Comic and Farcical Elements in Waiting for Godot
I Music-hall Comedy Vladimir and Estragon—who call each other Gogo and Didi—are clearly derived from the pairs of cross-talk comedians of English music-halls. Their dialogue has the peculiar repetitive quality of the cross-talk of comedians’ patter: Estragon. So long as one knows. Vladimir. One can bide one’s time. Estragon. One knows what to expect. Vladimir. No further need to worry. (Page 38) And the parallel to the music-hall and the circus is even explicitly stated: Vladimir. It’s worse than being at the theatre. Estragon. The circus. Vladimir. The music-hall. Estragon. The circus. (Page 35) In accordance with the traditions of the music-hall or the circus, there is an element of crudely physical humour: Estragon loses his trousers; there is a prolonged gag involving three hats that are put on and off and handed on in a sequence of seemingly u