Hamm

Hamm, a man who is blind and unable to walk. He appears to be middle-aged, and he sits in an armchair mounted on castors, parked in the middle of the stage. He wears a dressing gown, a brimless hat, and a pair of dark glasses. A whistle hangs from his neck, a blanket covers his knees, and thick socks swathe his feet. At the beginning of the play, his red face is covered with a large, blood-stained handkerchief, which, he explains, stanches the flow dripping from a hole in his head, a wound that makes him dependent on painkillers. Hamm dominates his parents and his servant Clov, to whom he issues arbitrary and contradictory orders. Whenever Clov becomes frustrated and threatens to leave, Hamm entices him to stay by provoking conversation. Hamm considers himself a storyteller and a poet, and, in the course of the play, he composes part of his autobiography.

Clov

Clov, Hamm’s servant and possibly his adopted son. A younger man than his employer, Clov cannot sit down, and he walks stiffly because of the pain in his legs. He shares Hamm’s red complexion, and he acts as a codependent to Hamm’s capricious addict’s behavior. Clov makes up for his employer’s deficiencies by acting as Hamm’s eyes and legs, caring for Nagg and Nell, and cleaning up the room where they all live. He grudgingly obeys all of Hamm’s orders, and although he feels resentful and victimized by his situation, he feels helpless to leave it.

Nagg

Nagg, Hamm’s father, an old Irishman with a white face who wears a nightcap. He and his wife, Nell, got their legs cut off in a tandem bicycle accident, and ever since they have been living near their son in a pair of trash cans, with the stumps of their legs embedded in sand. Nagg considers himself a great comical storyteller and a philosopher who has come to terms with disappointment and the loss of nearly all of his physical pleasures and abilities.

Nell

Nell, Hamm’s mother. She is an elderly, white-faced Irishwoman wearing a lace cap who lives in a trash can next to her husband, Nagg. She is more serious than Nagg, and she scolds him for joking about the sorrow of life. She often drifts off into elegiac recollection. Nell insists that she will abandon Nagg, just as Clov threatens to leave Hamm. When she dies, she becomes the only character in the play to carry out her threats and change her situation.

Clov
Clov serves Hamm dutifully, despite enduring mistreatment. Though physically impaired, Clov is not entirely incapacitated. He is capable of leaving the only shelter he has ever known and venturing into the uncertain world outside. Throughout the play, Clov demonstrates his ability to manage tasks and survive, ultimately preparing to depart from Hamm and face the unknown.

Hamm
Hamm is a dying man in what appears to be a dying world. Blind and wheelchair-bound, he craves constant attention and sees himself as a god-like figure. Hamm relentlessly belittles his servant Clov, on whom he depends entirely. His parents, Nagg and Nell, live in ashbins and occasionally emerge, only to be scorned by their son. Despite the apocalyptic setting, Hamm finds a grim satisfaction in the potential extinction of all life. His sole wish is to outlive his father.

Nagg
Nagg, Hamm’s father, resides in an ashbin with his wife after losing their legs in a long-ago bicycling accident. Despite their dire circumstances, glimpses of their once profound and wondrous love surface throughout the play. They continue to seek that love, even amidst their harsh reality and their ungrateful son.

Nell
Nell, Hamm’s mother, also lives in an ashbin, having lost her legs in the same bicycling accident as her husband, Nagg. Her death during the play deeply distresses Nagg.