Waiting for Godot

thumb|right|335 pxWaiting for Godot  is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone named Godot. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many interpretations since the play's 1953 premiere. It was voted "the most significant English language play of the 20th century". Waiting for Godot is Beckett's translation of his own original French version, En attendant Godot, and is subtitled (in English only) "a tragicomedy in two acts". The original French text was composed between 9 October 1948 and 29 January 1949. The première was on 5 January 1953 in the Théâtre de Babylone, Paris. The production was directed by Roger Blin, who also played the role of Pozzo.
== Tossup Questions ==
# Some characters in this play listen for the ticking of a half-hunter watch that a character received from his grandfather. In this play, a man forgets the lyrics to a round about a cook who beats a dog to death with a ladle. A character in this play gives another man a turnip after being asked for a carrot. This play includes a monologue that mentions "the heights of divine apatheia" which is prompted by an order to "think." The bowler hat-wearing protagonists attempt to hang themselves with a belt at the end of this play, which also features Pozzo and his slave Lucky. For 10 points, name this play about Vladimir and Estragon by Samuel Beckett.
# In this work, one character claims that men "are ignorant apes" after a debate regarding differing Gospel accounts of the crucifixion. That character wears only one shoe for the first half of this work, removing the other halfway through because Christ went barefoot. Another character in this work mistakes a carrot for a turnip and wants to hang himself from a tree to pass the time. In the final act, the blind Pozzo is led on a rope by his former slave, Lucky. At the ends of both acts of this play, a boy tells the two protagonists that the title character will "surely arrive tomorrow." For 10 points, name this absurdist play featuring Vladimir and Estragon, by Samuel Beckett.
# One character in this play repeats another's earlier observation that man is born "astride of a grave" before lamenting, "of me too someone is saying, he is sleeping, he knows nothing." Act Two of this play opens with a pair of boots front and center, whose owner spent the previous night in a ditch and later begs his friend for a carrot. After two characters leave the stage in this play, one contentedly observes "that (*) passed the time" before his partner counters, "it would have passed in any case." Characters in this play swap hats and consider hanging themselves with a belt from the lone tree on stage. Despite the attentions of Vladimir and Estragon, the title character of this play never shows up. For 10 points, name this play by Samuel Beckett.
# In this play, one character is kicked by a man after trying to wipe away that man's tears with a handkerchief, and a boy acting as a messenger of the title character calls a character "Mister Albert". One character remarks "Come on, Gogo, return the ball, can't you?" In the second act of this play, one man becomes blind, while another becomes dumb. Those characters, the latter of whom is a slave who only speaks when he wears a hat, are Pozzo and Lucky. This play begins with the line "Nothing to be done." Name this play about Vladimir and Estragon, who can't go because they are performing the title action, by Samuel Beckett.
# One character in this work discusses how Christ saved one of the thieves during the crucifixion and demands a carrot from his friend, but receives a turnip instead. Later in this work, a character arrives who drives his slave by a leash and claims that he wants to sell his slave at the fair. One character in this play, when told to "think," monologues and eventually spouts gibberish until the other characters remove his hat. At the beginning of Act II in this play, Vladimir convinces his companion Estragon to try on another pair of boots. For 10 points, name this absurdist play by Samuel Beckett.