How we cite our quotes: (Act.Line) Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue.
Quote #4
VLADIMIR
And yet . . . (pause) . . . how is it—this is not boring you I hope—how is it that of the four Evangelists only one speaks of a thief being saved. The four of them were there—or thereabouts—and only one speaks of a thief being saved. (Pause.)
[…]
VLADIMIR
One out of four. Of the other three, two don't mention any thieves at all and the third says that both of them abused him.
[…]
VLADIMIR
Then the two of them must have been damned.
ESTRAGON
And why not?
VLADIMIR
But one of the four says that one of the two was saved.
ESTRAGON
Well? They don't agree and that's all there is to it.
VLADIMIR
But all four were there. And only one speaks of a thief being saved. Why believe him rather than the others? (1.68-86)
Through Vladimir’s exchange with Estragon, Waiting for Godot argues that religion is incompatible with logic.
Quote #5
ESTRAGON
What's all this about? Abused who?
VLADIMIR
The Saviour.
ESTRAGON
Why?
VLADIMIR
Because he wouldn't save them.
ESTRAGON
From hell?
VLADIMIR
Imbecile! From death.
ESTRAGON
I thought you said hell.
VLADIMIR
From death, from death. (1.73-80)
Estragon, although he is portrayed as the simpleton of the pair, has a point: Vladimir did say "hell." What is the difference for the two thieves in the story? What is the difference for Estragon and Vladimir?
Quote #6
ESTRAGON
What exactly did we ask him [Godot] for?
VLADIMIR
Were you not there?
ESTRAGON
I can't have been listening.
VLADIMIR
Oh . . . Nothing very definite.
ESTRAGON
A kind of prayer.
VLADIMIR
Precisely.
ESTRAGON
A vague supplication. (1.202-8)
In case you didn’t catch the GOD inside his name, Beckett gives some hints that GODot has something to do with GOD. Case in point, this line here, where Estragon says they have offered a prayer to Godot. The problem is, they don’t seem to know exactly what they’ve prayed for. In a way, this exchange mocks religion for its inherent uncertainty.