Topic > Major Metaphors in “Endgame”

It is impossible to analyze Beckett without wrestling with the abstract and surreal nature of his work; the typical minimalist language mixed with anomalous premises make it difficult to find an understandable meaning. Because of this universal difficulty created deliberately by Beckett, his works become open to free interpretation. "Endgame" is the pinnacle of Beckett's abstract style; understanding it in the common sense is made deliberately awkward by Beckett, so that every single symbol, allusion and metaphor must be explored in great detail. It is the audience's experience of these details, which contain immense depth, that forms the meaning of "Endgame." The work effortlessly transcends many aspects of human life, from faith to death, and Beckett forces the audience to reflect on their own lives thanks to his completely open work, which contains many fragments of life recognizable to them, who must understand what each means metaphor. . It remains debatable whether Beckett actually had strong opinions on Endgame's topics or whether he explores every concept simply because it's interesting; Beckett once wrote: "I take no sides. I am interested in the form of ideas."(i) which suggests that all the value audiences find in 'Endgame' simply comes from their personal experience and Beckett inspired them only slightly. However, accepting everything Beckett says about his plays is naive. Elements of "Endgame" and "Waiting for Godot" can be recognized from Beckett's life, implying that some parts of the plays have deep meaning for him. Beckett intends to make his audience re-examine their lives, so I believe the statement is true. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? in so many aspects of the audience's lives using metaphor that I will only look at the major metaphors and how they interact with the audience. One of the most common readings of Endgame is that it is a single individual's narrative and the stage is his head. You can easily back up this vision; the windows are eyes, the room is the brain and the bins are memories. The fact that the stage is a metaphor for a head has implications that resonate with the audience. The constant bickering between Clov and Hamm can be the internal struggle of consciousness or even the battle between superego and ego (Hamm is the superego and Clov the ego). Internal conflicts affect everyone and Beckett reflects them on the audience. This may be because Beckett wants the audience to evaluate how he lives; What part of their mind do they sink into? The rational Clov, who states that "I love order". It is my dream,' or Hamm, wildly emotional, reflecting, 'Is there any misery nobler than mine?' Beckett has no preferences but simply implores the audience to understand themselves; if this theory is true, then "Endgame" is about an individual in complete turmoil, each character is physically injured, showing how erosive internal struggle can be. The individual also loses contact with his own reality; Clov describes the outside beyond the windows, the kingdom through the eyes, and "The light has set." This means that for the individual the tangible world has nothing to offer him, it is dead to him because he has become obsessed with his own mind. Beckett warns the audience of this complete introspection as he proposes that the individual goes mad at the end of the play because Clov, a part of the mind, can leave and leave Hamm "screaming" because of the "infinite void." Beckett then shows the audience that not only does internal fixation lead to madness, but that isolation can also have similar effects. The commissioningscene has a very circular theme; the room is claustrophobic and closed just as the stage is symmetrical. At one point Hamm asks to be moved in a circle and then asks to be exactly in the center of the stage, underlining the symmetrical and circular nature of the show. This cyclical pattern reflects how an individual survives in the face of severe isolation, endlessly repeated mundane routine. The characters experience this just as Beckett did during World War II, when he spent long periods in squalid, abandoned trenches. This is also the period in which he suffered from severe depression. This is one of Beckett's clearest messages to the public, it is not an ambiguous symbol, it clearly states that a person does not have to be alone. Beckett even underlines this by referring to Dante's Inferno; as Hamm listens through the wall he describes it as "the other hell" which alludes to the cyclical qualities of the 9 stages of Hell. Being alone, for Beckett, is hell. The main source of dramatic tension in the play is whether Clov will leave Hamm. Nell tells him to "defect" and constantly threatens Hamm by stating "I will leave you". Even at the end of the show it is unclear whether Clov is leaving; the choice defines the movement of the show for the audience. It may seem that Beckett puts choice at the top of human priorities, however, one line enlightens us about his true thoughts. When a mouse enters the room, Clov says, "If I don't kill that mouse, it will die"; Beckett makes it clear to the audience that Clov is the mouse. Clov may leave the room but then he will die since Hamm has the only source of food but if he stays the food will run out and he will die anyway. Beckett presents us with the idea that choice is an illusion, in a sense the entire play is a farce because the dramatic tension is objectively flawed. Beckett forces the audience to evaluate the importance of choice in their lives and if it adds meaning or accepting determinism, they will actually feel less responsibility and pressure, which results in obsessive introspection and become happier. The characters in "Endgame" provide a wealth of metaphorical possibilities, one of the main themes Beckett examines is the concept of memory, more specifically whether memory has any value to an audience. The general opinion about memory, in non-logistical form, is that it is pleasant. Beckett uses Nagg and Nell to force the audience to re-examine this point of view. Both characters are consumed by memories of the "Ardennes" or on a "rowboat", except each time they remember they "laugh less heartily". Their appearance is ridiculous; they are pale, old, broken and sit in garbage cans as if they were literally garbage. They are gripped by memory and have lost reality; they have no influence, really all they want is "Me, Daddy!" They can't even kiss anymore. Beckett sets up the clash between reality and memory using Nagg and Nell, making it ultimately pathetic. Beckett believes that less emphasis is needed on memory and that life should be lived more in the present. The interdependence between Clov and Hamm is evident from the beginning, when Clov leaves the room Hamm shouts "Come back!" and Clov realizes that "There is nowhere else." What's very interesting about this relationship is that Hamm's main argument in support of their continuing relationship is to "keep the dialogue going" and Hamm even gets angry when Clov doesn't do this. The language is often overtly theatrical and non-naturalistic, this is because we try to "maintain the dialogue". When this forced language appears on the scene it feels strange and uncomfortable. Beckett created a mirror on stage; what Hamm and Clov stage, because they know they are under inspection, are daily chatter in which the audience can?".