Everything new is well-forgotten old. This saying is true concerning any aspect of culture. Humanity evolves together with civilization and each century, every decade brings new ideas, forms and notions. The movement of postmodernism brought a lot of artists, who tried to bring in music, theatre and literature something new. But very often their new creations just evoke some ideas from the cultural legacy of other artists – the characters, plots and themes repeat in different variations. The play “Endgame” written by Samuel Beckett – an Irish avant-garde theatre director, playwright, and novelist, one of the founders of the Theatre of the Absurd – is a great example. With the help of characterization the author induces the memory of William Shakespeare’s play “King Lear”. Beckett masterfully transforms the Shakespearean original into tragicomedy of the past century.
Samuel Beckett creates in his play a character that can be traced back to the Shakespeare’s play. That is Hamm – a prototype of King Lear. Hamm is not a king, but from the text it is understandable that he was a prosperous man. He lives in a house and has a servant named Clov. The Hamm’s words and behavior make him a king, a real tyrant. He commands, gives orders to Clov: “Take me for a little turn.”, “Stop!”, “Back to my place!” (Beckett, 9) Hamm always needs to be in control and is completely dependent on Clov. Nearly the whole play is based on his dialogue with Clov that consists of argues and orders to bring something or take away.
Hamm acts very cruel towards the people around him. He asks Clov with a slight fear and worry: “I haven’t made you suffer too much?” (Beckett, 3) Hamm is afraid that he was not cruel enough towards his servant. Moreover, he keeps his parents in the trash bins and when they bother him asks Clov to “bottle them”. When his father Nagg dies and his mother Nell starts crying, Hamm pays no attention to them at all. Hamm may not be an actual king, but he poses himself and thinks of himself as one. Hamm’s wheel chair can be viewed symbolically as a throne and the room, where all the actions in the play take place is his small kingdom.
Hamm as well as Lear wants to shift the responsibility. Lear did it between his three daughters and Hamm burdens Clov with all his problems. On the question “Why do you stay with me?” Clov answers “Why do you keep me?” (Beckett, 3) Having no other place to go, poor servant has no other choice as to suffer and endure Hamm’s cruelty. That is one of the tragedies in the play – despair. He convinces Clov that he takes care of him being a kind and compassionate person, but indeed he thinks of him as of weak and coward.
Also, Hamm questions the love of Clov: “You don’t love me. You loved me once.” (Beckett, 3) King Lear also asks his daughters: “Tell me, my daughters, – Since now we will divest us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of state, – Which of you shall we say doth love us most?” (Shakespeare, 7)
The most significant similarity between King Lear and Hamm is their blindness. The only difference is that Lear was blind only metaphorical. He cannot see the true feeling of his children, who they really are. Lear orders Cordelia out of his sight, as he does not see her actual love for him. In the end the king realizes his mistake and dies with his only one devoted daughter in his hands. Hamm is also blind, but for real: “Did you ever see my eyes? It seems they've gone all white.” (Beckett, 3) But the reader does not know what caused the character’s blindness and how long he has it. Hamm’s blindness also has a symbolical meaning. Unlike in old literature, where it usually stands for wisdom and experience, in “Endgame” it means ignorance and indifference. Hamm refuses to accept the reality they live now in: “Enough, it's time it ended, in the shelter, too. And yet I hesitate, I hesitate to to end. Yes, there it is, it's time it ended and yet I hesitate to – to end.” (Beckett, 2) He cannot believe that everything is gone and often asks Clov to look out of the window and see if something changed. Hamm dies not the same as King Lear. He remains alone, but being proud accepts it.
Work Cited
Beckett, Samuel. Endgame. 1st ed. Web. 7 May 2016.
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. 1st ed. 1998. Web. & May 2016.
