Endgame: The Game We Play
In chess, endgame refers to an ending in the game where the outcome is already known. It is the final move of the game; the end of the game. There is a direct parallel between endgame and the final stages of life. In the game of life the endgame is death, and no matter how you play the game the final move always results in death. Everyone will die eventually and there is no way around it; in every chess game there will be an endgame. In Beckett's Endgame a main theme seems to be the finishing of things. The opening lines of the play in fact are about things being finished. "Finished, it's finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished." Clov makes this statement at the start of the play, not at the end where it would be most expected. This could be because that to finish something for good would mean death. In the play the only character that dies is Nell. She is therefore the only character that is able to escape from the world and end her game of life. The two main characters, Hamm and Clov, are unable
Death and being alone. Is that not what we all fear the most? So I can't help but wonder if maybe in the end they are the same. That would explain why people fear them both equally and more than just about anything else that there is to fear. So, to be completely and uterally alone is, in the end, the same as being dead. This is because to be all alone is just as bad as being dead. Maybe though, just maybe, Socrates was right when he said that death was a blessing. Maybe being alone, or dead, whatever you prefer, is the greatest gift of all. They say God's greatest gift to man is free will, but I can't help but wonder if maybe death is His greatest gift to the human race. I guess I'll just have to die to find out, but not just yet. I don't think that I've finished my game. I haven't accomplished endgame just ! This play seems to be Beckett's answer to the question that we have all asked at some point or another. What is the meaning of life? Beckett's answer seems to be this: nothing, there is no meaning. So, another question that comes to mind is this: If you were convinced that a game had no meaning would you still play the game? When the game is life then the answer is yes because to stop playing the game would mean death. Part of the reason tha
Some common words found in the essay are:
Hamm Clov, Clov Hamm, Beckett's Endgame, Game Play, Endgame Life, Hamm Hamm, hamm clov, live life, game life, life game, play game, finished nearly finished, matter play game, fear death fear, help wonder maybe, matter play, leave hamm, people fear, beckett's answer, can't help wonder, play play,
Approximate Word count = 1018
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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