An Application of Game Theory to Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Endgame

Abstract

Waiting for Godot and Endgame are rich in terms of interaction between characters and their surrounding contexts. The present paper examines these interactions according to the mathematical theory of games proposed by Steven J. Brams in Divine Games: Game Theory and the Undecidability of a Superior Being. The framework of Search Decision is used to examine the differences between the two plays in terms of interaction between the “state of nature” and Person, which provides a clear understanding of the reasons behind strategies characters may take within uncertain environments.