Endgame

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1957

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Pages 5-27

Pages 28-50

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

In his opening lines, Clov announces that “it’s finished, nearly finished,” then immediately qualifies his statement: “[N]early finished, it must be nearly finished” (6). How does the pronoun “it” in these lines take on multiple meanings? What is conveyed by the diminishing certainty of this repeated statement?

In what ways does Hamm’s demand to be a storyteller reveal his relationship with the other characters? How does it connect with his need to occupy the physical center of the room (and the stage)?

How does Endgame explore the thematic concerns of the Theater of the Absurd?

Clov’s father dies when Clov is young. To what extent has Hamm successfully played a fatherly role in Clov’s life?

In what ways does Endgame convey the contemporary paranoia of a nuclear war?

Explore the methods the characters use to mitigate their loneliness. To what extent are they successful?

What is the symbolism of Hamm’s house as the setting for the play? Explore as many elements of this setting as you can, including the positions of the characters relative to each other and the few objects on stage.

How do cycles and routines govern the lives of the characters? Do they find meaning in these routines, or do the routines serve as an obstacle to true connection?

How does Hamm’s relationship to light and darkness change over the course of the play?

10.

At the end of the play, Clov prepares to leave. He is never shown departing, however. To what extent does the ambiguity of his final decision affect the resolution of the play?