Student Question

Which chess pieces do the characters in Endgame symbolize?

Quick answer:

In "Endgame," Hamm and Clov symbolize chess kings, unable to win or lose, endlessly moving without resolution, reflecting the play's themes of stagnation and futility. Hamm, like a king, is vulnerable yet central, needing Clov for protection. Clov's movement resembles a knight's, while Nagg and Nell represent insignificant pawns, whose loss is trivial. The "endgame" situation highlights the irony of an endless, unresolved existence.

Expert Answers

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An "Endgame" in chess is when only two kings are left on the board. Neither can win or lose. All that happen is that they can endlessly move around, and around, and around, never putting each other into check, and the game only ending when it is aborted as a stalemate.

In that sense, Hamm and Clov are both kings, unable to finish anything (note the first and last lines of the play!) moving around the chess board.

But, it's important to say that the characters share characteristics which are perhaps supposed to suggest other chess pieces. Hamm (who sometimes openly utters "Me to play") is most like the King, a very weak and vulnerable, but also a very powerful piece: to defeat the king is to win the game.  Like a chess king, his movement is restricted, and he relies on another piece to protect him (Clov!)

Clov's odd movement patterns and his staggering walk seem closest to the odd "L" movement-turns of a Knight. Nagg and Nell are weak, and unimportant pawns, the loss of whom is insignificant. Nell's death bothers no one.

But the key chess point is that, ironically, the "Endgame" means the game can never end, but must continue and continue and continue.

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