Lucky's Dance

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

Not the 1995 Sandra Bullock Vehicle

Although, if you want to see some early-internet paranoia, check out The Net.

When Lucky is commanded to dance in Act 1, Pozzo reveals that he calls his dance "The Net":

POZZO
He used to dance the farandole, the fling, the brawl, the jig, the fandango and even the hornpipe. He capered. For joy. Now that's the best he can do. Do you know what he calls it?
ESTRAGON
The Scapegoat's Agony.
VLADIMIR
The Hard Stool.
POZZO
The Net. He thinks he's entangled in a net.
(1.589-92)

You would think a guy tied up on a rope leash would feel confined enough. Of course, the image of Lucky writhing in an imaginary net is a lasting image for the play as a whole, and especially for the plight of Vladimir and Estragon, who, as we’ve said before, are confined in a prisonor perhaps a net —of their own imaginations.