Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot is a play by Irish author Samuel Beckett. It was written (1948–1949), first published (1952), and first performed (1953) in French as En attendant Godot. Waiting for Godot is Beckett's own English-language adaptation. Subtitled "tragicomedy in two acts", it was published in 1954 and first performed in 1955 (UK) and 1956 (U.S.A.). It is Beckett's best-known literary work and is regarded by critics as "one of the most enigmatic plays of modern literature". In a poll conducted by London's Royal National Theatre in the year 1998, Waiting for Godot was voted as "the most significant English-language play of the 20th century."

In Waiting for Godot, the two main characters, Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), spend their days waiting for someone named Godot, who they believe will provide them with salvation. They pass the time with conversations, physical routines, and philosophical musings, but their hope fades as Godot never arrives. They encounter two other characters, Pozzo and his servant Lucky. As the play unfolds, the repetition of actions and dialogue suggests the cyclical nature of their lives, and though Godot is promised for "tomorrow", he never appears in the play, leaving the characters in a state of existential uncertainty.