival. Yet this hope is what causes the two’s suffering to begin with. In the Play In the play, it can be seen that this suffering integrates itself into and becomes a part of Vladimir 's and Estragon 's daily life. This is visible as Estragon suffers from constant aching feet and his inability to sleep at night without constantly being abused by outsiders. Vladimir is also seen to suffer as he is unable to urinate and is constantly left alone to his thoughts to think about the plight of man. The song reflects Vladimir thoughts as he declares "to every man his little cross until he is forgotten" (Beckett 2. 52) The life that Vladimir and Estragon lead can ultimately be compared to that of the dog in the song, as like the dog, the story of Vladimir and Estragon 's wait for Godot is told by Beckett to the audience. As a result it can be seen that in the play, Vladimir and Estragon don’t truly know whether or not they exist as Estragon tells Vladimir that they “always find something... to give us the impression we exist.” (Beckett 2. 59). Like the dog in the song, Vladimir and Estragon both lose their individuality as the characters are forgotten and replaced with the things they did instead. Both Vladimir and Estragon are remembered in the end for their unyielding belief that Godot would one day come to meet them. The title of