Abstract
Vladimir and Estragon, the main protagonists in Beckett's Waiting for Godot, are often regarded as clowns, although there is no mentions that they are 'clowns' in the text. Wolfgang Iser comments the points as 'a process of interpretation' of the text. Admittedly, on watching their comical behaviour and cross-talk repetitions, we notice the fact that we see the truth of the human condition in their actions. We also hear voices telling the truth in their speech. That is, they are truth-tellers like Shakespeare's fools. However, unlike Shakespeare's fools, Vladimir and Estragon are not wise enough to know how they should behave. From this point, Vladimir and Estragon are in an ambiguous position: they seem to be stage clowns, and at the same time, they seem to have a similar nature to Shakespeare's fools. The aim of this essay is to examine the obscure figure of Vladimir and Estragon as fools/crowns by a comparison with Shakespeare's fools.
