Themes

Theme 1: Existentialism 

       Nothing much happens in "Waiting for Godot," which opens very much as it closes, with very little changed—except the characters' existential understanding of the world. Existentialism requires the individual to find meaning in their lives without reference to a god or afterlife, something that Beckett's characters find impossible. The play begins and ends with similar words. Its final lines are: "Well, shall we go. / Yes, let's go. / (They do not move)."

Theme 2: The Nature of Time 

        Time moves in cycles in the play, with the same events recurring over and over again. Time also has real significance: Though the characters now exist in a never-ending loop, at some point in the past things were different. As the play progresses, the characters are mainly engaged in passing the time until Godot arrives—if, indeed, he ever will arrive. The theme of the meaninglessness of life is woven together with this theme of the recurrent and pointless loop of time.

Theme 3: The Meaninglessness of Life 

      One of the central themes of "Waiting for Godot" is the meaninglessness of life. Even as the characters insist on staying where they are and doing what they do, they acknowledge that they do it for no good reason. The play confronts the reader and audience with a void of meaning, challenging them with the blankness and boredom of this situation.

Theme 4: The Sadness of Life 

     There's wistful sadness in this particular Beckett play. The characters of Vladamir and Estragon are grim even in their casual conversation, even as Lucky entertains them with song and dance. Pozzo, in particular, makes speeches that reflect a sense of angst and sadness.

Theme 5: Waiting as a Means to Salvation 

       While "Waiting for Godot" is, in many ways, a nihilistic and existential play, it also contains elements of spirituality. Are Vladimir and Estragon merely waiting? Or, by waiting together, are they taking part in something bigger than themselves? Several aspects of waiting are invoked in the play as containing meaning in themselves: the togetherness and fellowship of their waiting, the fact that the wait itself is a kind of purpose, and the faithfulness of continuing the wait—of keeping the appointment.