Blog Post 4

                Endgame, written in 1957 by Samuel Beckett, is a unique and painfully difficult play to decipher. Beckett, who adhered to the philosophies of Theatre of the Absurd, utilizes a unique composition style, applying constant pauses and extended soliloquies to enforce his vision of the cyclical nature of life. In his implementation of these dramatic techniques, Beckett is able to reach multiple generations of audiences.

                To begin, the constant pauses in the dialogue of the play are repetitive but significant in conveying the frustration of life in the play. The deliberations have two main purposes. First, they create an ambiguity because of the lack of words. Often times throughout Endgame, the pauses leave room for thoughts, yet the audience has no knowledge of what each character believes. For example, from lines 645-654, Hamm and Clov discuss their relationship in the past while frustratingly not elaborating in detail.

HAMM: Do you remember your father.

CLOV: (Wearily.) Same answer.

(Pause.)

You’ve asked me these questions millions of times

HAMM: I love the old questions.

(With fervor.)

Ah the old questions, the old answers, there’s nothing like them!

(Pause.)

It was I was a father to you.

CLOV: Yes.

(He looks at Hamm fixedly.)

You were that to me.

                This conversation perfectly depicts the role of pauses pertaining to ambiguity. The pauses seem as if there is some sort of thought that will eventually lead into a conversation of greater depth. Yet, both characters simply state facts, rather than reveal themselves to the audience. Beckett hopes the pauses have such an effect. It creates uncertainty, which leads to the conversation ending without great meaning. The play is full of such uncertain conversations, so that the audience can only grasp the repetitiveness of the painful existence in such a life. These slow, ambiguous conversations result in little actual actions and movement in play, boring audiences. 

                Secondly, these pauses are often placed in soliloquies, disrupting the flow of the play adding to the tedium of the play. For example, at the beginning of Hamm’s second soliloquy on lines 655-680 is a perfect example of the pause’s awkwardness of the play’s rhythm. In total, there were 17 pauses over that whole passage in only 25 lines. Such a long, extensive rambling makes the audience uncomfortable with the life, which seems dull and continuous.

                So, what was Beckett’s intention in creating the play? Despite the repetitive nature of the play, the play contains a message for all generations. The play warns against inactivity or constant repetitive actions. Beckett wants the audiences to understand the perils of a cyclical, boring life without new experiences. Of course, Endgame has other meanings in its text but in illustrating life as so monotonous, Beckett makes a statement on how a man must avoid living.

                In conclusion, Beckett’s pauses are important facets of Endgame since they can create ambiguity and become intrusive in Hamm’s long soliloquies. These features of the play make the audience’s perception of that life bored and inspirited, which is Beckett’s intention. Beckett’s ability to create such a world allows the audience to learn how not to live, inactively and never-changing. In that way, Endgame has resonated with all audiences since 1957.