Endgame Review

Endgame was unlike any play that I have ever seen. In fact, it was my first time watching a play that would be categorized as ‘absurd theater.’ Although it was a little abstract, I could clearly understand the themes that Beckett wanted to present. I think it was very important that we did do the background research that we did about Beckett and his life. Personally, that helped me understand the various themes easier. The entirety of Endgame took place in a bunker where Hamm, Clov, and Hamm’s parents lived after the end of the world. I think that the setting was very important for the characters. I noticed that there was a lot of symbolism involved in the entire play. For example, Hamm is stuck in a chair and cannot stand, while Clov cannot sit or leave the bunker. Leaving the bunker is something that the pair talks about multiple times over the course of the play. It is clear that Clov wants leave Hamm and escape, but there is something that keeps him there with Hamm. That observation led me to the theme of interdependency and its role in the play. For example, Hamm needs Clov to do everything for him. If Hamm wants to move to the window, then it is Clov who has to push him there. And that is difficult for Clov, due to his inability to sit down. Also, Clov has created a sense of a routine to help himself through the days. I think that is a interesting concept. It shows that he knows that for the foreseeable future he is stuck taking care of this man, who frankly, is not very nice to him. He pushes himself through these tasks that he has set for himself so he can feel the day passing by. It could be that the only reason that Clov wakes up in the morning is complete his tasks for the day. This is where we can see Beckett in his writing. I learned that Beckett had to take care of both his mother and sister when they were dying. I think he is trying to show how hard it can be to take care of someone when they are so dependent on you. It also takes a large toll on the caregiver as well as can see through Clov. Although the pair is so interdependent, they are very short with each other. They are not afraid to yell, or even abuse each other. This makes the audience wonder how long it will take for enough to be enough, when Clov will finally break. I felt that seeing the boy in the window was Clov’s mind giving him a chance to leave Hamm and live his own life. In the talkback after the play, the actors asked the audience if they believed that there was actually a boy in the window. The majority of the audience believed that there was, in fact, no real boy in the window, and that it was merely a figment of Clov’s imagination, while I and a few others disagreed. I think that this is why absurd theater is so interesting. It allows the audience members to make their own conclusions about the problems presented in the play. There’s a certain fluidity absurd theater that other plays just do not have. Overall, I enjoyed Endgame very much, and I look forward to the opportunity to watch more absurd theater.