A Discovery
In Samuel Beckett's absurdist play, Waiting for Godot, two characters wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone named Godot. His identity has long been the point of contention, and there are many interpretations as to who or what he symbolizes. During his lifetime, Beckett himself never explicitly revealed Godot's identity. It wasn't until after his death that archivists analyzing papers from his estate uncovered a single page, thought to be an early outline, with the following three cryptic messages and quotes from the play pointing to Godot's true identity1.
The Message
1
$______
allover
veldbee
alsoear
______$
seeclan
____$__
- Oh I'm only a small smoker, a very small smoker . . .
Approach, my child.
Enter Boy
That was nearly sixty years ago . . . His long white hair falls about his face.
2
tne____
nil____
eld____
______!
____cni
____ner
___!ir_
- Well just fancy that! I could have sworn it was just the opposite.
- You're as bad as myself.
3
*cssaap
saeecne
oneeeae
czn?cnk
aetaotc
strriia
kaytncn
- Vladimir sways back and forth, doubled in two.
Who, or what, is Godot?
1. Knowledge of Samuel Beckett's life and works is not necessary for uncovering Godot's identity.