Samuel Beckett in his play the Endgame portrays the relationship between a man who cannot leave his bed and the man who has become his legs. The main characters are Clove and Ham. Clove takes care of Ham who cannot stand up. Clove does not have the capacity to sit down. There are two supporting characters, Nell and Nag. Nag is Ham’s father. Although one never learns Nell’s relationship to the rest of the cast, she appears to die during the play. Nell and Nag live in some type of container, but no more specifics are given. The fact that Nell and Nag are old signifies that this situation of the play has been going on for quite some time.
I think that the setting is post apocalyptic Earth. Ham seems to be in charge of Clove, though neither of them are sure why. Ham appears to be in severe pain for he constantly questions Clove, if it is time for his pain killers. Ham also frequently requests that Clove kill him, but Clove denies all these requests. Ham’s commands are quick, illogical, and contradictory. Clove responds to each of these with rapid answers which do not seem to relate to each other. There also appears to be hostility from Clove toward Ham near the end of the play. The author writes about a relationship which is based on need but not trust. The miserable conditions may contribute to Ham’s death wishes.
This play left me confused and frustrated for it is difficult to comprehend the actions of the characters. The dialogue seems to be no more than one line sentences pieced together. There is no attempt at an involved plot apparent to the reader.
