Using Endgame and Top Girls as Your Starting Point, Examine the Ways in Which Departures from Theatrical Naturalism Are Used to Develop the Main Themes of These Plays.
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Theatrical naturalism refers to the act of using dramatic techniques to create the illusion of reality. A plays themes and key points can often be better portrayed through the unreal, certain themes perhaps benefiting from the flexibility a lack of reality allows. Two such examples can be seen in Thomas Beckett’s Endgame and Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls where both play writes exploit departures from reality to better develop or in some cases allow the existence of certain themes and ideals.
Structurally Endgame is a departure from naturalism in so far as it completely lacks any traditional narrative devices. It is similar to Beckett’s earlier play Waiting for Godot as it focus is simply on one situation and a small number of characters who go through the situation with little or no motivation towards a goal or resolution, other than of Clov’s wish to leave. The intention of this minimalist structure and plot in Endgame is to better promote the idea of ending and mortality. The characters have no motivation or event based narrative because they are simply waiting for the end of their lives which comes in many ways with the end of the play. Beckett gives the audience an indication as how the play is to develop with Clov’s opening line
Clov: Finished, it’s finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished
Certainly at the end of the play we are left questioning whether or not this routine of hanging onto life ever finishes. Beckett leaves the end with no resolution at all although Clov is seen to finally leave Hamm the audience is never shown him leaving. In some productions directors actually had Clov stop in the doorway standing still rather than actually exiting the stage. This with the repetition in the language allows for the