Abstract: Waiting for Godot, the masterpiece of a great Irish dramatist—Samuel Beckett., is acclaimed as “the most significant English language play of the 20th Century” and the representative work of theatre of absurdity. Waiting for Godot, with the absence of Godot and the various implications of “waiting”, has aroused various understandings among critics since it was published. The paper analyzes Waiting for Godot based on an analysis of the characters that embody the helplessness and hopelessness of humans stuck in a dilemma. The disintegration of the language implies the emptiness and suffering in man’s inner world. The paper also explores the process of waiting, which promises hope in the necessary painful process of human’s self-promotion. The research is aimed at revealing the theme of the work.

Key words：Waiting for Godot; waiting; hope

摘要：荒诞派戏剧的代表作品《等待戈多》是爱尔兰戏剧大师塞缪尔·贝克特的代表作，被誉为“二十世纪具有最重大意义的英语戏剧”和荒诞戏剧的代表作。该剧自问世以来，就戈多的未至及“等待”的含义引起了许多学者的不同见解。本文首先对该剧中“等待”的主要人物进行分析。通过人物的分析展现人类在等待中的无助、无望，进退两难的尴尬处境。支离破碎的语言更是体现了人们内心世界的痛苦与空虚。本文对该剧中的“等待”过程进行分析，认为“等待”是人类满怀希望，寻求人性自我完善的必然而又痛苦的过程。本文通过这些分析研究以揭示作品的主题。 

关键词：《等待戈多》；等待；希望

注：本文全文为英语所写的英语论文。只有摘要是中英语写的，全文为英文。