Endgame beginning to end文档格式.docx

Endgame beginning to end文档格式.docx

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thesolitaryred-facedfigure,Clov,stands"

motionlessbythedoor"

（1）.Itisaratherpeculiaralteration,thisdisplacementofClovfromthefauteuiltothedoor.HardlyenoughtosuggestasubstantialrevisiononBeckett'

spart.Butthenwhymakesuchafocusedrevisionatall?

There'

snodismissingitasmereauthorialwhimsy,especiallygivenBeckett'

sreputationfordirectorialfastidiousness--afterall,thisisthesameBeckettwhoralliedhisbewilderedactorswiththephrase"

therearenoaccidentsinEndgame"

（McMillan212）.

Thatonlybringsusbacktotheinitialdilemma:

suchatinyadjustmentissurelytoosmalltowarrantattention,andyetitwasn'

ttoosmalltowarrantBeckett'

sattention.Thissortofthingalwaysposesproblemsforinterpretation（doesitmatterthatOscarWildehelduptheproofsofDorianGraytochangeaminorcharacter'

snamefromAshtontoHubbard?

[Lawler,93n]）.ButitisaparticularlypointedproblemforBeckett,ifonlybecausehisisthefictionaluniversethatseemsleastsusceptibletomeaningfulchange.WhyshouldwepayattentiontowhereClovisstandingiftheworldheinhabitsishopelesslydesiccated?

Whatdifferencecoulditmakewhetherhisdescentintoinexorabledespairbeginsbesidethechairornexttothedoor?

IfFindePartieunfoldsinauniverseofirremediableentropy--andHammcertainlythinksitdoes--thenClov'

sre-placementcanmeanonlythedifferencebetweendecayinghereanddecayingthere,whichistosaynotmuchofadifference.ButthenwhydidBeckettsoparticularlyattendtothequestionofClov'

sinitialplacement?

Quitesimply,becauseitmattersintheend:

becauseultimatelyClov'

splacementtellsussomethingcrucialaboutthetrajectoryoftheplay,aboutthelimitsofthehermeneuticoffatalism,andaboutthepossibilitiesofClov'

send.Whattheminutealterationofthebeginningrevealsisthehesitantambiguityoftheend.Afterall,asHammsays,"

Latinestdanslecommencement[theendisinthebeginning]"

（91,69）.

Theveryfirstlineoftheplayisalreadyanending:

"

Fini,c'

estfini,cavafinir,cavapeut-etrefinir[Finished,it'

sfinished,nearlyfinished,itmustbenearlyfinished]"

（15,1）.Wehavejustbegunandalreadyitisover,orperhapsonlynearlyover--Hammseemstheonlyonewhocantell.'

Itisfinished,itwillfinish,itwillperhapsfinish'

:

threequitedifferentwaystoimaginetheend.Andperhapsmorethanthree,thankstoBeckett'

sloosetranslation（whichallows"

cavafinir,cavapeut-etrefinir"

tobecome"

nearlyfinished,itmustbenearlyfinished."

）Justhowtheenddevelops--andhowitrelatestothebeginning--remainsanopenquestion,indeedtheobsessivequest（ion）oftheplay.

ThoughthequestionofendingobsessesBeckett'

scharacters,ithasnotparticularlyinterestedBeckett'

scritics.EventheliteralendingofFindePartie/Endgame--thepossibilityofClov'

sdeparture--hasreceivedonlyoccasionalattention,whichasoftenasnothasmeantoccasionalindifference.FollowingtheFrenchpremierin1957,onlyapaltryfewreviewersevenacknowledgedClov'

sprospectivedeparture,andthosewhodidtreateditaseitherimmaterialorpredetermined:

Alafin,Clovpart.Maispart-ilvraiment?

Ilsaitqu'

iln'

irapasloin[Attheend,Clovleaves.Butdoeshereallyleave?

Heknowsthathewon'

tgetfar]"

（Arts-Spectacles）;

Clovannoncesonprochedepart,encorequ'

illesacheimpossible[Clovannounceshisimminentdeparture,thoughheknowsittobeimpossible]"

（FigaroLitteraire）.NoonefamiliarwithBeckettcriticismcanbesurprisedbythisinsensitivitytotheindeterminacyofBeckett'

sending.

（1）LikesomanyofBeckett'

smostfamousandmostcapablecritics（Adornobeingonlythemostprominentexample）,thoseearlyreviewerssawnoindeterminacyinBeckett'

swork,onlyoverdetermination:

Commedanslaplusclassiquedestragedies,onsaitquelafinviendra,onsaitsurtoutcequ'

ellesera[Asinclassicaltragedies,weknowthattheendwillcome,andaboveallweknowwhatitwillbe]"

Noussavons,deslestroispremieresminutes,qu'

arriverarien,qu'

ilnepeutrienarriver[Weknow,afterthefirstthreeminutes,thatnothingwillhappen,thatnothingcanhappen]"

（NouvellesLitteraires）;

Auboutdequelquesminutes,noussavonsdequoiilretourneetnousn'

avonsplusrienaapprendre[Afterjustafewminutes,weknowwhatit'

saboutandwehavenothingmoretolearn]"

（LaRevuedeParis）.

（2）

Ifthereviewersareright,andFindePartie/Endgamepresentsaworlddriftingineluctablytowardsdissolution,thentheendingislargelyimmaterial,havinglongbeendetermined.ButperhapsitisnotClov'

sinabilitytodepartthatgeneratesthissenseoffatalism;

perhapsit'

stheotherwayaround.Whatiftheassumptionoffatalism--sotemptingandsoapparentlyunavoidableinBeckett--makesthegenuineambiguityofClov'

sdeparturesimplyunrecognizable?

Perhaps,thatis,areexaminationoftheending--asastrangelyambivalentmomentinwhichClovbothleavesanddoesn'

tleave--willallowustoglimpse,withintheplayitself,analternativetotheprevailinghermeneuticoffatalism.Alternativemaynotevenbetherightword.It'

snothopewe'

retalkingabout,andcertainlynotescape--thedespairisalltoorealandalltooauthentic.（3）Rather,it'

ssomethinglikeindeterminacy.Evenifwecan'

tfinallydecidewhetherClovleavesordoesn'

tleave,whatmightwelearnabouttheplaybythinkingofClov'

sdepartureasbothimminentandimpossible,notaneither/orbutaboth/and?

（4）

Afterall,theplaygivesusamplereasontodistrustthecritics'

thoroughgoingfatalism.Doubtlessitseems"

mortibus/corpsed"

（46,30）,butperhapsweshouldgivelesscredencetothisseems.Hammknowsfullwelltheabyssthatseparatesseemingfrombeing:

J'

aiconnuunfouquicroyaitquelatindumondeetaitarrivee.Il

faisaitdelapeinture.Jel'

aimaisbien.J'

allaislevoir,a

l'

asile.Jeleprenaisparlamainetletrainaisdevantlafenetre.

Maisregarde!

La!

Toutceblequileve!

Etla!

Regarde!

Lesvoiles

dessardiniers!

Toutecettebeaute!

（Untemps.）Ilm'

arrachaitsa

mainetretournaitdanssoncoin.Epouvante.Iln'

avaitvuquedes

cendres.（Untemps）Luiseulavaiteteepargne.（Untemps）.Oublie.

（Untemps.）Ilparaitquelecasn'

est...n'

etaitpassi...si

rare.（62-3）

[Ionceknewamadmanwhothoughttheendoftheworldhadcome.He

wasapainter--andengraver.Ihadagreatfondnessforhim.Iused

togoandseehim,intheasylum.I'

dtakehimbythehandanddrag

himtothewindow.Look!

There!

Allthatrisingcorn!

Andthere!

Look!

Thesailsoftheherringfleet!

Allthatloveliness!

（Pause.）

He'

dsnatchawayhishandandgobackintohiscorner.Appalled.All

hehadseenwasashes.（Pause.）Healonehadbeenspared.（Pause.）

Forgotten.（Pause.）Itappearsthecaseis...wasnotso...so

unusual.（44）]

Notunusualatall.Hamm,too,projectsalandscapeofashesontoabackdropofloveliness--atleastthat'

swhattheellipsessuggest.Likehisfriend,Hammfancieshimselfakindofartist（think,forexample,ofhisunfinishedstory）,capturingnaturewithhispaletteofblacksandgrays.（5）Whatweknowoftheoutsideworld,weknowfromHamm:

Clovmaylookoutthewindow,butit'

sHammwhotellshimwhattosee.Andit'

sHammwhotellsus"

Horsd'

ici,c'

estlamort[Outsideofhereit'

sdeath]"

（23,9）,notjustoncebutrepeatedlyandastheFrenchstagedirectionsadd,"

fierement"

（proudly,mytranslation）:

Lointuseraismort...Loindemoic'

estlamort.[Gonefrommeyou'

dbedead...Outsideofhereit'

（93,70）."

Ahlesgens,lesgens,"

hecomplainstotheaudience,"

ilfauttoutleurexpliquer[Ahthecreatures,thecreatures,everythinghastobeexplainedtothem]（61,43）.（6）Asoftenasnot,Hamm'

sexplanationsaresimplyindoctrinationswhichiswhyClov,whenaskediftheolddoctorisdead,replies:

c'

esttoiquimedemandeca?

[Youaskmethat?

]"

（40,25）--asiftosay"

you,thegreatthanatologist,askmeifthedoctorisdead?

Youyourselftaughtmethatthereisnothingbutdeath."

Noneofthisprovesthattheworldisn'

treally"

corpsed"

--itmaybethatthemadmanwasdeludedbutthatHammisgenuinelytrappedinaworldofashes.Allitdoesisre-introduceapeutetre（asintheopeninglines:

cavapeut-etrefinir"

）.PerhapsthedecayingworldofFindePartie/Endgame,likethedesolatelandscapeofthemadman,isasolipsisticprojection,impressed--likeanengraving--notonlyontothemindsofthecharactersbutequallyontotheaudience.

Hamm'

sendgameisagamefirstandanendsecond.Ifitlookslikearitualofending,itisreallyjustadeferraloftheendhehesitatestomeet:

Assez,ilesttempsquecelafinisse,danslerefugeaussi.（Untemps.）Etcep