Samuel Beckett was born in Ireland in 1906. His family was both relatively well to do and fairly eccentric. Athletic and imposing, Beckett was also awkward and socially maladjusted. This all comes to play in "Endgame" where we see the wisted remains of two couples, interacting with a brutal vocabulary. Beckett's early life is particularly linked to the exchanges between Nagg and Hamm; ostensibly a father-son relationship that has ceased to be anything but an exchange of abuse.

             In an early draft of "Fin de Partie," the characters that became Hamm and Clov were clearly drawn as two French soldiers who were hiding out during the First World War. There is the suggestion that some widespread catastrophe has occurred and the "room" in which the play is set is some sort of bunker where there is refuge. Beckett fought in the First World War, so hints of his life are all through the play. However, this is eventually paired down to the point that there is little or no indication of specific period or occupation for the characters.

             "Waiting for Godot" was in many ways a precursor for "Endgame." Beckett once said that Hamm and Clov were Didi and Gogo. Later in life, Beckett said that Hamm and Clov were many things at various times. Most notably, he said that they were himself and his wife, Suzanne. There are several other interpretations of Clov and Hamm. For example, Clove as a clove on the ham that is Hamm and Hamm as the son of Noah. Also "Hammlet." Finally, Hamm as a hammer with Clov, Nagg and Nell as nails that he is pounding at.

             There is never indication that Beckett wrote "Fin de Partie" with the intention of it being a perfect play. He was going to use everything that he had learned from "Waiting for Godot" to consciously create a work that would be tighter and structurally flawless. "Fin de Partie" was written off and on over a period of almost nine years.