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Compare and contrast the Estragon/Vladimir and Pozzo/Lucky relationships in the play. What do these relationships say about alienation and mutual dependence? Freedom and slavery?

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is an absurdist play, which follows two main characters, Estragon, a silly and forgetful man, and Vladimir, a more intelligent, but unstable man. The play describes their every word and action and thus characterizes their relationship. The play also includes two more relationships, the more important one being between Pozzo, a pompous slave master, and Lucky, his abused slave. The relationships between the four most prevalent characters are thoroughly developed and are in a sense the main point of focus of the play as, the plot and actual events of the story are minimal and trivial. Although the relationships between Estragon and Vladimir and Pozzo and Lucky are very different, mutual dependence and slavery, as well as alienation and freedom, are common threads between the two.

The relationship between Estragon and Vladimir clearly involves a mutual dependence between the two characters, but Pozzo and Lucky’s relationship also, although not as apparent, too involves mutual dependence. In this play, mutual dependence and slavery are very similar in these two relationships. The mutual dependence that these characters have on each other is a form of slavery as their lives rely on their partners’ lives and therefore they are limited and enslaved by their partners’ capabilities. The mutual dependence between Estragon and Vladimir can be seen through the two characters in two defining moments of their relationship. Vladimir’s dependence on Estragon is put on full display when Estragon falls asleep and Vladimir yells, “Gogo! ... Gogo! ... GOGO!” (Beckett 7). Vladimir then says, “I felt lonely” (Beckett 8). It is amazing how dependent Vladimir is on Gogo (Estragon), even to the point where Estragon cannot fall asleep without Vladimir feeling alone and lonely. Estragon also has a great dependence on Didi (Vladimir), which is shown through his tendency to never follow through with his idea of leaving him. Estragon is also tied to Vladimir in that Vladimir constantly tells him that they are waiting for Godot, to which Estragon never questions or refuses, “Estragon: Let’s go. Vladimir: We can’t. Estragon: Why not? Vladimir: We’re waiting for Godot. Estragon: [despairingly] Ah!” (Beckett 6). Estragon and Lucky are so mutually dependent on each other that they cannot even fathom leaving each other for a moment and do not contemplate the things that keep them together, such as waiting for Godot, because all that matters to them is staying together. When analyzing the other relationship, between Pozzo and Lucky, it is apparent that it is a relationship based on slavery, and through this slavery, a mutual dependence is created. Pozzo is a very arrogant and commanding man, but without a slave like Lucky to take his orders and appease his wishes, he would have no power as he would have command over no one. Pozzo is constantly demanding things of Lucky, “Stool! More! There” (Beckett 20)! Which empowers Pozzo, but all the while, makes him dependent on Lucky, albeit in a strange way. Lucky is also dependent on Pozzo. Without Pozzo, Lucky would be free, but since Pozzo has control over him, he depends on commands from Pozzo. Lucky’s dependence on Pozzo eventually drives him mad when he bursts out into his long speech, which begins, “On the other hand with regard to-Given the existence as uttered forth in the public words of Punch and Wattmann ... " (Beckett 33). While mutual dependence and slavery are prevalent characteristics of both relationships, freedom is not fully achieved, but has the potential of being achieved in both relationships.

The relationship between Pozzo and Lucky is a relationship between slave master and slave and most obviously features slavery as its primary characteristic, but within slavery, a potential for freedom. This freedom is seen most blatantly through Lucky's ranting, babbling speech. During this speech, Lucky is violently releasing, through his speech, his thoughts and feelings that had been oppressed under Pozzo's tight command. Lucky is free during the time that his is speaking, but the moment that his speech ends he is back under Pozzo's control. Even this brief period of freedom that Lucky experiences is important as it ends Pozzo's complete control over Lucky and presents this potential for freedom. On the other hand, Pozzo's ability to achieve freedom is much more obvious. Pozzo, at any time can get rid of Lucky and his mutual dependence on him and be free. What is stopping Pozzo from doing this is that his type of slavery is trivial in comparison to Lucky's and so Pozzo would rather have a slave to control than to be bound to no one and have no real power. The relationship between Estragon and Vladimir also features the potential for freedom. Estragon freely expresses his ability, and at times want, to leave Vladimir and to be free. At any time, Estragon could stop waiting for Godot with Vladimir and just leave, but because of his dependence on Vladimir, he does not. Similarly, Vladimir has the potential for freedom. Vladimir could stop explaining things to Estragon and could let him leave and stay waiting for Godot on his own, but once again, his dependence on Estragon keeps him from doing so. In all four cases, there is a potential for freedom, which is not recognized because of each character's dependence on his partner.

Mutual dependence and slavery are featured in both relationships, freedom has the potential to be recognized in both relationships and alienation is used in both relationships in order to attempt to break the mutual dependence mutually, but to differing extents between all four characters. Alienation attempts to break the mutual dependence through the attempt to separate the two characters. Every character, at times belittles their partner to achieve alienation and therefore freedom by destroying the mutual dependence. Throughout the play Pozzo belittles and alienates Lucky by commanding him to do various things, "On. Whip! Rope!" (Beckett 20). Pozzo tries to alienate Lucky to the point where there is no mutual dependence, but this is impossible because as long as Pozzo is the slave master and Lucky is the slave there will be a very strong, but possibly not apparent mutual dependence. Lucky tries to attempt a similar breaking of his dependence through his speech, but only succeeded briefly. In the other relationship, between Vladimir and Estragon, Vladimir tends to belittle Estragon with his words, which are of seemingly superior intellect while Estragon uses his want to part with Vladimir to alienate him. Estragon has the ability to achieve freedom through alienation by threatening to leave Vladimir. If Estragon did leave Vladimir he would successfully alienate him and therefore break his dependence, but he does not do so. Vladimir also alienates Estragon through his, at times, arrogant speech, "Vladimir: [sure of himself] Good. We weren't here yesterday evening. Now what did we do yesterday evening?... Vladimir: You don't remember any fact, any circumstance?...Estragon: [weary] Don't torment me, Didi" (Beckett 35-36) All four characters interestingly attempt to alienate one another, which has a direct correlation for their want to escape their slavery and their bounding to each other through their mutual dependence. The two main relationships in the play feature mutual dependence, slavery, freedom and alienation, which make up the main portion of each relationship. Mutual dependence and slavery work essentially synonymously as each characters’ dependence on his partner is a form of slavery as, they cannot escape nor achieve their potential freedom. All four characters are bound by a mutual dependence on their partner, but also to Godot who is the one ultimately enslaving them and holding them in these relationships as they wait for him. Freedom is achievable and is briefly

achieved in some cases, as in Lucky’s rant, but is mostly left unachieved due to the slavery created by the mutual dependence of each relationship. Finally, alienation is used to attempt to break the mutual dependences, but fails and is unable to achieve this. Both of these relationships are very complex and interesting but mutual dependency, slavery, freedom and alienation are the f r major characteristics of the relationships....