1. Chess/endgame (1): When a game of chess starts, the end is inevitable. The outcome of the ending is already determined by the first move. It sets the course for the entire game. Hamm represents the king; the piece that holds all the power yet is extremely vulnerable at the same time. Clov is a knight; trapped in a patterned way of movement and actions. Nell and Nagg represent captured chess pieces because they cannot move. The game of chess imitates a lot of repetitious movements. This is significant because Beckett wrote a lot of repeating lines and scenes. For example, Clov’s line, “I’ll leave you, I have things to do” is repeated 3 times within 4 pages. I only counted the work “endgame” once and it was in Hamm’s ending monologue. He
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Pauses (368): There are 200 pauses by page 62 of Endgame. These pauses occur in different places of the character’s lines each time. During these pauses, there are no interruptions, nor interjections of ideas or opposition. These correlate to the theme of loneliness. Beckett is conveying how isolated these characters are. There are 11 pauses alone written in for Hamm’s opening monologue. (Pg. 8) Ham’s ending monologue has 37 written in pauses. (Pg. 93) During both of these monologues Ham is completely alone on stage. It is significant because the element of scripted pauses shows the emptiness that is present when the characters stop speaking. This connects to an overarching theme of pain and suffering and the want for all of it to …show more content…
Time (30): The first mention of the word “time” is on page 9, exclaiming that, “Enough, it's time it ended.” There is a clear struggle with the characters between wanting to grasp a sense of time and the fear that it will catch up to them. Hamm asks Clov, “What time is it?” and Clov responding with, “The same as usual.” (Pg. 10) The only true source of time that Hamm and Clov possess is the alarm clock that they have. We always see the characters asking if it is time for something. For Hamm, “Is it time for my painkillers?” For Nell, “Time for love?” During Hamm’s ending monologue he proclaims that, “Moments for nothing, now as always, time was never and time is over, reckoning closed and story ended.” (Pg. 92) Time has inescapably caught up to them and it brings this day to a close for
Pauses (368): There are 200 pauses by page 62 of Endgame. These pauses occur in different places of the character’s lines each time. During these pauses, there are no interruptions, nor interjections of ideas or opposition. These correlate to the theme of loneliness. Beckett is conveying how isolated these characters are. There are 11 pauses alone written in for Hamm’s opening monologue. (Pg. 8) Ham’s ending monologue has 37 written in pauses. (Pg. 93) During both of these monologues Ham is completely alone on stage. It is significant because the element of scripted pauses shows the emptiness that is present when the characters stop speaking. This connects to an overarching theme of pain and suffering and the want for all of it to …show more content…
Time (30): The first mention of the word “time” is on page 9, exclaiming that, “Enough, it's time it ended.” There is a clear struggle with the characters between wanting to grasp a sense of time and the fear that it will catch up to them. Hamm asks Clov, “What time is it?” and Clov responding with, “The same as usual.” (Pg. 10) The only true source of time that Hamm and Clov possess is the alarm clock that they have. We always see the characters asking if it is time for something. For Hamm, “Is it time for my painkillers?” For Nell, “Time for love?” During Hamm’s ending monologue he proclaims that, “Moments for nothing, now as always, time was never and time is over, reckoning closed and story ended.” (Pg. 92) Time has inescapably caught up to them and it brings this day to a close for