Waiting for Godot is hailed as a classic example of the "Theatre of the Absurd," Such dramatic works present a world in which daily actions are without meaning, language fails to effectively communicate. The characters reflect a sense of artifice, even wondering aloud whether perhaps they are on a stage.

Waiting for Godot begins with two men on a barren road by a leafless tree. These men, Vladimir and Estragon, are often characterized as "tramps". The world of this play is operating on its own set of rules, its own system. There nothing happens, nothing is certain, and there’s never anything to do. Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for Godot, a man or perhaps a deity. The tramps can’t be sure if they’ve met Godot, if they’re waiting in the right place, if this is the right day, or even whether Godot is going to show up at all. While they wait, Vladimir and Estragon fill their time with a series of mundane activities (like taking a boot on and off) and trivial conversations (turnips, carrots) scattered with more serious reflection (dead voices, suicide, the Bible).
"We always find something," Estragon casually remarks in Act II, "to give us the impression we exist."

The tramps are soon interrupted by the arrival of Lucky, a man/servant/pet with a rope tied around his neck, and Pozzo, his master, holding the other end of the long rope. The four men proceed to do together what Vladimir and Estragon did earlier by themselves: namely, nothing. Lucky and Pozzo then leave so that Vladimir and Estragon can go back to doing nothing by themselves. Vladimir suggests that this is not the first time he’s met with Lucky and Pozzo, which is surprising, since they acted like strangers upon arrival. Then again, Estragon can’t even remember a conversation ten lines after it happens, so we’re not going to depend on memory in this play.
So the nothing is interrupted by the