Beckett, Samuel - Waiting for Godot

Vladimir and Estragon, two vagabonds, are straned on a dark, dreary, empty plateau and wait for somebody called Godot, about whom little is known, either who he is, or whether he actually exists at all. At the end of each of the two acts a small boy shows up who assures the hoboes that Godot will definetly show up tomorrow. Two more people suddenly show up on the scene: Pozzo, a very brutal fellow, leading his victim Lucky on a leash as they amble onto the stage to join the waiting hoboes. On Pozzo's orders, Lucky must "think" - and he utters a slew of words without meaningful context. Vladimir and Estragon don't join in this strange game the pair practise, but remain passively waiting, innocently inactive. Beckett lived in France from 1937 until his death. This most "apolitical" of writers joined the French Resistance during the period of German occupation of France; from 1942-1945 Beckett worked as a labourer in the countryside. "Waiting for Gogot", originally written in French, appeared in printed form in 1952; it was first performed on 1 May 1953 in Paris.