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Topics for Further Study
(Drama for Students)
Beckett is often considered a forerunner to the absurdist movement in theater. Read Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter and David Mamet’s Glengarry, Glen Ross, and write an essay on how you think their writing has been influenced by Samuel Beckett.
Nagg and Nell, Hamm’s parents, are in ashbins throughout the play. What comment does this make on society and our ideas and treatment of the elderly?
Beckett’s plays are filled with rituals. What rituals does Clov perform for Hamm, and what does this say about the master-servant relationship they are in?
Endgame contains several elements of comedy. How do you feel these elements work in regard to the overall tone of the play? Why does Beckett make use of comedy in this manner? What is Beckett saying about life and the nature of comedy?