Skip to content

The Arrival Of Godot or: The Curse Of Beckett Mystery Cache

Hidden : 2/19/2006
Difficulty:
4 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

The above coordinates do NOT go to the cache location. You will need to solve this puzzle to find the cache.

Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot, stands as one of the most important plays of the 20th century. Many of you may have been forced to read the play in college, usually in a lower level English course, common of many Liberal Arts Core requirements. Most people I talk to either love the play, or hate it.

For those of you that don’t know the play, or Samuel Beckett, let me provide a little background that may be of use to solve the puzzle and find the cache:

Samuel Beckett was born in Ireland in 1906. He taught French in the early thirties and began writing poetry and novels. When World War II started, he went to France and joined the resistance. After the war, he remained in France and wrote several works, all in French, including En Attendant Godot (Waiting for Godot) in 1948. Beckett wrote almost all of his great works in French, instead of his native English. He did this, he said, because it enabled him to “write without style.” It forced him to be exact in his use of language. Beckett translated most of his own work to the more common English himself. Even after translating his plays to English, he avoided being effusive and stuck to the most common words. Other notable works by Beckett include “Endgame,” “Krapp’s Last Tape,” “Quad,” and “Happy Days.”

Waiting for Godot is a two act play, comprised of two pairs of characters: The main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, and the two supporting characters, Pozzo and Lucky. There is also a minor character that appears at the end of each act, a boy, who is the servant of Godot. Waiting for Godot takes place along a country road, where Vladimir and Estragon wait for a man named Godot who is suppose to meet them. They pass the time by playing games and antagonizing one another. They are met, in each act, by Pozzo and his servant, Lucky, who pass by.

The only scenery along this road is a barren tree which is lifeless in the first act, but has one or two leaves at the beginning of the second act. Vladimir and Estragon continually state that they are going to leave, but never do, nor does it seem that Godot will ever come. The boy appears at the end of each act, as night is about to fall, to announce that Godot will not come today, but will surely come tomorrow, and each of the two acts ends the same:
Estragon: Well, shall we go?
Vladimir: Yes, let’s go.
They do not move.
Curtain.
The structure of the play is common in many of Beckett’s works, where the beginning is the same as the end, and in this case, each of the two acts holds the same structure. One of the most memorable parts of the play, is Lucky’s monolgue in the first act. This is the only time that Lucky speaks in the whole of the play. You can ponder Lucky's "thinking" while you wait for the final coordinates to come to you:
Given the existence as uttered forth of public works of Gray and Frank the existence in the life of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension of whom where heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Miranda with those who for reasons unknown but time will tell are plunged in torment plunged in fire whose fire flames if that continues and who can doubt it will fire the firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm so calm with a calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing but not so fast and considering what is more that as a result of labours left unfinished crowned by our Acacacacademy of Anthropopopometry in Essy-in-Possy the Testew and Cunard it is established beyond all doubt all other doubt than that which clings to the labours of men the result the labours unfinished the Testew and Cunnard it is established as hereinafter but not so fast for reasons unknown that as a result of the public the public the works of Frank and Gray it is established beyond all doubt that in view of the labours the works of Fartov and Belcher left unfinished for reasons unknown of Testew and Cunard left unfinished it is established what many deny that man in Possy the Testew and Cunard the man in Essy that man in short the man in brief in spite of the strides the alimentation and defecation wastes and pines wastes and pines and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite the strides of physical culture the practice the sports such as tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis the dying the flying the sports of all sorts the autumn summer winter of winter the tennis of all kinds hockey of all sorts penicillin and succedanea in a word I resume flying gliding golf over nine and eighteen holes tennis of all sorts in a word for reasons unknown in Feckham Peckham Fulham Clapham namely concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown but time will tell fades away I resume Fulham Clapham in a word the dead loss per head since the death of Bishop Berkeley being to a tune of one inch four ounce per head approximately by and large more or less to the nearest decimal good measure round figures stark naked in stockinged feet in Connemara in a word for reasons unknown no matter what matter of facts are there and considering what is more much more grave that in light of labours lost of Steinweg and Peterman it appears what is more much more grave that in the light of light of light the labours lost in Steinweg and Peterman that in plains in mountains by seas by rivers running water running fire air same and then what earth namely air and then earth in great cold great dark air and earth abode with stones in a great cold alas alas in this year six hundred and something this air this earth this sea this earth abode in stones in a great deep great cold on sea on land and in air I resume for reasons unknown in spite in tennis facts are there but time will tell I resume alas alas on on in short in fine on on abode in stones who can doubt it I resume but not so fast I resume a skull fading fading fading and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite in tennis on on a beard and flames and tears and stones so blue so calm alas alas on on a skull a skull a skull a skull in Connemara in spite in tennis my labours abandoned left unfinished graver still abode in stones in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished a skull a skull in Connemara in spite in tennis a skull alas stones Cunard tennis . . . stones . . . so calm . . . Cunard . . . unfinished . . .
The final coordinates will get you close, but they are not precise, as your GPSr may have difficulty getting a signal. For the FTF, a little something to help ease your existential angst.

You may need to perform the follwing off-set for the North coordinates -0.009 The cache location is fairly obvious, once you are close.

An additional hint can be found in the lid of this cache GCX2A2.

You can check your answers for this puzzle (AFTER applying the offest) on Geochecker.com.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

1. (Chmmyr) Lbh jvyy arrq gb hfr lbhe Tenl znggre gb fbyir guvf. 2. (Chmmyr) Gurer ner bayl gjb cbffvovyvgvrf: Gurer vf abguvat, be gurer vf fbzrguvat. 3. (Chmmyr) ..vf Ratyvfu lbhe svefg be frpbaq ynathntr? ...jbeqf...jbeqf...jbeqf...jbeqf. Gvgyrf ner vzcbegnag. 4. (Pnpur) Avar

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)