| Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) is an Irish avant-garde novelist, essayist, poet, theatre director and playwright of the20th century. As the most outstanding playwright of the theatre of the absurd, he was awarded Nobel Prize in literature in1969"for his writing, which—in new forms for the novel and drama—in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation."For Samuel Beckett, it is his drama rather than his novel that has made him one of the most distinguished writers worldwide. Waiting for Godot is a world-acclaimed masterpiece of him, but many consider Endgame as his best single work. Endgame is a one-act play with four characters. Though the plot seems simple, its absurd theatrical display and fragmented language make it obscure to understand. Many studies on his famous play Waiting for Godot have been done home and aboard, but little specific and systematic analysis of Endgame has been made. Therefore, by means of analyzing the characters, plot, language, settings and other theatrical elements of Endgame, this thesis probes into the characters’ living conditions in Endgame from the perspective of Sartrean existentialism; it examines four kinds of abnormal human existence reflected in the play so as to stress the importance of spiritual independence for man’s meaningful existence in the absurd world.This thesis consists of three parts with an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction provides some background information on Samuel Beckett, Endgame, the theatre of the absurd and Sartrean existentialism. Part One reviews the relevant studies at home and abroad. Part Two elaborates Sartrean existentialism, and reveals the close relationship between Samuel Beckett’s literary creation and Sartrean existentialism. Part Three probes into the characters’ miserable, meaningless, slavish and alienated existence to show the importance of spiritual independence. Finally, the thesis draws a conclusion to remind the readers of their own existence. |
PDF Full Text Request