Estragon and Vladimir are the main characters of this mysterious open-ended play, which revolves around them waiting for a man named Godot. The two men wait near a willow tree day after day for Mr.Godot to show up, who never does. During their wait, the two run into Pozzo and Lucky. Lucky is a slave who carries the heavy baggage of Pozzo and tends to his needs. 

Waiting for Godot is a satire on religion and humanity set near a country road and a tree. Samuel Beckett, the author of this “tragicomedy”, uses philosophy from well known author Albert Camus. His philosophy was that life is meaningless, humans just spend so much of their life trying to find a meaning. Humans, to avoid a meaningless life, turn to religion, hobbies and art. This can be reflected in the play by Estragon and Vladimir’s unnecessary time spent waiting for Godot.

This was an amazing play to read. I loved that it could be read over and seen as an absurd play, but if read carefully, it can be seen as an intriguing philosophical masterpiece. Though it was composed between 1948-1949, it is still a play relevant to today’s day in age. This amazingly insightful book is for readers who ponder on the question of “what is life’s purpose?”

A book that will be of help in the comprehension of Waiting for Godot’s philosophy, would be Albert Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays.

Another well-known play by Samuel Beckett is his play, Happy Days.