Waiting for Godot,tragicomedy in two acts by Irish writerSamuel Beckett, published in 1952 inFrench asEn attendant Godot and first produced in 1953.Waiting for Godot was a trueinnovation indrama and theTheatre of the Absurd’s first theatrical success.

The play consists of conversations between Vladimir and Estragon, who are waiting for the arrival of the mysterious Godot, who continually sends word that he will appear but who never does. They encounter Lucky and Pozzo, they discuss their miseries and their lots in life, they consider hanging themselves, and yet they wait.

Often perceived as being tramps, Vladimir and Estragon are a pair of human beings who do not know why they were put on earth. They make thetenuous assumption that there must be some point to their existence, and they look to Godot for enlightenment. Because they hold out hope for meaning and direction, they acquire a kind of nobility that enables them to rise above theirfutile existence.