The Play of the Theater of the Absurd Throughout literature, much has been speculated and gleaned about the state of man and his purpose in life. Several poets, novelists and playwrights have used the powerful tools of language to convey their respective claims to the literate world. Many authors are notable for their overly romantic or horribly pessimistic notations on life, but only Samuel Beckett stands out for his portrayal of absence. As Democritus, a Greek philosopher, noted, “nothing is more real than nothing,” a quote that became a favorite of Beckett and an inspiration for his masterly works (Hughes 1). Beckett's plays have astonished many by their total divergence from the typical basis of a play. His blatant disregard for traditional concepts of character development, setting, time, and sequence of events distinguishes Beckett's plays from myriad themed dramas. Because of such breaks from the standard, the message of Beckett's works rings clear. In his pioneering play Waiting for Godot, Beckett describes two men, Estragon and Vladimir, who approach a rock and a tree along a road and wait in vain for an unknown "Godot" day after day, idly having frivolous conversations and meeting casually. another couple of characters, Pozzo and Lucky, who pass by daily. His next work, Endgame, creates a similar scenario with a blind man, tied to a chair, Hamm, and his servant friend, Clov, stuck in a room featuring only two tall windows and two ash bins housing the parents by Hamm, Nagg and Nell. Such unusual shows perfectly portray the American theater of the absurd. In both Waiting for Godot and Endgame, Samuel Beckett cleverly incorporates an offbeat setting and a dual character...... middle of paper ......lis Carmel Mendelson. vol. 6. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company, 1976. 47.Mayoux, Jean-Jaques. Samuel Beckett. 1974. 48. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Sharon Gunter. vol. 18. Detroit, Michigan:Gale Research Company, 1981. 41-43.McDaniels, Daryl. "Critical Essay on 'Endgame'." Student DramaVol. 18. Gale, 2003.Murray, Edward. The cinematic imagination: writers and films. 1972. Rpt. in Contemporary literary criticism.Ed. Carolyn Riley and Phyllis Carmel Mendelson. vol. 6. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company, 1976. 36.Campbell 8Schlueter, June. "Beckett's Didi and Gogo, Hamm and Clov". Metafictional Characters in Modern Drama 1977. 53-69. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Sharon Gunter. vol. 18.Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company, 1981. 43-46.