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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Estragon and Vladimir find the hat that Lucky left behind the day before, they

2. Vladimir realizes Estragon has been beaten again and tells him he wouldn't have let "them" beat Estragon because he would

3. In Act II, Vladimir gives Estragon a radish,

4. Estragon hurts himself while kicking Lucky in the second act, and he

5. Who does the boy tell Estragon and Vladimir that Mr. Godot beats?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There is almost nothing on the stage with the actors. There are very few props. How do you think this contributes to the overall feeling of the play? Why do you think Beckett used a bare tree on the stage? Why do you think that in the second act it has a few leaves? What point was Beckett trying to make, and how do you think it contributed to his overall message?

Essay Topic 2

Beckett has very few stage directions. He makes a point of describing the rising of the moon. He could have simply relied on a darkening stage to show the coming of night, but he describes the role of the moon. Why might he have done that? How does it contribute to the feeling of the play at that point? How do the stage directions that Beckett did include contribute to the play? Cite specific examples.

Essay Topic 3

Estragon is beaten during the two nights the play covers. He seems to accept the beatings as a part of life. What do you think Beckett was trying to say? Keep in mind that when Vladimir tells Estragon he would have stopped the beating, he doesn't mean that he would have stopped the people who beat Estragon, but that he would stop Estragon from doing whatever he had done to antagonize those who beat him.

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