Samuel Beckett's "Endgame"

Paper Summary:

The paper examines how the play "Endgame" is related to reality and discusses how it is haunted by the prospect of universal death. The paper looks at how "Endgame" is a play on language and shows how, ultimately, the play is a manifestation of the social and political context of the time.

From the Paper:

"Samuel Beckett's theatre is widely assumed as a no-man's-land, a place at the end of the world, devoid of any humanity. The impression we are left with at the end of his plays is that of a timeless theatre, showing an essential and absolute humanity, which is hardly prone to historical upheavals, or even to historical variations. This is also true of Endgame, Beckett's third play, first written in French and performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1957. The play is haunted by the prospect of universal death. Indeed, Beckett imprisons his characters in a room which might be the only place on earth to house human life."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Beckett, Samuel. Endgame: A Play in one Act followed by Act Without Words: A Mime for one Player. London: Faber and Faber, 1958.
• Adorno, Theodor W. 'Trying to Understand Endgame.' Samuel Beckett. Eds. Jennifer Birkett and Kate Ince. London: Longman, 2000, 39-49.
• Austin, J.-L. 'Performative Utterances.' The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch, et al. New York and London: W.W. Norton, 2001, 1430-1442.
• Barthes, Roland. 'From Work to Text.' The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch, et al. New York and London: W.W. Norton, 2001, 1470-1475.
• Bernard, Michel. Samuel Beckett et son sujet: Une apparition evanouissante. Paris: L'Harmattan, 1996.

More papers on Samuel Beckett's "Endgame":

• Analytical Essay # 125850 : "Samuel Beckett's "Endgame"
• Book Review # 120323 : "Samuel Beckett's "Endgame" and the Politics of Language"
• Comparison Essay # 95049 : "Ted Hughes and Samuel Beckett"
• Analytical Essay # 4582 : "Analysis of Samuel Beckett's "Endgame"

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