Nothingness Is Death

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Recommended: Analysis of endgame by samuel beckett

Samuel Beckett's Endgame highlights the concept of existentialist philosophy. Existentialist philosophy underlines the isolation of the individual experience in an apathetic universe. It emphasizes on the unexplainable and purposelessness of human existence and accentuates on free of choice. In Europe during the 1960s, the rise of Theater of the absurd gave plot to existentialism. Endgame reflects almost every aspect of existentialism. Samuel Beckett offers in this play a stark, spare representation of the human condition in its emptiness. Beckett's characters live out a hopeless attempt to find or to create meaning for them. This play draws attention to existentialist concept of hopelessness, loneliness, purposeless life and emotionless relationships. Moreover, the title of the play Endgame underlines that the game that has began will come to an end one day. This highlights the fact about human existence and notion of death and mortality and represents nothingness as death.
First of all, setting and use of language in this play employs existentialist concepts of despair and anxiety. The setting of the play looks like a partially underground bomb shelter, possibly after the occurrence of a nuclear holocaust and depicts nothingness. Room with bare interior serves as a shelter for the four characters: Hamm, Clov, Nagg and Nell. There are two windows that are used for nothing because Clov opens it on Hamm's request. He repeatedly searches the horizon with a telescope only to report about waves and sun, but he pronounces, "Zero. . . Gray"(Beckett 778). Zero means nothing, but its deeper meaning is nonexistence or absence and in this play it represents the absence of life. Similarly, gray symbolizes gloominess; it is unemotional, bori...

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...ses teeth, hair and eye sight and at the end body dies. Hamm says, "One day you'll be blind like me. You'll be sitting here, a speck in the void, in the dark, forever, like me" (Beckett 779). Concept of morality is something that nobody can deny and everyone has to go through this old age phase in life like Nagg, Nell and Hamm and has to die one day.
In conclusion, Samuel Beckett's Endgame reflects the concept of meaningless and purposelessness of human existence. It depicts absurd characters and their emotionless relationship. Besides, the play highlights the prevalent fact of human extinction; it represents the notion of death and mortality. This material world is left behind when human dies and only soul survives in the eternal world. God has created this world and he will finish it like the play Endgame signify that the game that has started will end one day.

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