The story revolves around two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone - or something - named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree on a barren stretch of road, inhabiting a drama spun from their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes and nonsense, which has been interpreted as a somber summation of mankind's inexhaustible search for meaning.
It was written (1948–1949), first published (1952), and first performed (1953) in French as En attendant Godot. The play is Beckett's own English-language adaptation of the original. Subtitled "tragicomedy in two acts", it is his best-known literary work and is regarded by critics as "one of the most enigmatic plays of modern literature". In a public poll conducted by London's Royal National Theatre in the year 1998, Waiting for Godot was voted as "the most significant English-language play of the 20th century."