Endgame as a morbid picture of human condition.

The image of man in Endgame relies upon “the representational power of deformity and disability to
expose the bodily life repressed within classicism” and it seizes upon “disability power to disrupt and
variegate the visual encounter with unblemished bodies”. Beckett shows suffering to be an
unavoidable and constant aspect of human existence. In fact, being alive is equated with misery.
After Nell’s death Clov looks inside Nagg’s bin. He observes, “He’s crying.” From this Hamm
concludes, “then he’s living.” The characters are presented in physical pain to further illustrate
human suffering. Throughout the work Hamm repeatedly asks Clov for his painkiller. However, he
never receives any. Beckett is implying the inevitability of human suffering. Just as Hamm has no
cure for his physical pain, there is no cure for humanity’s constant suffering. In fact, Hamm later
states, “you’re on earth, there is no cure for that.”

Sardonic humour and laughter are used throughout the play to highlight the constant suffering of
humans. This theme is accurately summarized by Nell, “nothing is funnier than unhappiness…it’s the
most comical thing in the world.” Characters frequently laugh at the misery of themselves and
others in Endgame. To illustrate this point, at the start of the work Clov looks out the two windows
and laughs. He then takes the cloth off and inspects each of the other characters, laughing at them.
This laughter mocks the suffering of the characters and emphasizes the absolute misery that is
associated with human existence.

As a commentator on the absurdity of life, Hamm accepts this as true and being a big and great is no
matter for him. He says, “the bigger a man is the fuller he is. . .. And the emptier”. The reference
here is to knowledge and religion rather than to size and apparent greatness. Nonetheless, disability
prevents Hamm from doing anything except exchanging conversation with Glov to express his ill
condition:

HAMM: God, I‘m tired, I‘d be better off in bed . . . Get me ready, I‘m going to bed.

CLOV: I‘ve just got you up.

HAMM: And what of it?

Although all characters in Endgame are impaired and disabled and their inactivity and passivity are
barefaced and cannot be ignored, they are read and analysed as clever and leading. Therefore, it is
believed that Beckett employed “[T]he disabled, maimed, and the decaying body as a multiple
referent for a variety of ideas that seem to have been at least partially triggered by encounters with
others and his own personal experience of pain and temporary disability”.

Lastly, Beckett presents isolation as a core aspect of human existence in Endgame. By illustrating
extensive isolation of the characters, Beckett suggests that all humans are isolated to this extent.
Isolation is conveyed at the beginning of the play via the white cloths which initially cover Clov,
Nagg, and Nell. These cloths physically isolate the characters. An additional degree of physical
isolation is portrayed in the case of Nagg and Nell, who are contained inside ashbins under the cloth.
Isolation is emphasized in Endgame through the characters’ lack of physical contact with each other.
Nagg and Nell try to kiss but are physically unable to. In addition, Clov and Hamm seem unwilling to
share physical contact. Hamm finds that Clov simply standing behind him gives him “the shivers.”
Similarly, Clov tells Ham that if he leaves, he will not kiss him goodbye. Also, dialog of the characters
is sometimes used to increase the magnitude of the isolation that is portrayed. In particular, Hamm
discusses the inevitably of isolation. He warns, “one day you’ll be blind, like me. You’ll be sitting
there, a speak in the void, in the dark, forever, like me.” This comment is meant to not only address
Clov, but also the audience. Therefore, this remark encourages us to realize the possibility of our
own inescapable isolation.

Endgame suggests that humans are in a constant state of decay, slowly dying. The characters express
their desire for an end of their suffering through death. Despite this, they find they are unable to end
their existence. Hamm says, “…it’s time it ended and yet I hesitate to – to end." Beckett suggests that
death is more desirable than suffering through the slow decay of living. The perpetual decay
associated with existence is represented by the physical decline of the characters. Clov’s sight is
failing and his legs cause him great pain. Similarly, Ham is blind and unable to move out of his chair.
His frequent requests for pain medicine suggest that he too is in significant pain. The mental decay
of the characters is also indicated. After Nagg tells a joke he gloomily reflects, “I tell this story worse
and worse.” These examples emphasize the inevitability of human's physical and metal decline. As
Hamm states, “We lose our hair, our teeth! Our bloom! Our ideals!”.

The setting of the work also contributes to its theme of isolation. In Beckett’s description of the
setting, he suggests a “bare interior.” This emptiness creates a desolate atmosphere. Additional
references to emptiness intensify this feeling. When describing the outside Clov often alludes to
emptiness. He frequently describes all aspects of what he sees outside as simply “zero.”

In conclusion, Beckett presents a dismal view of the human condition through the effective use of a
variety of literary techniques in his work, Endgame. He depicts living as a state characterized by
constant anguish, isolation, decay, and the slow approach towards death. This portrayal of the
human condition, though depressing, is of great value. Beckett accurately represents some of the
worst aspects of being human.