He does tricks for his master and is complete and total submission to any of his masters’s wishes. Lucky is treated more like a dog than a human. Lucky entertains the men by dancing and thinking. When he attempts to speak, the other characters only silence him. He is often denied the right to speak and only speaks twice throughout the entire story. His master ,Pozzo, feels that it is necessary for the long rope in order to create distance between the two and define the two roles. When first introduced in the story, he has a rope around his neck much like a dog would. He goes from arrogant and rich man to helpless weak man in need of help. He no longer has the power to abuse his slave because he cannot see. In the second act of the play, he comes back blind. He stops to talk to Estragon and Vladimir only to have company other than his slave. He exploits his slave and feels that his superiority gives him the right to do so. Since he has a huge ego and feels that he is superior, he abuses his power over his slave Lucky. He feels that he is forced to be a part of society although he does not agree with it. Pozzo believes that he is like everyone else except that he is superior to everyone. He feels that all should know he is there and he needs all attention on himself. He is accustomed to the rich man’s life with all of the wealth and materialistic ways it holds. Pozzo appears to have acquired great wealth and riches. Pozzo- He is the owner of Lucky the slave. Therefore, he and Vladimir cannot ever separate from each other. He desires to leave Vladimir ,but he needs Vladimir to survive. Estragon does not have patience like Vladimir has. He relies on Vladimir to remember past events for him. He does not remember most things unless they happened seconds ago. Although he is physically harmed every night, he does not comprehend that if he finds a different space to sleep that he may be safe and untouched. Every night he sleeps in a ditch and is beaten sometime during the night. Estragon does not have the common sense that Vladimir has. Vladimir makes up for his lack of intelligence and judgment. He is weak and helpless with out Vladimir. Vladimir represents man’s soul.Įstragon- The other protagonist in the story is also a “tramp” like his friend Vladimir. He constantly reminds Estragon that they must wait for Godot when Estragon wavers. Out of all the characters he has the strongest sense of moral judgment. He feels that he does little or nothing to help people overcome their problems. Vladimir constantly has a gnawing guilt within him. In a sense, the two complete each other because with out one another they would both be lost. Vladimir has a great sense of pride, but he feels that without Estragon he would be nothing. Vladimir seems to have absolute control over Estragon because Estragon looks to him for guidance in everything. He is the mature responsible individual in the relationship between himself and his friend Estragon. He is at a higher level of intelligence than his friend Estragon. He is unsure of his memory because those around him declare that the things he remembers are not true. He has a vivid and strong memory of the events that occur throughout the story. Vladimir- He appears to be bum or tramp as referred to in the story. The boy leaves and both men think about suicide. He tells the two men once again that Godot will not be coming that night and that he will show up the next day.

Pozzo leaves with Lucky and the boy soon returns. Pozzo believes that he never met Vladimir and Estragon and he acts like they are meeting for the very first time. His slave Lucky can no longer speak ,so he says nothing because he is a mute. This time Pozzo is blind and states that he can not sense time because of his blindness. Soon after some time, Lucky and Pozzo meet them again. As the men wait, they converse and do nothing else. The next day, Vladimir and Estragon wait under the tree once again for Godot.

After the boy leaves, the men decide to leave. He tells Vladimir and Estragon that Godot will not be coming to meet them that night. Soon after Pozzo and Lucky leave, a boy comes with news from Godot. After the short conversation Pozzo and Lucky leave.

As they talk for a while, Lucky entertains the men with dancing. While Vladimir and Estragon wait, a man named Pozzo arrives on the scene with his slave Lucky. The story is muddled in the sense that the characters do not know what is going on and why they are waiting for Godot. Vladimir and Estragon don’t know if Godot will show up, they don’t know who he is, and they don’t know if they are waiting for him in the right place. They may have met him before ,but they do not have any recollection of Godot. These two men go by the names of Vladimir and Estragon. Summary- The Story begins with two men evidently waiting for a man named Godot.

Waiting for godot sparknotes