Great Works Annotation Project

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
JA
X-NONE

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

I agree completely with the parallels that Y.Li made between the relationship of Hamm and Clov compared to Tom and Jerry. Though they might not always enjoy the back and forth routine between them, they know that they need each other. The relation to Tom and Jerry was a great way to really give students a simple and relatable way of remembering how the relationship between Hamm and Clov was. The link to the actual video was also a great way for us to get a visual representation of that dynamic. It’s very similar in the fact that when you get down to it Tom and Jerry don’t really have anybody else but each other similar to Hamm and Clov who don’t have anyone but each other and they need each other to fill that routine. This comparison was spot on and will allow students to get a good idea of the relationship and have some context before even reading the play.

I agree with the student , Mercurio, that we are never certain about where our life will go next. With Hamm and Clov, no matter how hard it gets and how they go back and forth, they know they can depend on each other. Although it doesn’t state how long they’ve been with each other, you can tell they’ve been stuck with each other for a while. Clov tells Hamm that he will leave him, but he has stuck it out and has stayed. The endgame in the context of a relationship is when it all ends; when someone calls it quits. But the beauty of it is in the effort to make things work. The play doesn’t mention if Clov really leaves but he gets ready to walk out. How hard would it be to just walk out on someone because you get tired of it all? How hard is it to abandon someone whose entire life depends on you and you depend on them for company?

I like the way this student compared this particular line in the play to what was going on in real life while Samuel Beckett was writing Endgame. I think this student found a way to compare the line, “Nature has forgotten us,” to the devastation of the war during this time brilliantly. This annotation has made me question the play entirely. Now, I am asking myself if this play could possibly have many aspects of World War 2 incorporated throughout that I didn’t realize.

The trousers are created by the tailor through continued trial and error, similar to how the world has continued to go through periods of betterment through the guise of war and devastation. The Endgame for each of the two, the trousers and the world, is all the same. Both have gone through much torment to create the end product however, in the eyes of the tailor the pants are perfect, whereas to the customer it is absurd to wait such a long time for a pair of pants. The world, created by GOD, in all its perfection and glory is in ruins but still seen as perfection created in just six days. The story of the trousers emphasizes the repetition towards nothingness that we engage in daily. The repetition drives us in circles until we reach the end Endgame, the point to which we realize we have contributed absolutely nothing and play out the remainder of each day with the knowledge that nothing will come of it.

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
JA
X-NONE

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Throughout the play, Hamm is seen telling Clov his biographical story. In this particular dialogue, when he mentions a boy, we see the parallel between Clov’s story (which isn’t told) and Hamm’s aforementioned child. One can see this as a confession as Hamm’s story is slowly unwinding. After Hamm mentions the boy and a few minor details, Clov comments saying, “And then he would have grown up”. When Hamm acknowledges this, we see a shift in their relationship; Clov’s curiosity rises and Hamm wants to prolong his story. Clov’s role as a servant shifts to one as Hamm’s mentee, or son.

Clov is the humble servant and Hamm is the wise master. For many people, this is probably an accurate description of each character. But it cannot be that easy, Beckett is unlike any other play writer; he simply does not give the reader an easy way out. In this particular dialogue, Hamm repeatedly questions Clov about his father. While this may just be another mind game, Clov senses a bit of opening from the part of Hamm. When Hamm admits that he has been a father to Clov, Clov acknowledges it right away. Traditionally, we know that the role of a servant is to do what has been assigned to him. In the play we see that Clov does everything assigned—nothing more, nothing less. Therefore, Clov’s relationship with Hamm can be seen through a different scope.

The title endgame is like the expression, “It’s not over until the fat lady sings.” Meaning, that no one knows what their destiny will be. We can choose different paths in life but we still don’t know what the outcome will be. For example, Clov always tells Hamm how he wants to leave him, but he can never come to a final decision as far as we know to leave Hamm forever. You can think of Endgame as a relationship gone bad. The endgame never comes until one person decides to leave the relationship. Until then it is just like a revolving door, never ending. A movie that will you make you better understand what the meaning of Endgame is Gone Girl. In Gone Girl, it is a marital horror story, where both the husband and wife make moves to deceive one another. All in all, there is no endgame in Gone Girl, the husband and wife end in a stalemate.
 

When Hamm says “Me to play”, it’s like saying, “my turn to play”. In context to the title, “Endgame”, we can safely assume that this is his final, if not THE final, turn in… Whatever game that he’s playing. Now, the overall feeling of the whole play is weariness. The players of the game all feel mentally and physically exhausted, as if they had been jousting with each other for a long time. Who the players are is open to interpretation. Perhaps it could be the characters Clov and Hamm and the power dynamic between the two persons, or it could be life and death, where Hamm, Clov, Nagg and Nell all feel death approaching, and yet instinctively struggle to live. Think of the words Endgame and “Me to play” as, say, a game in StarCraft. In a 1-v-1 match (or better yet, a Free-For-All match), each player is tasked with the mission to build an indestructible army to completely annihilate their opponent. All the players have no one but their own skill and luck to depend on, and if they screw up, they have no one to blame but themselves. With this in mind, Clov, Hamm, Nagg, and Nell live in a secluded area, separated from society (or are living in a post-apocalyptic era), with no one to depend on. While they depend on each other, it’s like depending on your army to open fire onto an approaching hostile army without explicitly ordering them to do so. As the game drags on, the mental and physical condition of every player worsens. One must understand that in a standard game of StarCraft, you’ll witness your army get torn apart over and over again, until one of them gains a tactical advantage and handles his/her army better. As the name “Endgame” implies, it seems as if Hamm had been playing his game for a very, very long time, and thus is very exhausted.

In this line Beckett expose’s Ham’s desire to escape. Ham’s sudden dream, however, quickly fades with the daily routine of killing pain. This line also provides a biblical reference, pointing to the story of Noah’s Ark, in which Noah is commanded by God to build an ark that will save humanity from an encroaching flood. In this case Ham is warning Clov of the impending doom that is death, and recommends that they escape before it happens.

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
JA
X-NONE

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Ham chooses to “go south”, interpreted as an idiom this means that he wants to escape, and break free from his current life. This is comparable to many groups in history who have fled their land in search of freedom. The search for mammals indicates Ham’s willingness to comingle with others, and begin a new life. Surprisingly, Clov disagrees, yet this does not stop Ham’s desire to go. However, he is dependent on Clov to build the ship, once again demonstrating the symbiotic relationship they have. The line exposes the struggle which Ham faces, he is dying to get away, but has his habits, and disability are holding him back.

In this way the human condition is a complicated one; it can envision hypothetical goals with great clarity, yet at the same time curtail that person from ever achieving those goals.

Additionally, For an auditory look into Ham’s state of mind, the song “Chained to the couch” By: The Devil Makes Three helps illustrate the possible struggle that Ham is faced with when he desires to “sail away” from his current situation. The singer is chained to couch, and explains that his frustration should make him scream but “he ain’t got those tears no more” similar to Ham coming to terms with his lack of mobility.