|  |  
                
                   
                    |  | Vladimir: How do you mean tied? Estragon: Down. Vladimir: But to whom? By whom? Estragon: To your man. Vladimir: To Godot? Tied to Godot! What 
                        an idea! This "idea" creates the tension 
                        these characters feel throughout the play. Hopelessly 
                        adrift, they live on the verge of a constant unknown whose 
                        vague and various sounds bring them either hope or terror. 
                        This section ends with them "Huddled together, cringing 
                        away from the menace." And so, they wait. |  |  | 
 
 Study Questions
 1. Who are Vladimir and 
                Estragon waiting for?Why?2. Where does Estragon think the men were yesterday?
 3. What are the nicknames of the characters?
 4. Why does Estragon pull away from Vladimir when they embrace?
 5. Why does Estragon want to hang himself "immediately?"
 6. Why won't Estragon and Vladimir hang 
                themselves?
 7. What will Godot have to do before he 
                promises them anything?
 8. What food does Vladimir have in his pocket?
 9. What is the difference in the way Estragon 
                and Vladimir approach food?
 10. Estragon repeats "Nothing to be 
                done." Why?
 Answers
 
                 
                  | 1. | They are waiting for someone 
                    named Godot, because he told them to wait for him. They hope 
                    he will help them in some way. |   
                  | 2. | Estragon thinks they were exactly in the 
                    same place yesterday. |   
                  | 3. | Estragon is called Gogo; Vladimir is called 
                    Didi. |   
                  | 4. | Estragon pulls away because Vladimir has 
                    bad breath from the garlic he eats. |   
                  | 5. | Estragon wants to hang himself because Vladimir 
                    suggests it would give him an erection. |   
                  | 6. | There isn't any way they could hang themselves 
                    without one of the men remaining alive. |   
                  | 7. | Godot will have to consult with his family, 
                    friends, agents, correspondents, books, and bank account. |   
                  | 8. | Vladimir has turnips and a carrot in his 
                    pocket. |      |