Endgame Part 2

1. Meaningless is a theme that permeates Endgame; though the characters in the play are clearly suffering, it’s not clear precisely why they’re suffering or how the characters might bring a sense of purpose to their meaningless lives. What do you think is Beckett’s attitude toward this meaninglessness? Why can’t the characters overcome it? Is either Clov’s or Hamm’s plight something that we might apply to our own lives? If so, then how? And what might it tell us about our lives?

2. We might think of the characters in Endgame as grotesques. For a little more information about the grotesque in literature, you can consult this Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grotesque#In_literature

First, I want to know: is it appropriate to classify Beckett’s characters as grotesque? The Wikipedia article talks a little bit about other works that feature grotesques… if you’ve read any of those works, what is our typical reaction to grotesques? Why do you think that authors include them? If the characters in Endgame are, indeed, grotesque, then why does Beckett rely so heavily on this trope of the grotesque? What might he be trying to say?

3. I heard a few different groups on Tuesday speak of Hamm and Clov’s relationship as codependent. The word codependent means, literally, that two people depend on one another, but that seems to imply a relationship of relative equals, whereas there is obviously a vast difference in power between Hamm and Clov. If, indeed, we might describe their relationship as a kind of codependence, then what might Beckett be saying about the nature of codependence, or perhaps even about the nature of power in general?

4. Beckett said, famously, “Beware of symbols!,” yet Endgame seems to be rich with things that have potential symbolic value, from the painting turned backwards on the room’s wall to the numerous references to Christ-like death and rebirth, to the obvious chess motif that runs throughout the play. Do you think that Beckett is leading the reader / viewer on a kind of wild goose chase? Why or why not? If the symbols don’t have the apparent value that we think they should, why would Beckett do such a thing?

5. There are numerous references to art throughout the play. Choose one of them and examine the passage and its context. What do you think the passage implies about the relationship between art and life? Is this the same or different from the relationship between Endgame and real life? Why or why not?