Endgame: Key Facts | SparkNotes

full title Endgame

author Samuel Beckett

type of work Drama

genre Absurdist drama/comedy

language Originally french; translated into English by Beckett

time and place written Paris, mid-1950s

date of first production London, April 3, 1957

publisher Grove Press

narrator No narrator; drama

climax The climax occurs when Clov finally leaves

protagonist Hamm; Clov

antagonist At times Hamm; the environment; death

setting (time) Modern day

setting (place) A hole near the sea

point of view The audience empathizes most with Clov, though we spend the most time with Hamm

falling action Clov returns as Hamm soliloquizes

tense Play; present tense

foreshadowing Clov frequently threatens to leave, and Hamm often tells him to

tone Absurdly comic, philosophical

themes Cyclical, Repetitive Nature of Beginnings and Endings; Emptiness and Loneliness; Theatre of the Absurd

motifs Chess

symbols Light and darkness; Youth

Endgame