Endgame Group

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puipl
puipl
Student

What is the structure, themes, thoughts, setting and diction of "Endgame" by Samuel Beckett?

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Posted by puipl on Sunday December 14, 2008 at 4:10 AM and tagged with beckett, endgame, setting, structure, style, theme.

Answers:

  1. slchanmo1885
    slchanmo1885 Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    "Endgame" by Samuel Beckett has a continuous structure that is not broken into scenes or acts. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world where four characters live together in a nebulous setting (a mother and father live in an ashbin, having lost their legs in a bicycle accident, and a crippled man and his servant live together in the same space with the parents in the ashbin). Main themes of the play are life and death, human conflict, and interdependence. All of the characters are stuck together in the same room, living and waiting for a questionable end. They are all reliant on each other, and they seem to be somewhat aware of being characters in a play, announcing things like, "I’m warming up for my last soliloquy.’’ They question the existence of God, the meaning of life, and the worth of life. The play is written in a very stripped-down manner, lines are short and to the point, often abstract and in a quick, staccato-like rhythm.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/endgame/style
    http://www.enotes.com/endgame/summary
    http://www.enotes.com/endgame/themes

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    Posted by slchanmo1885 on Monday December 15, 2008 at 10:11 AM