Samuel Beckett’s play—Endgame
The Endgame is an absurd play that projects the helpless and hopeless situation of aging and death. The title describes an ending move in chess, where the outcome is already determined (Roycroft 195). Samuel Beckett is an ardent chess fan that parallels the endgame in chess and the final stages of life. The red Hamm and Clov, and the white Nell and Nagg present the imagery of chess. Death is the outcome and, therefore, will come regardless of how human beings play the game (Byron 263). Beckett’s Endgame play claustrophobically gives a dissection of the mental paralysis that accompanies the fear of life beginning or ending, of time standing still, of time moving on, and of relationships changing.
Shobeiri, Ashkan, and Azadeh Shobeiri. “Samuel Beckett’s absurdism: pessimism or optimism.” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 4.11 (2014): 1.
Shobeiri and Azadeh present an analytical review of the debatable issues of optimism and pessimism in Beckett’s works representing the absurd. The article gives a summary of some notable critics of Beckett’s works who find happiness and optimism rather than despair and pessimism through their subjective and intuitive approach to the representation of absurd in Samuel’s literary works. The authors try to substantiate the matter of hopelessness and pessimism by providing a practical analysis of Beckett’s works.
The article is useful as it describes the absurdity of the human condition, as presented by Beckett. The information is reliable as it denotes the lack of reconciliation in Beckett’s play giving the idea of despair and pessimism (Beckett 122). The report aims to affirm the fact that the Endgame play does not show a path to overcome the absurdity of the universe but rather gives a feeling of pessimism and despair.
The source is helpful as it denotes the fact that the characters in the play are unable to confront the idea of death, which only heightens the feeling of pessimism and hopelessness. For the characters in the play, death is the outcome, and nothing can change the endgame. The article also confirms the absurdity in Beckett’s literary works.
Royce, Graydon. “Matters of Life and Death in ‘End Game’: Ten Thousand Things Makes Sense of Absurdity in “Endgame,” Samuel Beckett’s Unsparing View of the Cruel Reality of Aging and Death.” McClatchy – Tribune Business News, Feb 27, 2009, ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2020.
Royce portrays Becket as absurd and bleak and offers human beings with hope. Royce denies the fact that Beckett does not connect his literary works to real life. The author reports how Beckett observes wonders and existence and tries to help people understand the unknowable. The play offers truth without palliative explanation. Beckett does not assure hope in Endgame but ultimate death. The play does not provide easy answers to the fear of times changing and people dying.
The article is helpful as it explains Endgame. The author presents the idea that Beckett’s work does not offer answers or solutions but gives a portrayal of truth regarding aging and death. The article aims at preparing Endgame’s audience not to expect hope or optimism but the truth regarding death.
Royce’s article affirms the absurdity in Beckett’s play. There is only imminent aging and death, and humans can do nothing about it.
Selsdon, Esther. “Ray of Light in Endgame.” New Statesman & Society Apr 26, 1996: 24. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2020.
Selsdon reports how Katie Mitchell produces the Endgame play in substantial precision according to Beckett’s specific stage directions. Seldon notes that most successive directors try to make meaning of Endgame by diverging from Beckett’s comprehensive specifications. However, Katie manages to stage the play following Beckett’s directions. The play is a description of rubbish as well as the wasted relationships among humans. The universe is in terminal decline, and all people are suffering from some form of physical deterioration.
The author describes Endgame as a reflection of the reality of life. People develop relationships that might be meaningful such as the characters in the play. However, people age and die in the end. The play’s staging also gives a dissection of the mental paralysis that surrounds the issues of time and death. The article also confirms the absurdity in Beckett’s play, which leaves people pessimistic and desperate.
Works Cited
Beckett, Samuel. Endgame. London: Faber & Faber, 2012. Internet resource.
Byron, Mark S. Samuel Beckett’s Endgame. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2007. Print.
Royce, Graydon. “Matters of Life and Death in ‘End Game’: Ten Thousand Things Makes Sense of Absurdity in “Endgame,” Samuel Beckett’s Unsparing View of the Cruel Reality of Aging and Death.” McClatchy – Tribune Business News, Feb 27, 2009, ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2020.
Roycroft, John. The Chess Endgame Study: A Comprehensive Introduction. New York: Dover Publications, 2013. Internet resource.
Selsdon, Esther. “Ray of Light in Endgame.” New Statesman & Society Apr 26, 1996: 24. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2020.
Shobeiri, Ashkan, and Azadeh Shobeiri. “Samuel Beckett’s absurdism: pessimism or optimism.” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 4.11 (2014): 1.