Waiting for Godot Estragon Quotes

Estragon > Vladimir

Quote 16

ESTRAGON
You think all the same.
VLADIMIR
No no, it's impossible.
ESTRAGON
That's the idea, let's contradict each another.
VLADIMIR
Impossible. (2.140-3)

The absurdity is that, in calling Estragon’s idea of contradiction impossible, Vladimir is in fact contradicting Estragon.

Estragon > Vladimir

Quote 17

Estragon goes towards the boots, inspects them closely.
ESTRAGON
They're not mine.
VLADIMIR
(stupefied) Not yours!
ESTRAGON
Mine were black. These are brown.
VLADIMIR
You're sure yours were black?
ESTRAGON
Well they were a kind of gray.
VLADIMIR
And these are brown. Show me.
ESTRAGON
(picking up a boot) Well they're a kind of green. (2.243-50)

As we’ve already seen in the case with numbers, color is also an arbitrary and meaningless label in the world of Waiting for Godot.

Estragon > Vladimir

Quote 18

ESTRAGON
We came here yesterday.
VLADIMIR
Ah no, there you're mistaken.
ESTRAGON
What did we do yesterday?
VLADIMIR
What did we do yesterday?
ESTRAGON
Yes.
VLADIMIR
Why . . . (Angrily.) Nothing is certain when you're about. (1.120-5)

Vladimir puts a condition on uncertainty: nothing is certain when Estragon is around. Compare this to Estragon’s claim that nothing is certain—period.