![]() Thus, the two characters are tied together partly by being two parts of a burlesque act. Other burlesque-like scenes involve Vladimir's struggles to help Estragon with his boots while Estragon is hopping awkwardly about the stage on one foot to keep from falling another scene involves the loss of Estragon's pants, while other scenes involve the two tramps' grotesque efforts to help Pozzo and Lucky get up off the ground and their inept attempts to hang themselves. This comic episode continues until the characters - and the audience - are bored with it. The resemblance of their costumes to Chaplin's supports the view that these tramps are outcasts from society, but have the same plucky defiance to continue to exist as Chaplin's "Little Tramp" did.Īnother action which could come directly from the burlesque theater occurs when Vladimir finds a hat on the ground which he tries on, giving his own to Estragon, who tries it on while giving his hat to Vladimir, who tries it on while giving the new-found hat to Estragon, who tries it on, etc. The opening scene with Estragon struggling with his boots and Vladimir doffing and donning his hat to inspect it for lice could be a part of a burlesque routine. The Chaplinesque-type costume prepares us for many of the comic routines that Vladimir and Estragon perform. (In Act II, when Estragon removes the cord he uses for a belt, his trousers are so baggy that they fall about his feet.) Their costumes recall the type found in burlesque or vaudeville houses, the type often associated with the character of the "Little Tramp," portrayed by Charlie Chaplin. He is the one who constantly reminds Estragon that they must wait for Godot. Of the two, Vladimir makes the decisions and remembers significant aspects of their past. He is also the intellectual who is concerned with a variety of ideas. They both wear big boots which don't necessarily fit, and both have big bowler hats. Vladimir would be the equivalent of the straight man in burlesque comedy. ![]() Therefore, the similarities are as important as the differences between them.īoth are tramps dressed in costumes which could be interchanged. In hearing the play read, even the most experienced theater person will often confuse one of the characters for the other. In fact, the novice viewing this play for the first time often fails to note any significant difference between the two characters. In spite of the existential concept that man cannot take the essence of his existence from someone else, in viewing this play, we have to view Vladimir and Estragon in their relationship to each other.
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