THE CONCEPT OF FRIENDSHIP IN

“WAITING FOR GODOT”

by:

João Felipe Tertuliano Pereira.

DRE: 106042514.

Student of the course Portuguese – English.

Class LEJ.

Paper given to

Professor Michela

Rosa Di Candia by

the subject English

Literature V – Drama

UFRJ/ Faculdade de Letras

 2010.1

Friendship has to do with reliability, happiness wishing and love. Friendship is

best enjoyed between friends who have defined themselves and enter into the given
relationship as an outlet for mutual understanding and support, thus stifling the human
tendency to impose definitions and unfair expectations on one another. Defining oneself
allows for strong relationships to flourish along with all of the benefits such mature
relationships offer.
It is difficult to define if between Vladimir and Estragon in the play Waiting for
Godot there is really a relationship of friendship. They are extremely isolated from each
other and at the same time among them there is the need to interact which is so high and
this interaction is mainly cause by the dependence that they have to the other so called
friend. The idea of dependence increases during the play and this is the kind of
friendship that will be approached in this essay.
The concept of friendship is a little distorted between the characters Vladimir as
Estragon. Following the Aristotle’s concept of friendship the true friendship, like a
political alliance, requires committed reciprocity and is an activity that operates in the
polis. The relationship between the two main characters can work by this pattern
because it seems they are two parasites which get benefits from the other one but unlike
the parasites they do not damage the other. Vladimir is interesting to Estragon because
he provides him food and Estragon is interesting to Vladimir because he, Vladimir, has
the need of company, someone to listen to him.
In the act one when Vladimir thanks the fact that Estragon is back we can
perceive by Estragon’s answer “Me too” could refer to Vladimir’s claim that he’s glad
to see him, or it could refer to the comment that he thought Estragon was gone forever.
We are forever unsure as to whether these two men achieve a friendship or are
emotionally isolated from each other. In the continuation of this scene Vladimir wants
to celebrate Estragon’s return with a hug but Estragon refuses it. This issue of one
character attempts to get closer to each other while the other one pulls back is part of the
dynamic of the play and it is repeated along switching roles.
Vladimir points out Estragon’s dependence on him many times during the play.
When Estragon wonders to live far from him he immediately replies that he could not
go far. At times this seems warranted, but at other times we wonder whether he isn’t
just assigning a physical dependence to Estragon when he himself is emotionally
dependent on the presence of another. Vladimir is always considered in the play as the
intellectual one, yet here, he needs Estragon to walk him through the scenario. Also,
check out the line "I remain in the dark." On the one hand, Vladimir is confessing his
ignorance; he remains in the dark cerebrally, because he can’t figure out what Estragon
is talking about. But his response "I remain in the dark" is also the answer to the
problem Estragon has proposed: what happens if Estragon goes first? Then the bough
holds up and Estragon dies hanging. Then, when Vladimir tries, he is heavier and breaks
the bough – leaving him alone and, in a sense, in the dark. This isolation for Vladimir
would be a worse fate than Estragon’s, that of simple death:

ESTRAGON
Let's hang ourselves immediately!
[…]
ESTRAGON
After ... alone. Whereas—
VLADIMIR
I hadn't thought of that. (act 1)

Nor Vladimir or Estragon has family or sort of other friends in the play. So, they
do not have anybody else to talk to, live with or rely on. They need each other for
everything. This necessity is too much more intrinsic than simply being fed or company.
Having each other is a life purpose as well as waiting for Godot is. Just they know who
or what Godot is and the changes that its presence will bring, so waiting for it without a
friend to share it will be meaningless and useless.
Assuming that they don’t know how to have a real relationship themselves, the
best Vladimir and Estragon can do is to imitate what they see around them. The tragedy
is that they are imitating an abusive and unhealthy relationship, as it’s the only example
they have:

VLADIMIR
We could play at Pozzo and Lucky.
ESTRAGON
Never heard of it.
VLADIMIR
I'll do Lucky, you do Pozzo. (He imitates Lucky sagging under the weight of his baggage. Estragon looks
at him with stupefaction.) Go on.
 ESTRAGON
What am I to do?
VLADIMIR
Curse me!
ESTRAGON
(after reflection) Naughty!
VLADIMIR
Stronger!
ESTRAGON
Gonococcus! Spirochete!
Vladimir sways back and forth, doubled in two.
VLADIMIR
Tell me to think.
ESTRAGON
What?
VLADIMIR
Say, Think, pig!
ESTRAGON
Think, pig!
Silence

There are some traces of kindness and affection between Estragon and Vladimir.
In the end of act one Vladimir shows his feeling to Estragon when he purposes him to
carry him if necessary because Estragon can not walk by himself. Right after, in the
second act estragon shows that he needs Vladimir close, but he can’t handle any sort of
genuine friendship with him by saying: “Don't touch me! Don't question me! Don't
speak to me! Stay with me!”. But this is the real friendship. A real friend does not have
to do anything else but support the other friend and be there. This is the real concept of
friendship for Estragon and Vladimir. A friend must be there, for everything or
anything, but just be there.

REFERENCES:

 BECKETT, Samuel. Waiting for Godot.

 SCHLUETER, June; BRATER, Enoch. Approaches to teaching Beckett’s
Waiting for Godot. The Modern Language Association of America. NY, 1991.
 REBINSKI JUNIOR, Luiz. Redescobrindo Beckett. Revista da Cultura. 30 ed.
Janeiro 2010.
 http://www.shmoop.com/
 http://www.123helpme.com/